Organic Stevia Cheesecake  (gluten and grain free as well)

This is a very easy recipe and it lends itself to making a smaller recipe. The first time I made it I was figuring out the stevia amounts so I made a half recipe and it was great. The last time I made it I only had three packages of cream cheese so I cut the other ingredients accordingly and it also worked great. If you halve the recipe you can make it in six custard cups. It’s wonderful with a little fresh fruit or sugar free jam and it freezes really well too. The picture if from the first time I made this. Using all the cream cheese makes a thicker cheesecake, then pictured. It’s delicious too!

Ingredients:

32 ounces – 4 packages – organic cream cheese

1 tablespoon Stevia (use amount equal to 1 cup organic sugar)

1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract

1 teaspoon organic lemon juice  (add lemon zest too)

4 organic, pastured eggs

3 tablespoons organic sour cream or organic Greek yogurt

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.

With an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese and splenda at slow to medium speed, scraping sides often. Add all other ingredients except eggs. When completely mixed (with no lumps), add the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, beating very slowly. When eggs are incorporated, do not mix any more

Pour the mixture into a 9” springform pan. I make an easier version of a water bath for my cheesecakes. I put a 9×13 inch pan on the oven shelf below the cheesecake and put an inch or so of water in it. This makes the oven nice and humid but you don’t have to worry about wrapping the cheesecake itself.

Place the pan of water on a lower shelf while you are preheating the oven.  Place the cheesecake in a 300-degree preheated oven. Cook for 1 hour and reduce heat to 200 degrees for 1 more hour. Turn oven off and leave cheesecake in until the oven is completely cool. This is how you avoid cracks in your cheesecake.

It may be beneficial to run a knife around the edge of the cheesecake, separating it from the sides of the pan. If your goal is to serve the cheesecake on a different dish without the bottom of the spring form pan, then the pan can be lined with parchment paper before the batter is poured in. Make sure to grease both sides of the paper. This will make for easy removal of the cheesecake later. It works best if the cheesecake has been refrigerated fully before trying to remove it from the bottom pan. Cheesecake is even better the second day.  Enjoy!

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