Lovely Lemony Baked Cheesecake

I got this lovely recipe from Linda McFarland.  Everyone loves it and no-one notices it’s healthier than standard sugar-laden gluten-y cheesecake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serves 8

For the base:
50g virgin coconut oil
170g Nairns gluten-free unsweetened oatcakes (you can use normal unsweetened if you are not gluten-sensitive/coeliac)
35g xylitol or (even better) erythritol
1 rounded tsp ground ginger
¼ level tsp Himalayan/Atlantic sea salt

For the cheesecake topping
3 lemons, organic or washed well with hot soapy water and rinsed
250g tub ricotta cheese
200g Greek yoghurt (sheep/goat)
4 eggs, ideally organic
1 tbs cornflour
70g xylitol
1 punnet fresh blueberries

1 x 23cm/9in round springform cake tin

1. Preheat oven to 175C/160C fan.
2. Melt the oil or butter gently in a saucepan and while this is happening crush the oatcakes to small crumbs.
3. When butter/oil is melted, add crushed oatcakes, xylitol, the ginger and salt and mix well.
4. Press in to the bottom of the tin and chill in the fridge.
5. Next, zest and juice the 3 lemons into a large bowl, mix in the ricotta cheese, the yoghurt, eggs, cornflour and 70g xylitol and whisk well until smooth.  The mixture will be quite thin.
6. Pour the mixture into the tin, sprinkle the blueberries over (they will float on the top) and bake for around 40 minutes until firm.
Cool and run a knife around the inside of the tin before releasing. Serve with a berries on the side.

Why this is better for you:
This recipe uses xylitol or erythritol instead of sugar.  Xylitol is a health shop sweetener that looks and tastes like white sugar but doesn’t rob your body of nutrients.  It is safe for diabetics and doesn’t cause weight gain either.  This is because it doesn’t affect your blood sugar levels. Because the base is made with oatcakes instead of the normal wheat biscuits it is much kinder to your digestive system (even if you are not sensitive to gluten).  The insoluble fibre in wheat is an intestinal irritant.  Virgin coconut oil is a good source of medium chain triglycerides which are helpful for boosting energy and are really easy to digest.  Lots of people are sensitive to dairy (milk) products. This recipe uses goat/sheep yoghurt and ricotta so it is lower in milk allergens like casein, which cause problems for so many people.  Lemon zest and juice helps detoxification – just the thing if you have had a rich meal and a few too many glasses of wine….