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Gluten-Free Baked Cheesecake

Giora Stuchiner

Gluten-free cheesecake

There is nothing like a homemade cheesecake. Honestly, it is so easy to make, I don't know why I don't make it all the time! This recipe was adapted from an old cookbook by Israeli chef Israel Aharoni. From all the recipes I have tested, this one takes the cake! It's rich, yet delicate and light, not overly sweet and has a nutty crunchy crust.

I will admit that I did make a rookie mistake - I baked it in a 9 inch pan instead of an 11 inch. The batter filled it to the rim, and I knew this would be a problem, but I did it anyway. Luckily it didn't spill over, but the cake was so high I needed to add another 25 minutes for it to cook through. So my advice to you is to use a 11 inch springform pan, or if you are using a smaller size, only fill the batter up to 1/2 inch from the rim. Once the cake is out of the oven it will slightly collapse, and if it is too high it will break! (half of mine did...)

You can make the case with any kind of gluten-free (or not) cookies you have. Anything will work well. My grocery store carries Char shortbread cookies so that's what I used. I also used roasted and lightly salted pecans. The base turned out amazing!

One more thing, if you've made cheesecake before you know it tends to crack. To prevent this from happening, I place a large pan at the bottom of the oven and fill it with boiling water. I'm talking 4-6 cups... The steam sauna will prevent the cake from cracking.

Ingredients:

For the base:

1 3/4 oz pecans (i used roasted & salted)

7 oz gluten-free shortbread cookies (i used Schar)

2 tbs sugar

1 stick butter (4oz or 100gr)

For the cheese batter:

5 eggs, separated

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

8oz sour cream

3 packets 1/3 less fat cream cheese (24oz)

3 tbs cornstarch

11 inch nonstick springform pan

Preparation:

For the base:

Heat oven to 320F (160C)

1. In a food processor, place the pecans, cookies and sugar and process until crumbly.

2. Add the butter and continue to process until well incorporated and crumbles are wet.

3. Pack the crumble mixture tightly into the springform pan to form an even base.

For the cheese batter:

1. In a bowl of a stand mixer, place the egg whites and whip on medium-high speed until they become foamy and start to get thicker. slowly add 1/2 cup of the sugar and continue to whip until glossy, and stiff peaks form (about 3 minutes). Transfer into a bowl.

2. Using the same bowl (no need to wash it) place the egg yolks, the remaining sugar, and vanilla and whip for approximately 3 minutes until light and fluffy

3. Add the cream cheese, sour cream and cornstarch and whip another minute.

4. Gently fold-in the egg whites into the cheese batter, 1/3 at a time until well incorporated. (Do not whisk, so not to deflate the foam)

5. Pour the batter onto the base and bake for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry. Let cool completely, and sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

the best gluten-free cheesecake

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