Posted on: Wednesday, October 27, 2004
RECIPE DOCTOR
Make light holiday cheesecake with all the trimmings
By Elaine Magee
If you love cheesecake as much as I do, you may also find yourself looking for new cheesecake recipes each holiday season. I found mine — and I hope I've helped you find yours. The light version of this cheesecake is delightful from top (a homemade cranberry-orange topping) to bottom (a tasty and tender chocolate crust).
For the chocolate crust, I used chocolate graham crackers and added 2 tablespoons of no-trans margarine (8 grams of fat per tablespoon) instead of 5 tablespoons of butter. I also used 2 tablespoons of semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of 1/3 cup. The result is a slightly thinner crust, but one with plenty of flavor.
For the filling, I used light cream cheese, cut down on the sugar and replaced some sugar with Splenda. I cut the eggs in half and added 1/2 cup egg substitute.
For the topping, I trimmed the sugar back, added a few tablespoons of Splenda and increased the orange peel for added flavor.
Make this festive cheesecake (and topping) a day before you are serving it, because it needs to chill overnight in the refrigerator. To save time, you can skip the homemade topping and use 12 tablespoons of cran-orange sauce (usually available around the holidays).
Original recipe contains 440 calories, 28 g fat, 17 g saturated fat, and 125 mg cholesterol per serving.
CAPE COD CRAN-ORANGE CHEESECAKE WITH CHOCOLATE CRUST
Crust:
Filling:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat the sides and bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with canola cooking spray.
In food processor, pulse graham crackers and chocolate chips into crumbs. Add no-trans-fat margarine and pulse until nicely blended and moist. Press the mixture into prepared springform pan. Bake about 8 minutes. Cool.
Increase oven to 350 degrees. Wrap 2 layers of heavy-duty foil around the underside and sides of the springform pan.
Using electric mixer, beat light cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup Splenda until light. Beat in the flour. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the egg substitute, 1/4-cup at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the ingredients. Then beat in the orange peel and vanilla just until blended.
Pour filling into crust and place springform pan in a large roasting pan. Fill roasting pan with enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the filling is just set in center but still moves slightly — about 55 minutes. Remove cheesecake from water bath and transfer to a rack to cool completely (about 4 hours). Cover and chill overnight.
For the topping, heat 1/3 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons Splenda and 3 tablespoons water in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat stirring frequently until sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium, stir in the cornstarch mixture and bring to a simmer. Add cranberries and, stirring often, continue to cook until the berries begin to pop (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in orange peel. Cool completely. Cover and chill overnight. After chilling overnight, remove sides of the springform pan and place the cheesecake on a serving plate. Top with the cranberry mixture and serve.
Makes 12 servings.
• Per serving: 235 calories, 8 g protein, 27 g carbohydrate, 11 g fat (7 g saturated fat, 2.1 g monounsaturated fat, 1.5 g polyunsaturated fat), 53 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 340 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 42 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids: 0.2 g. Omega-6 fatty acids: 1.2 g. Five Weight Watchers points. Elaine Magee's new book, "The Change of Life Diet and Cookbook," is now available. Reach her at www.recipedoctor.com.
