I’m a girl firmly against the idea of tofu sausages. And the like. Bastardising food is somehow naff, no? But sugar free cheesecake is a mighty fine exception to that rule. I’ve ranted on Twitter about this cake – which I made with my beautiful friend Claire – and promised to share the recipe. So, here she is (and, yes, Jo, I’ll make it for your birthday!).
photo by Johnny Abegg
Now, once again, our measurements are VERY imprecise. Claire and I literally “added a bit of this, added a bit of that”. And it simply worked. So have faith! Feel it with your fingers!
Sarah + Claire’s sugar-free nut cheesecake
First make the base (meals and nuts can be substituted for any others you have lurking in the cupboard):
- 100g of dessicated coconut
- 110g of shelled pistachios
- 150g of almond meal
- 4 “generous” tbls of butter…which is to say, keep adding more butter till you get a nice gooby consistency
Preheat the oven to about 160 C. Stab-mix or blend pistachios until they are semi-fine chunks, add to a mixing bowl with the coconut, almond meal, and room temperature butter and rub until the mixture is an even, thick consistency. Then press into a baking paper lined spring form pan. cover the base and sides with your mixture to an even thickness - you may need more or less of the mixture depending on the size of your pan. Try to keep it an even thickness – about 1/2-1cm.
Place in oven for 8 minutes or until slightly firm. Don’t wait for the base to brown as it will continue to cook once the filling is in. We made this mistake…but not before dropping the whole tin on the floor and repressing it back into place. This recipe is bombproof, I tell you!
Then the filling:
- 2-3 boxes (250g each) of Philadelphia cream cheese
- one egg
- a dash of natural vanilla essence or vanilla powder
- 2 tbls of natural yogurt
- 1/4 cup coconut cream
- 1/2 cup-ish of rice syrup (or add more/less to your individual taste). And, yes, rice syrup is fructose-free.
In a large bowl add the cream cheese (room temp), egg, vanilla, coconut cream and rice syrup and yogurt. Mix until it’s an even, thick consistency. Don’t over mix and try and keep aeration to a minimum while stirring – it will make the thing puff up, then collapse. Add your mixture to the base and return to the slow oven for 20-30 mins or until the mixture is puffy on the edges and the centre slightly soft and custard-like – (don’t overcook). Put in the fridge until it’s firm, otherwise it’s way tooooooo egg-y. We made this mistake in our impatience.
Then eat.
While I’m at it, some of you wanted to know how to make kale chips. Here goes:
kale chips
- 1 bunch of kale (cavalo nero)
- 1 tbls of olive oil
- sea salt
De-stalk the kale (never eat the stalk of the kale – it’s too hard to digest. The easiest way to do this is to grab the end of the stalk and then literally run your fingers down it, shearing the leaf off), then tear into 4cm x 4cm bits. Toss in the oil and salt, lay out on a baking tray and cook in a 200 C oven for 5-10 mins, until crisp. An easy pre-dinner hit!
Please do share any of your sugar-free bloggings/recipes…I’ll be only too happy to share it with the readers here! And remember, for more recipes (chocolate mousse, shortbread and more) you can download my I Quit Sugar ebook for $15 here.
What a wonderful recipe, I cannot wait to give this a go! Thanks Sarah x
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I make a similar no-bake cheesecake with a cream cheese, cream and jelly crystal (for the flavour and gelatin) filling. Not sure about the jelly crystals though? Could be ok if it’s the diet stuff?
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November 18th, 2011 at 11:19 am
no! sorry, Amelia, throw them out!
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Hi Sarah,
Is rice-syrup soy based?
I know rice milk is and i can’t have that on account of the phyto-estrogens.
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November 15th, 2011 at 11:36 am
omg dont tell me that – there i was thinking i had it all figured out, telling myself the flavour of my rice milk latte was ‘quite nice’ and loving my rice chai, feeling all knowledgeable about the dangers of soy, but happy cuz i’d found a healthy and decent altetrnative … ah feck
….
