Saturday, April 19, 2008

Low fat chocolate marbled cheesecake


Lee works in our accounts section. He is lots of fun to work with, and really cares about helping out, even if our business colleagues are sometimes unappreciative of his efforts. Lee is on a diet and looks wistfully at my cakes each week, so he asked if I could make something low fat so that he could have some. Having recently acquired a second hand copy of Alice Medrich's Chocolate and the Art of Low Fat Desserts, I was very happy to oblige. Lee selected Alice's Chocolate Marbled Cheesecake, which as you can see from the photograph above, is a rather gorgeous looking dessert.


You can make your own low fat cheesecake as follows:


2 cups low fat cottage cheese
250g light cream cheese
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla essence
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cocoa, sifted
1/4 teaspoon instant coffee
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons hot water
4 tablespoons crushed chocolate biscuit crumbs


Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Line the base of an 8 inch spring form pan with a circle of baking paper, and spray the sides with canola oil. Wrap the outside of the pan tightly in 3 layers of alfoil.


Blitz the cottage cheese in a food processor for 3 minutes until totally smooth (this is the secret of the dish, according to Alice). Soften the cream cheese by warming the cream chese in a micriwave on high for about 30 seconds, and stir until smooth, then add to the cottage cheese in the food processor with the eggs, sugar, vanilla essence, lemon juice and salt. Blitz the mixture on the food processor until smooth.


In a jug, whisk together the cocoa, coffee, sugar and hot water. Take a cup of the cheesecake batter and add to the chocolate mixture, and stir until combined.


Pour three quarters of the white cheesecake batter into the prepared pan. Next, pour the chocolate cheesecake batter into the middle of the white batter, so that is forms a circle of chocolate on top of the white, but leaving a thick ring of white batter surrounding it. Finally, take the last of the white cheesecake batter and pur it into the centre of the chocolate batter, leaving a thin ring of chocolate around the last white addition. Next, get a thin knife or skewer and make circular swipes through the batter to marble the colours (but don't over-mix unless you want an all-chocolate cheesecake!).


Boil a kettle of water. Put the cheesecake pan into a baking dish, and pour boiling water around the cheesecake into the baking dish (carefully so as not to get any into the cheesecake itself) to a depth of 3cm. Carefully slide the baking dish containing the cheesecake and water into the preheated oven, and bake for around 45 minutes.


Remove the cheesecake from the oven, take it out of the oven dish and place it on a wire rack to cool. Once the cheesecake has cooled to room temperature, cover and chill it in the refrigerator for at least half a day.

To serve, release the cheesecake from the springform pan and press the crushed biscuit crumbs evenly around the sides of the cheesecake (which is admittedly a rather messy and wasteful task). Cut the cheesecake with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts for a smooth, even finish.


While this cheesecake is not, in my view, as good as the full fat version, it is really delicious, and looks amazing. One colleague told me that she liked it better than the full fat equivalent, which is terrific. Accordingly, even if you are counting fat and calories, you don't have to miss out on favourite desserts like cheesecake - which is good news for all of us.

20 comments:

  1. Whenever a cheescake post gets blogged I tend to be there :). And this one is low fat too! Could a girl ask for more?

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  2. Cake, the marbled cake photo (whole) is gorgeous...I'd pick it too!

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  3. So I can eat half and it's good for me, right? ;)

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  4. WOW oh WOW what an awesome cheesecake!! I just love the marble effect this is stunning!!

    Rosie x

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  5. This cheesecake looks absolutely lovely! (I have it bookmarked for next time I visit a certain friend of mine who is always on a diet!)

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  6. I hate it that it's just the two of us and I have like nobody around other than in laws to bake for! This looks fab!

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  7. How kind of you to accommodate your co-workers requests! I am sure this was appreciated and enjoyed!

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  8. You're right - that marbled cake is stunning. Lucky Lee for the genie granting his wish and in fine style too. Pssst...I'm on a diet...

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  9. Everybody seems to be writing low fat recipes these days (except me, lol) but I usually use low fat cheese or low fat whipping cream etc. I try to reduce the calories as much as I can. I love the chocolate marbled cheesecake and in fact made it recently with orange flavoured chocolate and it was divine.

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  10. Well..low fat or not...it's fantastic that marble effect on top!! it looks delicious.
    I'll try it for sure next time i have some cheese in my fridge :-P
    Thanks for the recipe.
    You are always a good source for my dinners!!
    Silvia

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  11. Hi Lore, Indeed, agreed!

    Thanks Peter.

    Absolutely Maryann ;)

    Thanks Rosie - from a master of stunning desserts, this is high praise!

    Hi Mary, I'd love to hear how you go with it.

    Thanks Pixie - I impose on my colleagues to help me out.

    Hi Gretchen, the feedback was generlly good although not as enthusiastic as for some more lavish creations).

    Giz, one cheesecake coming up just for you ;)

    Hi Ivy, Good for you, I say! Choc orange sounds fab.

    Hi Sylvia, would love to here how it turns out if you give it a whirl.

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  12. oh hello!! I will be by for a slice of this!! My gosh it is gorgeous!!

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  13. Now in my mind usually "low fat" and "cheesecake" don't go together...but this does look good! I'd gladly try some of this one!

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  14. Low fat? no way!!! But i do believe you and would love to have a thick slice of this...make that two, since it's a healthier version!

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  15. Yum, that looks so good! Low fat or not!

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  16. Hi Saralynn, I will save a slice for you ;)

    Thanks Adele - and it is easy to make too.

    Hi Cakespy - it's great when we can have our cake and eat it too!

    Absolutely T&D - coming up!

    Thanks Tammy :)

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  17. Looks and sounds marvelous and I bet you can't even tell it's low fat! Thanks!

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  18. gosh how gorgeussss....i want this with coffee...:)

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  19. Hi JJ, it does taste good, although it is not as rich as the full fat version.

    Thanks Rita - a large slice for you!

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Thanks for dropping by!