New York Style Cheesecake with Brazil Nut Crust
 

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substitute
 

Can I possibly substitute the Brazil nuts with a different type - say walnut or pecans, and get the same carb count?

Hey there. Welcome.

Just so you know, each nut has its own carb count (cashews are quite high for instance).

You should be able to look up the carb count of whatever nut you want to use in your handy dandy paperback carb counter (you have one, don't you?).

There is also an online carb counter right here at this website for your convenience! See the orange menu bar above? There's a link to LowCarb Tools there and if you follow that link, you'll run into the Carb Counter.

Enjoy!

First Attempt
 

Just wanted to ask a couple things as this was my first fluffy cheesecake.

After adding all the ingredients, I had more than what would fit into a 9inch, by about 1/4 to 1/2 inch (estimation). The consitency was slightly frothy, but very creamy and smooth. Once I added the sour cream and eggs the mixer only ran long enough to fold the yolks into invisibility, however, having never beaten 5 pkgs of cream cheese at once, I did run it a long time on just the cream cheese trying to decide, exactly, what 'smooth' was. :confused:

The springform pan was at least 2.5 inches high, I think i may have seen higher ones on TV, but this was the deepest in the store.

After cooking, and letting set a bit, I removed the springform (slightly too early I could tell, one side needed support for a while), and the outside 2-3 inches had a cake consistency, but the middle was still quite gooshy. I let it cool another hour and just had to have a piece, and the inner 1-2inches was still soupy
ish.

I have since refridgerated the whole thing, and it is now firmer, but I am afeared that I blew the 'perfect' combination by undercooking it slightly (oven is NOT the best and it could have been at 185 instead of 200).

Is this whole experience normal, or should I jack up the oven 10-15 degrees to allow for a firmer middle (though still soft while hot).

note - used the macadamia nut version of the crust...can you say UM.

note 2 - even runny in the middle, it was a very creamy and enjoyable slice of heaven!


Thanks!

Hey, Mark.

Karen's recipes are usually quite good and reliable (and kitchen-tested for sure)...

After reading through your post, I'd suggest, based on an experience of my own :D that you buy an inexpensive oven thermometer (any hardware or kitchen store) and make sure your oven is set correctly. That way when you "jack up" the dial you will PROBABLY find that you get the correct temperature inside the oven itself. This is WAAAAYYY better than guessing on the temperature and timing.

I have two of them in my oven, by the way. I not only don't trust the ovens (any of 'em) but I'd hate for one of them to be wrong, too! Heck, I've got one in my fridge as well. Nothing worse than wasted food ingredients :eek:

Hope this helps!

Hi Mark!

A few tips on the cheesecake...

Start with the cream cheese at room temperature and only beat it until until all the packages are combined and no lumps of cheese remain. It should only take about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl frequently. If your mixer has a paddle attachment, it will be better than a whisk attachment because a whisk incorporates air and you don't want that to happen with a cheesecake. If you beat it for a long time to the point of frothiness, it would increase the volume and not fit in the pan. I use a regular springform, not a high-sided fancy one.

Did you start off the baking at 500 F? It's important for the initial "set" It is quite possible that your oven - as Judi pointed - out is not the correct temperature. Ovens frequently go out of whack and some ovens will be hotter or cooler in certain areas.

The texture you describe is almost right - cakey around the outside and creamy in the middle but it shouldn't be gooshy or runny. Slightly "jiggly" is right. Another wonderful kitchen tool is an instant read thermometer. Great for using on large cuts of meats and cheesecakes. With a cheesecake, the temperature in the middle should read 150 F. YOu don't really need one is your oven is right, but they are useful to have.

Karen

Karen, I just wanted to let you know that you have created yet another masterpiece. I made this for Easter (such as it was around out house this year) and it if by far the best cheesecake I've ever made. I left half of it in the fridge on tuesday when I left home but I seriously doubt they'll be anything left tomorrow when I get in.

I thawed some frozen raspberries I had and mashed them with my hand mixer to make a slushy / coulis type mixture that went beautifully with the cake.

Will be making this one again (very soon!)
Nat

Thanks Nat! I think the texture on this one is sublime. The no-bake is more playful, but this one is dead serious.

My Dobe - who helped herself to half the last time I made it - likes it too!

Karen

Yummyyy
 

Karen,

I am so excited to try this this weekend. I am having friends over on Saturday night for Daiquaries and a fish fry, with this cheesecake as desert. All your tips above will be very helpful. Question, does the lemon juice give it a lemony taste? The reason I ask is because I do not like a lemon flavor in my cheesecake and if it does, I would like to change it to Almond flavoring or something to that nature. But, if it does not give a tang of lemon, then I would like to follow your recipe to the T, since I know that it is tried and true.