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November 15th, 2011 at 12:04 pm
Oh sorry Li
i can’t have any soy products because im estrogen dominant but maybe it won’t have the same effect on you. FIngers crossed
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November 15th, 2011 at 12:14 pm
its more im just disappointed that it’s soy based, its so confusing – i gave up dairy cuz it’s supposed to be bad for you then went to soy, then gave that up cuz it’s supposed to be bad for you and went to rice milk – i didn’t know it was soy based!!! i thought it was just brown rice etc …. oh i give up altogether!!!
thanks for bringing it to my attention tho!
November 15th, 2011 at 1:06 pm
Li, i am going to sound like an absolute jackass but i think my comment above is wrong. When i drank rice milk (about 5 years ago) it definately made my estrogen increase but i DON’T think it’s because its soy based. It’s possible that i was drinking one that had preservatives or additives that triggered it.
I just had a quick google and there is nothing about it being soy based. I am going to ask my doctor when i see her next week to find out for sure, can’t always trust ‘dr google’.
Sorry to confuse you
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November 15th, 2011 at 2:12 pm
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehah!! Faith restored!!
Thanks for getting back to me – you’re not a jackass at all!
November 22nd, 2011 at 12:16 pm
Rice Malt Syrup is not soy based, I wouldn’t touch it if it was. I love it for all sorts of things, not the least on top of porridge, and in making Anzac biscuits, and other yummy things. Use as a substitute for golden syrup, molasses, treacle, Maple syrup. You can have it in your coffee/tea/coca as a sweetener. It’s great. Want to buy some? Try Coles, in the Health food aisle. It’s made from Organic Brown rice & only contains maltose, and some glucose, both of which are ok in the sugar stakes.
Here’s the manufacturers link….
http://www.pureharvest.com.au/product/organic-rice-syrup
Happy eating, love that cheesecake recipe, may try it out over the Xmas break.
Silver Angel aka Sylvia
Spread the Love
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where does one get rice syrup? Can’t find it on woolworths online!
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November 15th, 2011 at 8:31 pm
You can buy it in the shops. Try rice malt syrup… You do know that it is glucose = sugar…
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November 16th, 2011 at 8:47 am
… come to think of it… Rice malt syrup is not only sugar… It’s also derived from a grain… So, although Sarah’s recipe sounds VERY delicious, it’s actually not grain or sugar free…
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November 22nd, 2011 at 12:17 pm
Ricey, you can by Rice Malt syrup in the Health Food aisle at Coles supermarkets.
cheers
Silver Angel aka Sylvia!
Spread the Love
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Hi!
Is it brown rice syrup? I googled where to buy it and it’s the only thing coming up. Thanks!
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November 22nd, 2011 at 12:19 pm
Yes, Victoria, it’s made from Organic Brown rice, with maltose & glucose & enzymes, boiled down. See the site here:-
http://www.pureharvest.com.au/product/organic-rice-syrup
Buy it at Coles Health Food aisle….
Silver Angel
Spread the Love
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Paprika also works well on the kale chips!
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oohhhh cheesecaaakkeee!!! my favourite!! oh how I miss thee – I’m totalling trying this, but I wonder whether it would work with stevia or even the fake ‘cooking’ version of sweeteners? yes yes, I know, chemicals bad blahblahblah, but I’m diabetic so I can’t do the rice syrup, I’m stuck with stevia or chemicals
anybody think it would work??
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universe(/stomach) has been telling me to make kale chips for some time – i’m so glad you specified cavallo nero, have been searching for the dinosour variety without much success. chips i can make now. buckets of them.
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Hi Sarah…what’s Project Repair all about? How do we sign up?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOr12kGT_ew
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Dear Sarah
I’m not convinced that this cake tastes any good, so, could you please send me a sample so I can decide? Actually, could you send me all your meals plus your friend Dee’s?
