This cake is light and perfectly allergy friendly.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that it tastes a little bland. In the best possible candida diet friendly kind of way
It looks like cheesecake. The texture is like cheesecake. It just doesn’t quite taste like… cheesecake!
I got inspired by this yummy looking gluten free pumpkin cheesecake recipe.
But unlike the pumpkin cake my cake is completely sugar free and specifically created with Candida sufferers in mind. If you are looking for a sweeter cheesecake version you might want to try this one.
As you can imagine, “no sugar” is a vertical challenge in terms of cake baking. There simply are no recipes out there. This is not my first sugar free cake though, but it might be my last, haha!
I made the mistake of tasting it side by side with a “traditional” cheesecake. Needless to say this one fell short in terms of flavour and enjoyment, to be honest.
But this is not what the cake is meant for anyway.
In my eyes this is a cake that comes into its own at family dos when you are following the Candida Diet or a similar sugar free immune protocol and you want something that you can eat without worrying and without everyone making funny comments around you.
And if your diet allows for a bit of fruit/ compote, then this little cake really is a great gluten free & vegan alternative to traditional dairy cheesecakes.
I had some with plum tart and whipped coconut cream and loved it.
(Kind of defeating the whole point of not putting sugar in in the first place… but it was my birthday, right!)
- For the Cheesecake Filling
. - 1 pot (8 ounces) vegan cream cheese
- 1 pot (7 ounces) organic silken tofu
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (I used cooked sweet potato for the novelty factor)
- juice of 1 lime
- peel of 1 organic lemon (finely grated)
- 2 tsp vanilla (or 1 vanilla pod)
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch (or cornstarch)
.- For the Cheesecake Base & Crust
. - 65g (1/2cup; or 2.2oz) gluten free flour blend (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
- 65g (1/2cup or 3.4 oz) almond meal
- 32g (1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons) vegan butter or coconut butter (warmed up)
- 1 tblsp golden flaxseed (ground and soaked in 4 tblspoons water over night) (alternative: 1 egg)
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp xantham gum
- ½ tsp vanilla
- Preheat the oven to 150-170 C, Gas mark 2-3 or 320-325ºF with a 26 cm (9-inch) Spring form pan inside.
.
First make the cheesecake filling:
. - Process all the ingredients to a creamy pudding-like consistency.
.
Then make the cheesecake crust:
. - Mix all the ingredients with a food processor until you are left with doughy crumbs. If necessary add more flour or butter.
- Take the spring form out of the oven. Butter it and line the bottom of it with a piece of baking paper.
- Divide the dough into 2 parts. One of them being ⅔, the other ⅓.
- Spread the bigger half of the dough evenly over the base of the springform, using your fingers to press it down firmly alongside the sides. Make small holes into the dough with a fork (helps with even heat distribution and speeds up baking time).
- Form a long sausage shape with the rest of the dough and lay it around the inside rim of the base. Use your fingers to press it down and make the sides a little higher all around (about 2-3 cms).
- Then spoon the cheesecake filling onto it.
. - Place the cake in the center of a pre-heated oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Then spread a little milk over the cheesecake top. This helps to prevent it cracking open and creates a pretty golden crust.
- Continue baking for a further 30-45 minutes. Check with a skewer to see if the center has fully set.
- Leave the cake in the oven to cool down for 10 mins, then the center doesn’t cave in when you take it out.
- Cool the cake down further on a cooling rack. Then cover the top with cling film and store in the fridge overnight. It tastes best the next day.
- Take care removing the sides of the cake from the Spring form pan. Use a knife to go around the insides of the form to loosen the edges, so the filling doesn’t stick to the sides.
My lovely friend Cat also suggested this site for vegan cheese cake variations (not all candida diet friendly, but they definitely look beautiful and might inspire you to adapt a recipe to your needs)
I shared this recipe at Wellness Weekend, Glutenfree Fridays and Healthy Vegan Fridays where you can find more yummy wholesome treats.
3 Comments
Ricki
March 11, 2013Happy Belated Birthday! Thanks for linking up to WW this week. Hope you had a stellar celebration. ?
Sandra
March 11, 2013Thanks for your lovely bday wishes Ricki!
Any day where I can eat cheesecake is a celebration day in my books, hehe
Cindy (Vegetarian Mamma)
March 14, 2013Happy Birthday! Celebrate!
Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 
Thanks for linking back to the Gluten Free Fridays post!
Party starts tonight at 7:05 pm eastern time! Hope to see you there!
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
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