This is the ultimate cheesecake taste experience! It is like enjoying a delectable chocolate strawberry truffle. This cheesecake is such a winner and the flavor is a delight! It is perfect for summertime as you don't have to turn on the oven. I made this cheesecake for a guest who is also vegetarian. She loved it! It has a creamy strawberry cream cheese filling, but the surprise is that you keep some of the strawberry sauce aside. The first half of the cheesecake batter is poured over the crust, followed by the reserved strawberry sauce dropped in blobs over top and then swirled into the cheesecake. This is followed by the remaining cheesecake batter. At this point refrigerate the cheesecake and the next day pour the Chocolate Ganache over the top.
A shortbread-type crust is used which you can bake if you like - that always tastes a bit better in my opinion. You can use all almond flour and perhaps in a no-bake cheesecake that would actually be better. You could also toast the almond flour in a nonstick dry skillet.
If you prefer an oreo-style crust, you could add some cocoa to the crust, which will give it a nice dark color and contrast to the light filling. That said, if you would like a darker pink filling, the you could add some red food coloring to the cheesecake batter.
A full two pounds of frozen, unsweetened strawberries are used in this cheesecake, and, yet, since strawberries are low in carbs, the cheesecake is reasonably low in carbs, if you cut 16 slices. If you go with bigger slices for 12 servings, the carbs will be just over 10 grams per serving which is a moderate carb dessert for a special occasion.
I used frozen, unsweetened strawberries mainly because our strawberries that we can buy here are small, not that great and overly pricey. However, if you have access to wonderful fresh strawberries, then go ahead and use those instead, if you like.
The unflavored gelatin is what will help this cheesecake to set nicely in the fridge. Make sure to stir it into the cold water and let it sit a minute or two to "bloom" and then microwave it to dissolve the gelatin.
If your springform pan is old, then line the pan with parchment paper first.
If
you would like to get extra fancy, you could use some of the ganache to
cover a couple of strawberries and place them in the center of the
cheesecake. I used flowers as my garden has flowers year round. Those
are Impatience which also grow year round. You can get even fancier by
slicing strawberries and placing them all around the perimieter of the
cheesecake. Fresh berries are such a delight to see in a beautiful
dessert.
This is a cheesecake recipe that
you can trust and turn to when you need a showstopper dessert for a
special guest or guests. This would also make the most wonderful
Valentine's Day dessert. The strawberry cheesecake filling and the
creamy chocolate ganache make it the perfect choice.
INGREDIENTS: 
Crust:
1 cup Gluten-Free Bake Mix 2, OR (250 mL)
2/3
cup almond flour (150 mL)
1/2
cup butter, melted (125 mL)
Liquid sweetener to equal 1/4 cup sugar (60 mL)
1/8 tsp almond extract (0.5 mL)
Cheesecake Filling:
16 oz cream cheese (500 g)
Liquid sweetener to equal 1 cup sugar (250 mL)
3/4
cup heavy cream (175 mL)
2 tbsp lemon juice (30 mL)
1 tsp vanilla extract (5 mL)
2 tbsp water (30 mL)
1 tbsp unflavored gelatin (15 mL)
Strawberry Sauce:
2 lbs frozen unsweetened strawberries, OR (0.9 kg)
fresh strawberries
Sweetener to equal 1 cup sugar sweetness (250 mL)
Chocolate Ganache Topping:
2/3
cup heavy cream (150 mL)
1 cup sugarless chocolate chips (250 mL)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Crust: In medium bowl, combine Gluten-Free Bake Mix
2, OR Keto Bake Mix and almond flour. In
bowl with melted butter, stir in liquid sweetener and almond extract. Pour over dry ingredients and mix well. Press
into a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan.
Place in freezer while preparing the cheesecake filling and strawberry
sauce.
Cheesecake Filling: In food processor or in bowl with mixer, mix
cream cheese, liquid sweetener, cream, lemon juice and vanilla extract until
smooth. In small bowl, combine water and
gelatin, stirring to mix and let it sit a minute or two to "bloom". Nuke 30
seconds or so to dissolve the gelatin.
Add to the cream cheese mixture and process. Fold strawberry puree into the cheesecake
batter, but withhold 1/2 cup (125 mL). Pour half the cheesecake batter over the
chilled crust. Drop blobs of the
reserved strawberries over the cheesecake and swirl gently with the tip of a
knife. Pour the remaining cheesecake
batter over top. Refrigerate. The next day pour the Chocolate Ganache over
top of the set cheesecake.
Strawberry Sauce: In pot over medium heat, bring strawberries
(frozen, OR fresh) with sweetener to a boil and then boil about 15 minutes
until fairly thick. During that time
smash the strawberries with a potato masher or a large fork.
Chocolate Ganache Topping: In double boiler, melt the chocolate chips
along with the heavy cream. If you don’t
have a double boiler, place the chocolate chips in a bowl with heavy cream and
nuke about 40 seconds. Whisk until the chocolate
is melted and the cream is mixed in properly.
Place in the refrigerator to cool and become a little thicker before
pouring over top of the cheesecake.
Chill again until serving time.
Yield: 12 servings
1
serving
338.5
calories
6.5
g protein
28.7
g fat
1.7 g fiber
8.2
g net carbs
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