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November 18th, 2011 at 11:21 am
LOL and me too, please!
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February 27th, 2012 at 12:24 pm
Tried this recipe – tastes delish. I didn’t use the rice syrup and it was still sweet enough. Don’t put too much butter in the crust and I had to cook for a bit longer than stated. Set in the fridge for 4 hours +
Yummy
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Omg this looks DELICIOUS!!!! can’t wait to try it.
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Hi.. just two (off topic) questions. What is the difference between cocoa and cocao? And is rice bran oil bad or good?
Thanks! I’m loving this journey, especially reading everyone else’s comments and tips
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yay, can’t wait to eat it for my birthday! let’s pretend my birthday is next week!
xxx
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Hi Gabrielle
Someone told me once that cocao is unprocessed (or raw) and cocoa is processed – but I am not sure that I believe that.
Kate
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November 17th, 2011 at 5:49 am
Thank you!
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April 18th, 2012 at 1:02 pm
That’s it, in a nutshell. You can taste the difference, big time.
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Sarah – or others – is a cheese platter an appropriate substitute for sugar-laden desserts when out at a restaurant (or even at home)? Or not?
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November 17th, 2011 at 9:48 am
it is totally an awesome substitute. the french were on to something.
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November 22nd, 2011 at 12:25 pm
Jodie, definitely it’s a good substitute. Just don’t pig out!! And go easy on any biscuits that are with it, feel virtuous and go easy on the carbs. I loooove cheese, especially good cheeses. I just have a taste of every one on the platter…..Plus a few grapes, if there are any.
Good luck, and enjoy
Silver Angel
Spread the Love
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Great recipe Sarah, however you are misleading people by saying this recipe is sugar free as it is most definitely NOT SUGAR FREE. Rice syrup is definitely a healthier white/brown sugar alternative but it’s still sugar.
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November 18th, 2011 at 12:04 pm
but it is the FRUCTOSE we are avoiding! And rice syrup has no fructose! quoting David:
Fructose is relatively rare in nature, It is found primarily in ripe fruits, which is why it is sometimes called ‘fruit sugar’. It is usually found together with glucose and it is what makes food taste sweet. As well as fruit, it is naturally present in honey (40%), maple syrup (35%) and agave syrup (90%).
table sugar is composed of one half glucose and one half fructose. Fructose is converted into circulating fat, so it is the only sugar you really need to worry about.
Agave syrup usually 90% fructose, Corn syrup usually 55% fructose, Dextrose is another name for glucose (which is the body’s primary source of energy ie: no glucose = no us.
Golden syrup usually 40% fructose, maple syrup up to 40% fructose, Molasses usually 40% fructose, Sucrose 50% fructose, Sorbitol, converts to fructose in your body as does Maltitol and Mannitol.
hope this helps.
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November 23rd, 2011 at 5:50 pm
regardless of your statement Anne-Marie *it is the FRUCTOSE we are avoiding” and whether you like it or not and are prepared to admit it…the fact is the heading of your recipe is MISLEADING! You should say it’s “FRUCTOSE” free NOT sugar free.
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April 28th, 2012 at 8:37 am
Catherine, Sarah’s made it quite clear previously that when she talks about sugar free, she’s talking about fructose free. I don’t think it’s half as misleading as the sugar free blogs that use muscovardo sugar or agave syrup in all their recipes.
OK so I am REELING at the the idea that rice syrup is fructose free… I had heard about it for use as a natural sweetener awhile ago and googled to find out if it had fructose after reading David Gillespie’s book and came up with nothing except someone asking the same question and going without an answer!
I’m just…. scared to get my hopes up and believe its true!!! (still pouting from when I found out about coconut sugar being half fructose after getting all excited)
My inner cynic looks at the above posted by Anne-Marie and notes that just because rice syrup ISN”T listed I still don’t have a source on the record as saying its definitley fructose-free… does anyone have any sources stating explicitly that there is NOT ONE SKERRICK of fructose in rice syrup? Once my inner cynic is satisfied….. oooh, the POSSIBILITIES!!!!!!
