Delicious Sugar Free Cheese-Cake, With Valentines Day Themed Strawberry Glaze

With Valentines Day fast approaching, I decided to make one of my absolute favorite desserts, a Cheesecake! Keeping in the spirit of the upcoming holiday however, I decided that I would try something new and add a strawberry glaze on top. Additionally, as I can't eat sugar, I made the entire thing using alternative sweeteners, ending up with a dessert that was still delicious and lower carb! Throughout the last few years, I've been able to learn more and more great recipes, and I'm glad to be able to share with you all. This dessert is a great option for anytime of the year, or for any occasion. Serve it to your friends, family, or that special someone in your life!

Needed Utensils:

1 Spring Form Pan

Lemon Zester

Medium Size Bowl

Small Size Bowl

2 Medium Size Plates

Dough Blender

Butter Knife

Fork

Spoon

Measuring Cups, for Solids and Liquids

Measuring Spoons

Kitchen Aid Mixer + Wire Whisk Attachment

Whisk

Medium - Small Pot

Spatula

Pie Cutter

Needed Ingredients

Flour

Butter

Health Garden- Monk Fruit Sweetener

Eggs

Lemons

Cream Cheese

Vanilla

Salt

Sour Cream

Strawberries

Corn Starch

Find a clear and open space to make your Cheesecake. To create mine, I started by assembling my Spring Form Pan, by inserting the bottom into the inner ridge, and then tightening the pans side using the attached latch. Be sure it's secure, as you don't want your Cheesecake falling out unexpectedly!

It's always a good idea to read your entire recipe before you begin, as you'll get a general understanding of your project, and know what you need to do first. I've attached the recipe for the Crust and Filling in the above photo for you to read, and the recipes for the topping and glaze are below, but I'll still be walking you through the entire process step by step later on.

Once done with your crust and filling, you'll take the following steps:

Press dough around sides of pan. Pour filling into crust, bake 350 degrees for 25 minutes until firm on edges but not middle. Take out and cool.

As your cheesecake cooks, you'll start preparing your strawberry glaze. I used the following recipe, and I ended up with extra glaze, so feel free to half the quantities.

Strawberry Glaze:

Prepare and wash 1 quart of strawberries. Simmer together about 3 mins: 1 cup strawberries in 2/3 cup water

Blend and add to boiling mixture: 1 cup sugar (or alternative), 3 Tbsp cornstarch, 1/3 cup water

Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Cool. Add remaining berries.

Topping:

1 C sour cream

2 TBSP sugar

2 tsp vanilla

Mix and spread carefully over cheesecake

Note: Throughout this recipe I replaced all the sugar with my monk fruit alternative. To make this work however, you'll need to add less. For every quantity of sugar it tells you to add, you'll want to add about 3/4 of that much in monk fruit. For example, if it tells you to add 1 cup of sugar, I recommend you add 3/4 cup of monk fruit instead.

Take your medium sized bowl and start adding in the ingredients for your crust. Add 1 1/4 cups of flour, 3/4 cup of butter, and 3 TBSP monk fruit. Next, you'll want to add 1 large egg yolk, without the white. Scoop your hand gently under the egg and let the white drain away to get just your yolk.

Now comes the lemon. You will need to add the grated peel of 1 small lemon, which can be collected as you grate your lemon using your lemon zester.

Now you'll need to combine your ingredients, but here's the catch! You don't just want to mix them nilly willy, or your crust will become stiff. Using your dough blender, you'll want to cut your dough repeatedly. Use your dough blender and using vertical motions, push it into the dough and then pull it up again. Keeping pushing your dough blender into the dough in different areas, and gradually your ingredients will combine. Feel free to push some of the dough off your dough blender it gets too crowded. Next, take your dough and start spreading it in your pan, to create your crust. Cover the entire bottom of your pan and add crust on the sides all the way until about 3/4 of an inch from the top. Your crust is now complete!

Now to create your filling, add your 2-8oz. packages cream cheese, and mix it. Now add 2 eggs, 2/3 cup of monk fruit, 2 tsp vanilla, and 1/2 tsp grated lemon peel, using the same method as before. Add in one dash of salt.

Using a spatula, scrape out all of the filling into the crust. Lightly jiggle the pan until your filling levels out or flatten it with your spatula. Carefully take your cheesecake to the oven and start it cooking for about 30 minutes. Remember to set your timer!

Once your strawberries are washed and cleaned, take 1 cup and add it into your pot, along with 2/3 cup of water. Leave it on high until it boils, and then turn onto low for 3 minutes. While you wait, add 3/4 cup monk fruit, 3 Tbsp cornstarch, and 1/3 cup water together in a measuring cup and mix. Once your 3 minutes are up, let your glaze boil again and then add the new ingredients into your pot. Let it boil for 1 minute, while stirring constantly. Once done let it cool, if possible in your fridge. Once it's done cooling you can add your remaining 3 cups of strawberry, but for now, onto the next step.

Take your smaller bowl, and add 1 cup of sour cream, 2 Tbsp monk fruit, and 2 tsp vanilla. Mix.

Once your Cheesecake is done cooking, pour your topping on and spread it around. Once your strawberry glaze has cooled sufficiently, be sure to add the remaining strawberries if you haven't already, and pour your glaze on top as well.

Congratulations on your finished cheesecake. You know what to do: Celebrate and enjoy!