TASTE
Cappuccino cheesecake recipe cuts calories by 35 percent, tastes great
| • | Party Vision |
By Elaine Magee
Q. I like to make a new cheesecake every year for New Year's. I have tried a couple of your different cheesecake recipes over the years, and we have loved them both. Just wondering if you have a new cheesecake recipe to share.
A. I like that idea — a new year and a new cheesecake. And actually, I recently tried lightening a new cheesecake and it worked out rather well. I lightened the Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cappuccino Cheesecake. The motto to lightening this cheesecake is "every little bit counts" because we made a few subtle changes, and the result is a cheesecake with 58 percent less fat, half the saturated fat, and 35 percent fewer calories per slice.
For the chocolate crumb crust, I used a light chocolate cookie, less sugar and a lower fat margarine. For the filling, I switched to light cream cheese, substituted one-third of the sugar called for with Splenda, used 2 egg whites or egg substitute instead of one of the eggs, and switched to fat-free sour cream.
The original recipe from Kraft Foods contains 420 calories, 31 grams fat, 19 grams saturated fat, and 130 milligrams cholesterol per serving.
CAPPUCCINO CHEESECAKE LITE
For the crust:
Filling:
Heat oven to 350 degrees (or 325 degrees for a dark-colored nonstick spring form pan). Coat the sides and bottom of 9-inch spring form pan with canola cooking spray.
Add instant coffee and Kahlua to 1 cup measure and stir to blend. Set aside to dissolve. Mix the cookie crumbs, 2 tablespoons sugar, and the melted butter together in a medium-size bowl. Add the mixture to the bottom of the spring form pan and press firmly. Bake 10 minutes.
Add cream cheese, 2/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup Splenda, 3 tablespoons flour, and vanilla to large mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, and egg whites or substitute, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Add sour cream and Kahlua mixture and beat on low speed until blended in. Pour filling over the cookie crust.
Bake until center is almost set (about 65 minutes). Run knife around rim of pan to loosen the cheesecake gently from the sides. Let cool about 30 minutes. Refrigerate 4 hours or preferably overnight.
Makes 16 servings.
Elaine Magee is a registered dietitian. Learn more at www.recipedoctor.com.
