Cheesecake is a deliciously rich and creamy dessert that hits the spot day or night, all year round. One of the reasons why it’s so good is because it’s not overly sweet; the cream cheese gives it a slight bite, but when served with fresh berries and strawberry puree, it’s heaven.
In order to get that flavor, however, the traditional recipe calls for a lot of heavy ingredients, so it ends up being a dessert that’s not awesome for people watching their figures. Don’t worry, though, we’ve got a solution; this recipe is low-fat, but still tastes like the original! Now you can indulge without worry you won’t even taste the difference!
Strawberry Cheesecake
Yields 1, 9-inch pie
Ingredients
- 1 cup reduced-fat graham crackers, crushed
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 4 cups fat-free cottage cheese
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 (8 oz) packages fat-free cream cheese, room temperature
- 3 eggs whites
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/4 cup sugar-free strawberry jam
- 1/2 cup low-fat, plain, Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1-2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- fresh berries, garnish
- cooking spray
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325º F and coat a 9×3-inch springform baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Pulse graham crackers in food processor and drizzle in melted butter. Should become a sand-like mixture. Press graham crackers into the bottom of pie pan in a thin layer.
- Drain cottage cheese in a cheesecloth-lined sieve for 10 minutes before using. Discard liquid. Place in food processor and blend until smooth.
- In a mixer on low-medium speed, beat sugar, vanilla and cream cheese until smooth.
- Slowly add in flour, yogurt, eggs, lemon zest and salt. Mix until smooth and add cottage cheese.
- Pour mixture into pie pan and bake for 90 minutes, or until almost set. Turn heat off and let cool in closed oven for 1 hour. Remove and refrigerate for 4-8 hours.
- In a saucepan, heat strawberry jam on medium-low until it liquefies and reduces, around 10 minutes. Pour jam through a strainer to remove seeds. Place cheesecake on serving dish and drizzle strawberry puree on top. Garnish with fresh berries.
Recipe adapted from My Recipes