I'm seriously not kidding.
Who loves cheesecake?
TRICK QUESTION because I already know you don’t love it as much as I do. I could eat cheesecake all day, all night. Junior’s, Sara Lee, Olive Garden, Cheesecake Factory, Costco; I’m an Equal Opportunist. A classic New York slice, or a specialty Oreo Double Mocha Chocolate Fudgey-Something; I’ll try them all. What's my personal favorite? Classic New York Cheesecake with some kind of Magical Berry Topping (or, dare I say drizzle?), which could happily dwell in the land of raspberries and blackberries.
The crust? Old fashioned graham cracker with a hint of nutmeg and an unhealthy whopping of butter.
The filling? Not too cream-cheesy, not too...sour cream-y. Light, sweet, delicious.Â
I’ve never tried to make it for myself, and why bother? I live in the city that never sleeps; someone’s always baking another one.
Bad News: After being gluten-free for over three years, I've still never found that special cheesecake.; the one that reminds me of cheesecakes gone by. The gluten free cheesecake of my dreams. Where are you, sweet stranger?
Tired of waiting for love to find me, I decided to be brave. The next time I have cheesecake...I’ll have to bake it myself.Â
Damnit.Â
GLUTEN FREE
NEW YORK CHEESECAKE
Friends, I found this KILLER recipe on The Spruce Eats.
I tinkered with the recipe (including eighty-sixing the cherry and sour cream topping) and I've added my GothGirl version below.
PART ONE : THE CRUST
INGREDIENTS:
Gluten Free Graham Crackers
(ENTIRE BOX...not kidding)
2 Tablespoons Sugar
(white or brown...or both!)
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
8 tablespoons salted butter (melted)
Yes, I went crazy on the butter, it’s true. What started as an honest accident turned into the most moist, buttery, crumbly crust EVER. Trust me. Do as I say.
ALSO: I used and LOVED Schar Gluten Free Honeygrams. Thick and crumbly, with a dark, heavy flavor that screams homemade. I ended up using way too much, but it turned out incredible. The original recipe called for 1.25 cups of graham cracker crumbs, and I probably used around 2.5 cups. Sorry not sorry.
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Set aside a 9-inch springform cake pan
2. Place Gluten-free crackers in a plastic/rubber bag, Finely crush with a rolling pin, mallet, or your rage against the Patriarchy. Not too fine, we want it nice and crumbly.Â
3. Dump cracker crumbs, sugar, and nutmeg in a bowl. Mix until they’re best friends.Â
4. Add HALF of your melted butter. Mix until it looks evenly spread around.Â
5. Let crust sit for 15 minutes; add second half of melted butter. TRUST ME.Â
6. Press buttery crumbles with your BARE HANDS (very important) into your spring-form pan. Don’t press to the sides; bottom only.
7. Once it’s even and pretty, pop that sucker in the fridge. Leave it chill while you prep the filling.Â
PART TWO: THE FILLING
INGREDIENTS:
4 8-ounce packages of Philadelphia cream cheese (softened)
1.25 cup sugarÂ
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons almond flour
1 cup sour creamÂ
¼ teaspoon Vanilla
DIRECTIONS:
1. Pop your cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and gorgeous.
2. Add eggs, one at a time. Crack your egg in a SEPARATE BOWL to avoid shell catastrophes.
3. Dump in your almond flour, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix it until it’s perfect. You’ll know.
(And, if you don't, I can't help you.)
PART THREE: DO THE DEW
Remember your crust? GRAB IT! It's time for the big show.
1. Pour cheesecake filling into your spring-form pan, smoothing with a spatula.Â
2. Bake for 45 minutes. Turn off oven and let cool IN THE OVEN for ONE ENTIRE HOUR. No peeking.
3. GENTLY take your beautiful cheesecake out of the oven and let cool on the counter until it hits room temperature.
It’s going to be a little jiggly in the middle and that’s a good thing! That means it will be perfectly smooth and moist when it’s time to chow down. If your cheesecake cracks (like mine), it’s okay! It adds character.
Pop it in the fridge for four hours, then say hello to your new best friend.
ADDED BONUS: FRUIT!
Feeling extra fancy? Slice some raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries. Place in a bowl and sprinkle on your favorite sugar or sweetener; I went with white and brown sugar. Cover with a lid or tin foil and let it do its thang in the fridge, overnight. Pop it out tomorrow and use as a fruity topping on your beautiful cheesecake -
IT’S AMAZING!
Final Thoughts
All in all, I’m very pleased with my gluten free cheesecake. Perfectly sweet, light on the cream cheese-y-ness, and perfect with sugary fruit and a (big) glass of red wine. I decided to skip the sour cream topping. I didn't feel like making it, and I'm not the hugest sour cream lover. The cheesecake turned out perfectly sweet - sans topping - and THE CRUST HOLY COW. For the first time in years, my family ate an ENTIRE holiday dessert! I was floored, and very proud.Â
IN CONCLUSION, I was EXTREMELY nervous about this decadent undertaking.
What if I messed up? Will I be left dessert-less on Christmas Day?
Luckily, the Ghost of Desserts Past smiled on me this year. I ate the cheesecake in record time (hence no photos of the finished product...sorry).
Eat and enjoy! Or don't. But I certainly will.
XOXO
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