BLACKBERRY PROTEIN CHEESECAKE
This blackberry protein cheesecake is low in carbs, fat, and sugar… but it sure doesn’t taste like it! As a matter of fact, it’s my husband’s favorite thing I make – he swears this is just as good as Cheesecake Factory! While this cheesecake may or not be that gourmet, I can tell you all the “non-healthy eaters” (even the kids) gobbled it right up at our last dinner party. The flavor is lightly sweet with just a hint of tart from the blackberries, while the texture is dense and creamy (and oh so dreamy!).
Substitutions for the crust
You can make this cheesecake with or without crust, but I opted for crust this time since I was bringing it to a party. I used a combination of Jamie Eason Lean Body for Her Whey Isolate in Natural Vanilla, spelt flour, almond flour, coconut oil, egg white, and a dash of salt.
If you don’t have spelt flour, you can use all-purpose, fine oat flour, or gluten-free baking blend instead. You can also replace the almond flour with any of the aforementioned flours, just make sure to add another tablespoon of oil plus water if needed to get a crumbly mixture. Don’t add to much water or the mixture will become impossibly sticky! You can also replace the protein powder and spelt flour with an additional 3/4 cup almond flour.
How to make the cheesecake
The cheesecake itself couldn’t be simpler! I think I’ve finally found the best recipe (and best method) for making protein cheesecake after trying countless recipes. Some recipes call for cottage cheese or sugar free pudding, but this one is just cream cheese and nonfat plain Greek yogurt with Lean Body for Her Whey Isolate and a few other basic ingredients. Feel free to experiment with other protein powders!
You can also use dairy-free cream cheese, dairy-free yogurt, and vegan protein powder for a vegan, dairy-free version. Or, if you prefer a richer flavor, try using Neufchatel cheese instead of fat free cream cheese. It adds more calories and fat, but it tastes even closer to traditional cheesecake!
Sweetener substitutions
I used Pyure Organic Stevia Blend to sweeten both the crust and the cheesecake, but you can substitute an equal measure of Truvia Baking Blend (which has more carbs and sugar), or twice as much baking stevia or granulated erythritol. You could also use twice as much granulated sugar, but that kind of defeats the purpose of a “healthy” cheesecake 😉
How to swirl your cheesecake!
For that beautiful blackberry swirl, I thawed frozen blackberries in the microwave, mashed them, and added sweetener to taste. I then dropped tablespoons over top the cheesecake and swirled through with a knife before baking. You could honestly use any type of berry you like (strawberry, blueberry, mixed berry)!
Anywho, here’s the printable recipe for this Blackberry Protein Cheesecake. I’d love your comments below if you try it 😉
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Blackberry Protein Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 40 g vanilla protein powder* I used Lean Body for Her Whey Isolate
- 6 tbsp. almond flour* see substitutions above
- 6 tbsp. spelt flour* or all-purpose flour, oat flour, gluten-free baking blend
- 1 tbsp. calorie-free sweetener* I used Pyure organic stevia blend
- 1/4 tsp. salt optional
- 2 tbsp. coconut oil melted
- 2 tbsp. (1 large) egg white
Cheesecake
- 1 cup (8 oz.) fat free cream cheese* or dairy-free cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese
- 1/2 cup 4 oz. nonfat plain Greek yogurt* or dairy-free yogurt
- 1/4 cup (2 large) egg whites
- 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 40 g vanilla protein powder* I used Lean Body for Her Whey Isolate
- 1/4 cup calorie-free sweetener* I used Pyure organic stevia blend
- 1 cup blackberries fresh or frozen (or berries of choice)
- 2 tbsp. calorie-free sweetener* I used Pyure organic stevia blend
*See blog post for more substitutions.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine crust ingredients to form a crumbly mixture that sticks to itself (add 1 tbsp. water if mixture is too dry).
- Lightly coat a 8″ or 9″ pan with cooking spray and press crust mixture into bottom.
- Bake for 10 minutes and set aside.
- Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
- Meanwhile, blend together cream cheese and yogurt until smooth.
- Add egg whites, protein powder, sweetener, and vanilla; blend again until smooth.
- Pour cheesecake mixture into pan over baked crust.
- Mash berries (thaw in microwave if frozen) and stir in sweetener to taste.
- Drop berry mixture over cheesecake one tablespoon at a time, then swirl through with a knife.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes until center is set. Cracking indicates over-baking.
- Let cheesecake cool at room temperature for 10-15 minutes, then chill in fridge for a minimum of 3 hours or overnight.
- Cut into eight pieces and enjoy! Store in fridge up to one week.
Notes
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