Thanks
Cindy

No, it doesn't taste like lemon at all, it just balances the flavour. I'm not a fan of lemon in cheesecakes either. Never understood it - why mess with pure luxury?

Another tip: My friends preferred the macadamia crust to the Brazil nut crust. They thought the Brazil nuts were too "mealy", but I like it as a change of pace.

What kind of fish are you frying?

Karen

Thanks Karen,
Then I will follow it to a T......

Walleye and Sauger, I'm going to do a traditional fish fry with breading, but I figured I will just eat the other yummy stuff I make and leave the fish alone. I have done so much fishing this winter that I have to start eating it......

Thanks again for your tips. I am really looking forward to the delicacy.....

Cindy

Update
 

Note - once it chilled the cheesecake was perfect, only when I cut it warm (bout an hour or two after baking) was it 'gooshy'.

Going to make it again tonight I think, and will not beat it so long (was used to another recipe where light and almost frothy was good...but it used a lot less cream cheese).

So, smooth is just not chunky, not necessarily creamy - i notice once you add the eggs the creaminess really is easier to see, so will not wait so long for the first couple of eggs and I think that will keep me from over doing it.

Unable to find brazil nuts un mixed where we shop, so going to try a macadamia nut almond combination this time ( I loved the macadamia but experimentation is the norm round here).

Cool! I'm having some friends over for dinner and I'm thinking of making it again too.

But, maybe I'll make something else!

Karen

FYI
 

Still a big hit!

Modified the crust to use 1/2 maca and 1/2 almonds, added 2tbs or so of butter to give it enough stickiness(the almonds a lot drier), and WOW, the reaction from the inhalers was wonderful..I personally liked both crusts, but just thought I'd let ya know the almond/maca had a very nice taste to it as well.


Tis such a big hit, that I have to make it when I go visit some friends in Phoenix in a week or so...under strict orders!

(note, 2nd time I made sure the oven was a tad warmer and it came out much firmer, even before chilling - and did not whip it to a froth, both times it was good, 2nd time just worked better!)

I just love making something I can splurge on (as long as its only one a day at least! I cannot have my brownies any more, but this helps ease the paaaaain.!

Glad to see it's working out for you. The no-bake cheesecake has an almond crust that is very toasty in flavour and can be used in this recipe. Have a look at it.

Karen

Karen you are my hero.......this cheesecake is maaavalous.. I have a question. I made it without the crust and ran the ingredients through fitday and I got fewer carbs and a lot less calories than you have posted. Unfortunately, fitday doesn't have many brand names and I had to trust their figures on nutritional info, because I had already thrown away the packages. Such as cream cheese, and sour cream. Have you posted the breakdown anywhere?

Bottom line is ..... I am sure you are right and I've made the error but would like to fix it in my fitday account. Thanks, Your LC fan, JoAnne :)

Hmm. I use fitday for figuring out recipes too. Let me check it and get back.

Karen

Ha! Found it.

I didn't change fitdays charming default of 1 cup of eggs, so the recipe contained 6 cups. :eek: It's better to err on the side of too much, than too little!

Here it is corrected:

Total: 7186
Fat: 701 grams
Carbs: 90 grams
Fiber: 15 0 0%
Protein: 175 grams
Alcohol: 3 grams

Without the crust:

Total: 5349
Fat: 515 grams
Carbs: 55 grams
Fiber: 0
Protein: 135 grams
Alcohol: 3 grams

Thanks phonemarsh!

Karen

Hi Karen

This cake sounds divine, but I have a couple of questions before I rush of to the shop to get the ingredients:

What Cream Cheese do you use ? The tangy variety like Philadelphia or the creamy stuff like Mascarpone ?

We don't have "brown Sugar Twin" or "Splenda" here. All the granular sugars here are made from aspartame, so I can't use them for baking. I do have liquid sweetener from germany here though. Will that work ?

Where do I get "Pure Vanilla Extract" from ? In the supermarket they have "Vanilla Flavour", but that is made with sugar alcohols and doesn't taste very strong. Can I substitute with Vanilla ? If that is ok, how many Vanilla "sticks" do I use ?

Thanks
Sabine

I use something similar to Philadelphia brand. Do not use spreadable cream cheese - don't know if you have it there.

What is the sweetener made out of? Can you get Stevia? Using the artificial vanilla extract is OK that you get in supermarkets. I am sure that Waitrose carries the pure.