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November 18th, 2011 at 3:58 pm
Hi Emily Kate
I have contacted David re: rice syrup…so will have an answer for you soon.
I don’t believe it does have fructose…..but he is the expert!
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November 18th, 2011 at 5:01 pm
Hi Emily Kate, here is your reply!
It shouldn’t Anne-Marie … check the label it will say if sugar has been added (in the ingredient list).
Cheers
David.
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November 19th, 2011 at 12:06 pm
Thankyou Anne-Marie, Sarah and David! Shall source the syrup and check the label for purity. WOOOOOOOOOOOO!
November 18th, 2011 at 10:09 pm
Rice syrup is fructose free…so long as it’s 100% rice syrup. Some aren’t!
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November 23rd, 2011 at 5:54 pm
..and that’s what you should have said to start with.
April 28th, 2012 at 8:41 am
I’ve spoken to people who’ve actually contacted the companies making the stuff (in Australia) and they’ve emailed the responses which state it’s definitely fructose free.
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[...] [...]
[...] Wilson just posted a recipe for her sugar-free/grain-free baked cheesecake and after today’s cheesecake experience, I’ve got a hankering to make it and eat it! [...]
We made this cake yesterday, it was sooo quick, hurrah for that. I added macadamias into the crust, lemon zest to the filling and served it with raspberries for my kids.
I’m not sure if it’s my readjusted palate but I found this so sweet and rich, delicious but there’s no way I could pig out on it. I’m on week 4 of the no sugar program.
Am thinking of adding cacao/maca powder for our next version, maybe some nutmeg in the crust…….
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Kale chips sounds great. For a paper-thin rendition, I’ve tried something similar with slowly sauteed swiss chard in olive oil and a faint sprinkling of salt and cayenne. A tiny bit of a crystallized sweetener (agave?stevia?) is not out of the question as a final touch to this.
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[...] been looking forward to making this recipe posted by Sarah Wilson a few weeks ago and wasn’t disappointed. It’s really easy to make and a great alternative to [...]
Just made mine – with Stevia instead of rice syrup. Also, I added half a lemon + lemon zest and a little almond meal to the filling (almond meal to sop up the lemon juice).
We’ll be eating it tomorrow, but here’s a sneaky peak: http://instagr.am/p/XDLgX/
I may have overcooked it slightly but it tastes amazing! (I sneaked a little bit from the edge just to check)
Thanks for the recipe!
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[...] adapted this gluten and sugar free cheesecake recipe by adding lemon juice and zest. I also used stevia instead of rice syrup. It was given a [...]
I know Sarah is opposed to artificial sweeteners, but to those who are not; for a nice and healthy protein hit try this no bake topping: 500 gr ricotta cheese, 2 sachets of diet jelly (flavour of your choice). Dissolve jelly in half the amount of water than instructions say and blend with ricotta until smooth. Pour on top of base and let it set in fridge. Yummo!!!
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i baked this last night and although I haven’t tried the final product I spent the majority of the cooking process licking the bowl – it was divine!!!
I used hazelnut meal instead of almond because it was a bit cheaper. I also used omega spread instead of butter…..i will decorate with a few raspberries today and serve it up to family and friends.
Will post the verdict later tonight. very excited!
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made the cake! its was AMAZING! thanks so much Sarah.
None of my family new it was a healthy version…felt so good to know it wasn’t full of sugar.
will be making this again and again!
xxxx
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Sarah Wilson…… your blog might well save my life and I cannot express how grateful I am to you for what you have taught me. Its all too emotional!!! Happy emotion though
)
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[...] is to assist in making a Delicious Birthday Cake, form undecided as yet. What I really want is this cheesecake but Carney doesn’t eat cheesecake and it’s a bit hard to justify the effort/cost for just [...]
