notice

I haven't eaten any chocolate since Sunday.

I never thought it would be possible for me to eat so much chocolate that I'd literally and figuratively be sick of it, but I managed.

The clean eating is doing me a lot of good. The presence of DH's birthday cheesecake in the fridge is helping me stay on the no-sugar wagon. Today I idly thought about making an apple pie. I still might do that, flush from the triumph of that cheesecake, which is without doubt the best I've made yet -- and I've made a lot of cheesecakes.

Vanilla Cheesecake
based on the legendary Beachgirl's Cheesecake
have all ingredients at room temperature before beginning
Crust:
1 C almond flour
1/2 C quick-cooking oats (not instant)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 T honey or molasses
1/2 C butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Press into bottom of springform pan, making sure it goes all the way out to the edges and is evenly spread.
Bake for about 10-12 minutes until lightly browned.
Let cool while you assemble the rest of the cheesecake.

Filling:
4 8 oz packages Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 T vanilla extract
3/4 C Splenda pourable
3/4 C sugar free vanilla syrup (Da Vinci, Torani, Monin)
3 T sour cream
4 eggs plus one egg yolk

Using an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, vanilla extract, sweeteners, and sour cream until they are very well blended -- no lumps! Add the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, and mix into the batter by mixing at the slowest speed for no more than a count of 10 -- do not overmix, as this can lead to the cheesecake cracking.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Take the prebaked crust in the springform pan and place it on a large piece of heavy-duty foil. Fold up the sides of the foil to make a waterproof barrier. Place the springform pan, in the foil, into a slighter larger pan; fill the larger pan with water till it comes about half-way to two-thirds up the sides of the springform pan.

Give the inside of the springform a light spray with no-stick cooking spray, and pour in the batter.

Bake at 300 degrees for one hour.
Lower the oven temperature to 200 degrees, and bake for an additional hour.
Turn the oven off, and let the cheesecake come to room temperature in the oven.
(This gentle cooking method helps prevent cracking, which is usually caused by baking or cooling too quickly.)

Chill the cake before serving, and store in the fridge, too.