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Have Your Chocolate Cheesecake and Eat Healthy Too
Who says you have to skip out on decadent cheesecake, just because you want to eat healthy? With this chocolate cheesecake tart, you’ll be able to enjoy a sweet treat without the extra calories or the guilt.
Read on to learn how to make a decadent chocolate cheesecake tart that’s safe for those on gluten-free diets, or those who simply want to eat lighter.
What Makes this Chocolate Cheesecake So Light?
Cheesecake is by nature a rich and heavy dessert – but it doesn’t have to be! With a few simple swaps, we’ve made our chocolate cheesecake tart just as delicious as regular cheesecake but without excess sugar, fat, and calories.
That being said, it can be hard to get the right texture and rich flavor with “lite” and low fat ingredients. Instead, we’re using naturally lighter products to cut back on fat, carbs, and refined sugars. Here’s what makes this tart so deliciously healthy:
Mascarpone Cheese
Traditional cheesecakes are made with cream cheese, but we’ve chosen the lighter Italian cheese mascarpone for our tart. Mascarpone is still rich and velvety, but has less fat and calories than cream cheese.
Low Sugar Strawberry Rose Glaze
We’re using our Anna Maria’s Strawberry Rose Jam as glaze for this tart. This jam is sweet and fruity, but without all the added sugars of other strawberry jams. And believe me – you won’t miss that extra sugar! Just a light glaze on top gives the perfect balance to the rich bitterness of the cocoa and the smoothness of the mascarpone.
Gluten-Free Flours
Using gluten-free flours like the cup4cup flour and almond flour makes this tart gluten-free and reduces the potential inflammatory effects of traditional wheat flour. That means you can indulge in this semi-sweet dessert without the bloating and digestive upset afterwards. Plus these alternative flours add a nutty richness to the tart crust that pairs perfectly with chocolate!
A Lighter Version of Classic Chocolate Cheesecake Perfect for Celebrations (or any day)
This lighter, fluffier version of chocolate cheesecake is perfect at anytime of year -especially the holidays. In fact, it is one of my favorite desserts to make for celebrating Valentine’s Day, Christmas, or even an elegant birthday.
What makes it such a perfect holiday recipe? The strawberry rose glaze, made with AnnaMaria’s Strawberry Rose Jam feels like a shot of spring as its getting cold outside. Second, the jam combined with the mascarpone chocolate cake energize so many taste buds that you won’t need to eat a huge portion to feel satisfied. (Although, honestly, sometimes I can’t help going for the 2nd and 3rd slice!)
Gluten-Free Chocolate Cheesecake Tart with Strawberry Rose Glaze
Equipment
- Food processor
- Measuring cups
- Large tart pan or 6 mini tartlet pans
- Cookie cutters (optional)
- Baking weights
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet
- Large bowl or stand mixer
- Cooling rack
- Spoon or icing knife for glaze
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 cup gluten-free flour cup4cup brand is my choice
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 3 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 8 tbsp. cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes
- 3.5 tbsp. cold water
Filling:
- 300 g mascarpone cheese 10.5oz
- 300 g caster sugar 10.5oz
- ½ cup cocoa powder unsweetened
- 4 eggs whole, slightly beaten
- 4 egg yolks
Glaze:
Instructions
Make the Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Place flours, sugar, and salt into the food processor bowl and pulse a couple of times to mix.
- Add the butter and pulse until the butter has become like couscous-sized balls in the dry mix. While the machine is running, drizzle in water until the dough becomes a ball.
- Transfer the dough into a lightly floured bowl and quickly form it into a flat disk.
- Roll out the tart. Roll the dough in a circle ¼ thick and pat it into a tart pan with removable bottom, cutting the dough flush at the edges. Or 6 smaller tartlet pans, you choose, both are pictured.
- Re-roll the cut-off dough and form 2 decorative cookies (I choose stars for this one).
- Place a bowl of parchment paper into the tart and fill with baking weights.
- Bake the tart until it is only partly cooked; about 10 minutes.
- Remove the parchment paper and weights and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Cook the decorative cookies on a non-stick baking sheet all the way through, 8 to 12 minutes depending on the thickness. They are done if you poke with a finger and the dough bounces back.
Make the filling:
- Beat the mascarpone, sugar, and cocoa in a stand mixer until very smooth.
- Beat in the eggs and yolks until well combined.
Fill and finish:
- Fill the crust with the mascarpone filling. Bake for another 20 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick poked in the middle comes out smooth. The filling will rise up in a dome as it cooks, but don’t worry. It will flatten as it cools.
- Place on a cooling rack. When the filling starts flattening and is still a bit warm, spread the Strawberry Rose jam. I usually use a bit more than a half jar. Place your cookies in your desired decoration and place them in the fridge to finish cooling.
- Take your tart out of the fridge 20 minutes before serving.
