MERRY CHRISTMAS!
I baked "The Ultimate Cheesecake" on Christmas Eve; this was a special request by my "Junior-Chef" niece, Rhea. I find a lot of cheesecakes to be heavy, dense, thick, and rich, this recipe by Tyler Florence
is extremely light. It is velvety smooth and melts in your mouth. The first time I tried this recipe, I was sold, now this is the only cheesecake I make.
is extremely light. It is velvety smooth and melts in your mouth. The first time I tried this recipe, I was sold, now this is the only cheesecake I make. This recipe is quite fattening, even when reduced fat, so I usually bake Cheesecake around the Holidays. With my version, I was able to lower the calories by 14% and the fat by 20%. You can take it one step even further by skipping the crust and lower the fat and calories. In this recipe, I used store bought crust, however going forward I need to invest in an 8" round baking pan designed for Cheesecakes, this way I can control the fat in the crust.
MODIFICATIONS I MADE:
- Instead of using Regular Cream Cheese, I used 1 bar of Neufchatel Cheese and 1 bar of Regular Cream Cheese.
- Tyler's recipe calls for full fat sour cream, I used 2 cups of Reduced Fat Sour Cream.
- Instead of 3 eggs, I used 2 eggs and 1 egg white - it works! That saved about 5 grams of fat.
- I used store bought crust. Going forward I will skip the crust all together, you really don't need it.
APPROXIMATE NUTRITION PER SERVING (with store bought crust):
Calories: 318 cals
Fat: 18.6 g
Saturated Fat: 10.2 g
Carbs: 32 g
Protein: 6.4 g
Fiber: 0.3 g
Saturated Fat: 10.2 g
Carbs: 32 g
Protein: 6.4 g
Fiber: 0.3 g
TYLER FLORENCE'S "THE ULTIMATE CHEESECAKE" - REDUCED FAT (adapted from Food Network)
~ yields 12 generous slices @ 325 degrees in a water bath.
~ lowered fat by 20%; lowered calories by 14% (using my modifications)
INGREDIENTS for Cheesecake:
- Regular Cream Cheese - 8 ounces
- Neufchatel Cream Cheese - 8 ounces
- Eggs - 2
- Egg White - 1
- Sugar - 1 cup
- Reduced Fat Sour Cream - 2 cups
- Lemon - 1 zested
- Vanilla - 1 tsp
INGREDIENTS for Lemon Blueberry Topping:
- Sugar - 2 tablespoon sugar
- Blueberries - 2 cups
- Lemon - 1 zested
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Set up the crust-lined - I used store bought crust. You can even skip the crust.
3. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
4. Add the eggs one at a time.
5. Gradually add the sugar until creamy for 1-2 minutes.
6. Add the sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla. Do not overmix!
7. Pour the batter into the crust-lined pan.
8. Set the cheesecake pan on a large piece of aluminum foil and fold up the sides around it. Place the cake pan in a large roasting pan. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until the water is about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan; the foil will keep the water from seeping into the cheesecake. Bake for 45 minutes.
9. After 45 minutes, I turned off the oven, and let the cheesecake remain in the water-bath for another 30 minutes.
10. Remove from the oven and allow the Cheesecake to cool for 30 minutes. LOOK - NO CRACKS!!! 🙂
11. Refrigerate for 4 hours.
For the Warm Blueberry Topping:
BLUEBERRY TOPPING RATING: *****/5 I loved the blueberry topping. It was a combination of sweet and sour. The sweetness of the blueberries and the tart flavor of the lemon combined makes this topping very flavorful.
OVERALL RATING: *****/5
The Ulimate Cheesecake is excellent. You will not be able to tell this cake is reduced fat. I will work on another variation of this cheesecake and try to lower the fat even further. This cheesecake is delicious, I guarantee you will be making it over and over again!Texture: The texture of the cake is velvety smooth, very light, it melts in your mouth.
Moistness: This cake was very moist.
Leah T says
I made this cheesecake around Thanksgiving, and it was AMAZING. I didn't make the blueberry reduction, but I will have to try that next time. It looks great.
Sook says
this looks fantastic!
honeywhatscooking says
Yes. Tyler Florence is brilliant! A must try for this Reduced Fat Cheesecake!