A Reasonable Indulgence: Cleaned Up Blueberry Cheesecake

Friends, Romans, Countrymen....

Let it never be said that I am not a good big sister.

My brother's birthday gift to me was a springform pan. For those who don't do what I do, that is a pan particularly designed to make delicate cakes, like cheesecake. With a traditional cake pan, you have to flip over the pan and pray the layer doesn't stick or break. The sides of a springform detach from the base, leaving the cake unscathed.

I knew he wanted a cheesecake. But since he's a juvenile diabetic, I had some reservations. I aim to please--so I found a recipe for a less-nutritionally-bankrupt version of the popular dessert. By forgoing the crust and lightening up the filling (fat-free cream cheese and yogurt rather than a lot more full-fat cream cheese), I assuaged my guilt and was back on the path to sister of the year.




Here's what you need:

Filling ingredients 

Lighten Up! Blueberry Cheesecake

16 oz (two packages) fat-free cream cheese, room temperature 
6 oz fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt, room temperature 
1/2 cup sugar 
1 t. vanilla extract 
3 large egg whites or 1/2 cup liquid egg whites, room temperature  
2 T. lemon juice, room temperature
2 T. APF 
1/4 t. cinnamon
2 cups frozen, unsweetened blueberries
2 T. sugar 
1 T. cornstarch 
1/4 t. cinnamon 
1/2 C. cold water 
pinch salt

NOTA BENE: With this recipe, it's particularly important that your wet ingredients are at room temperature, lest the top of the cake crack and be unattractive (but still tasty). I used fresh-squeezed lemon juice.

Preheat the oven to 350F and spray a nine inch springform pan with cooking spray.

Beat together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the yogurt, egg whites, lemon juice, flour, and cinnamon. Beat at medium speed until it is smooth and liquid consistency.

Pour the mixture into your springform pan and bake until firm, between 40 and 45 minutes. Mine took about 42 minutes to bake.

While the cake portion bakes, prepare the topping. In a medium sauce pan, combine the blueberries, two tablespoons of sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt. Toss the berries to coat them with the dry ingredients. Pour in the cold water, and heat until boiling. Next, reduce the heat and allow the berries to simmer until they reach a gooey consistency. Think waffle topping. Remove the pan from heat and allow to cool entirely.

When the cheesecake is finished baking, allow it to cool completely. When both the topping and cake are cool, pour the berry topping on top of the cheesecake and chill it for an hour.

Slice and enjoy!

I'd like to try this recipe with different fruit toppings---apples, raspberries, maybe even pomegranate arils!

According to my brother's roommate, this cheesecake is "like heaven." Not bad for diet.

Adieu, cockatoos.

BB