[...] told me via twitter that she based this recipe off my recent cheesecake recipe. You can find mine here. [...]
I didin’t think you could eat diary in a paelo diet? so bit confused about this recipee
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Sarah I’m baking this tonight listening to Jorge Drexler with a glass of red wine… divine! It’s my celebration for finishing IQS week 8 with only 1 major slip up (hens night… bubbles…) I just licked the spoon and it tastes amazing! I’m not a big dessert girl but cheesecake is my weakness. Don’t worry – promise not to make it a habit – just a ‘sometimes’ food.
Thanks so much for the recipe, my friends mum is a big home baker and INSISTS on her eating some sugary home cooked delight at every family dinner (unfortunately that means nearly a weekly lapse on IQS! Eek!). I’m going to give her some cheesecake to take over so she can convince her to bake some fabulous sugar-free treats instead. Gentle persuasion…
I don’t comment much but I wanted to thank you so much for your support, curiosity, kindness, willingness, brutal honesty and effortless humor over the 8 week program (and always). Tim Brown was right the other night at CC when he said people think they are your bestie! Sometimes I do! haha. I see in the comments every week that this little community of people are growing, learning and feeling more open and connected to their health and habits and I think its a wonderful thing that you are doing. I think you are creating a little epidemic that hopefully will start spreading through friends and workmates and eventually change the way people think on a big scale. I’ve caught the sugar-free bug and I’ll be trying to spread it to as many people as possible! haha.
I feel much better – more grounded, have lost a little weight, have gotten back into cooking rather then eating crappy takeaway on my way home and have actually started thinking about food a lot less – the hunger and cravings are pretty much gone and I find the portions of what I eat are a lot less because I’m eating the RIGHT things for my body and it is grateful!
I’ll continue to read your blog and continue to try and make life a little sweeter (sugar-free of course) every day. Hope you’re having a wonderful day and not too thyroidy.
Sending lots of coconut love your way! xx
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[...] been dying to try this recipe from Sarah Wilson and finally got around to it today. And what a freaking [...]
How long will this last for in the fridge ?
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Bloody beautiful, easy to make, tasted delightful, made for orthodox easter, even got the mother in law’s tick (that’s the hardest tick to achieve).
Sarah you are a marvel, thank you for sharing your journeys, keep those narrations coming and bring on Friday!
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I have just been told to get off grains, sugar, fruit and alcohol and am now desperate to find things to eat within a budget and also not boring
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I didn’t have any kale but I had some radicchio so I made radicchio chips to the same recipe as the kale chips but I left the leaves whole and they were so yummy. I have the other half to use tomorrow along with a swede to make chips with. I made them last week with salt and parmesan cheese and I added some allspice to them and they were so morish. I want to make more of them.
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[...] sarahwilson.com.au – a great recipe also that works for intolerants! [...]
[...] does one do with it? I’ll probably try and make some I Quit Sugar friendly kale chips. On further investigation on Sarah’s site there are a few other kale recipes to try [...]
[...] queen of IQS, Sarah Wilson, has a different take on this recipe with a little less dairy if that floats your boat. BioLatest Posts Louise social media mentor | [...]
Why not just change the title to fructose free?
The search engines have this showing up under sugar free.
There are WAY more diabetics who NEED sugar free than there are people who are just looking for something that is fructose free.
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[...] oil production. Or at least not quite as much dairy at this stage – I made a fantastic cheesecake that was too hard to resist. With the exception of the occasional treat (I work with the 80/20 [...]
[...] Cake Eaters Anonymous get together is a focus on healthier recipes, so I’ll be giving her gluten-free and sugar-free cheesecake a try. She uses nuts for the base instead of biscuit crumbs or pastry, and sweetens it with vanilla [...]
HI
Just collected ingredients for cheesecake, only looking for natural yoghurt is a nightmare to find with no sugar, any ideas ppl
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