Watch out Sabine! It makes a really big cake! ;)

Karen

Today I found a small treasure - 4 of them actually. 3" spring form pans! I've been looking everywhere for smaller ones so I can make a few cakes from this large one - it's so good but it takes up soooo much room in my fridge. I've been looking for these since I tried this recipe way back when. Can't wait to make mini cheesecakes :)

Nat

Hi Karen

The sweetener is called "Natreen" and is made out of:
Water, Artificial Sweeteners (Cyclamat, Saccharin, Thaumatin), Fructose, Citric Acid and Sorbic Acid.

100ml is equal to 1320g sugar

100ml has 1.1kcal, 0g protein, <1g carbs, 0g fat
also has no influence on insulin (that's what they say on the bottle)

This is a new recipe. It never used to contain Fructose, but I couldn't find any of the "old" bottles anymore last time I was in Germany. The lable now reads : "The sweetness of Natreen now also contains a completley natural sweetener to improve taste". Well, we all know how "natural" fructose is... :mad:

This sweetener is actually made by Sara Lee, Germany.

We do have Waitrose in the UK, but I haven't got one close to here. I can use the artificial Vanilla as I still have soke in the cupboard, but could I use natural Vanilla ?

You confused me regarding the cheese. Philadelphia is spreadable cream cheese ?? Or do you mean not to use the processed cheese (Milkana is the only one I know. It's kind of yellowy and sticky and doesn't taste of cheese ?) ?

The sweetener sounds OK, except for the fructose! :rolleyes:

By non-spreadable, it should come in a little brick and not say "spreadable" or "soft spreadable" on the label.

Using the artificial extract is OK.

Here is a link on making your own vanilla from beans, but it can be very $$$:

http://www.kitchenproject.com/vanil...illaExtract.htm

Karen

Karen, Thank you for updating the calorie and carb content in this. Funny thing is...after you posted your reply I found that I had made the mistake when I made the receipe in the first place. Instead of 2 1/2 pounds of cream cheese, I used 2 1/2 packages of 8 oz cream cheese. (then transfered it to fitday the wrong way) Funnier still.... It turned out delicious. Go figure. Thanks again.

Glad it worked out with one pound less cream cheese. Try it with the extra pound! It might be cheesier! ;)

Karen

commercial sugar free cheese cake
 

I used to buy a sugar free cheese cake from wal mart and after a while they stopped carrying it. I complained and after a while they carried it and I bought it by the case to freeze. They told me not enough people bought it! I said it had to be a lie since all the other crap with no sugar was selling well, so why wouldn't a loverly nice looking cheese cake? It seemed to be out everytime I tried to buy it.
so now maybe I have to cook one myself.
Also, I used to have a recipe for riccota cheese cake or Italian Easter grain pie it was callled also. Does any one have an Italian background that still has some living relatives that know how to make this version?
I simple forgot, having made it by memory, and now MOM is gone and I don't know where to call.
Plus I have this feeling that Ricotta style is a lot more healthier than cream cheese.
Could be wrong?
Last year I was committed to try and got the ingredients correct but the wrong ratio. The cheese caked turned out looking like a pie instead. and the choco-chips went to the bottom. The people who I had made them for, {all presents} said it wast great tasting.
Last but not least, does anyone have a copy of the old old old weight warches program?
I believe it was really one of the first low carbs diets around where everybody lost weight.
help some one?????

Loved the cheesecake
 

Karen,
I made the cheesecake on the weekend for mother's day. Put some halved stawberries around the edge and twelve on top to mark each peice. My parents and I and one of my friends all really enjoyed it. I'm still enjoying a peice each day (those peices really are big!).

I made the cheesecake in a water bath. Is that maybe why it turned out more like a set style rather than a baked style? It seems to me that baked cheesecakes are a bit drier and firmer than the one I made and I prefer them like the baked.

I'm going to make another one this week for my birthday on thursday. Should I skip the water bath or bake it at a higher temperature? I did set it at 500 like you said and then turned it down to 200 ( or what ever the recipe said). I was thinking of baking it at 300 instead of 200. What do you think?

Thanks for being such a great resouce on this site!

Hi Karen

I just tried your cake today. I decided to cut the recipe in half. I checked the oven after an hour, figuring the cake would take less time to cook. I was right. It wasn't quite burned, but would have burned had I left it there longer. I think it will be still good but it's rather overcooked. No woobly center.

How long would you suggest i cook it, halving the recipe ?

I have to wait till I get off induction and add more carbs... but I'm gonna use hazelnuts in the crust! Hazelnuts are YUMMY!

Are you making it in a smaller pan or the same sized pan as the recipe specifies with half the batter?

Karen