This rich and creamy gluten-free Crustless Cheesecake Recipe is made from scratch and tastes every bit like the one grandma used to make.
Quick and Easy Crustless Cheesecake Recipe
For those folks who love dessert but have it gluten free, look no further than this Crustless Cheesecake recipe that’s perfect for any occasion. Serve it plain or with a fruity glaze or full-on pie filling.
Cheesecake is a winner no matter what time of the year it is. And, for good reason. It’s easy to make and bake and you can serve it up at elegant parties or just because.
It also looks and tastes delicious alone or with a specialty topping.
My inspiration came from my grandmother’s cheesecake. Her version had a crunchy graham cracker crust, a creamy cake filling with a sour cream topping. It was heavenly.
So my challenge was to recreate this time-favored recipe for my family and friends with a gluten-free twist–sans crust.
How to Avoid Clumpy Cheesecake
Cheesecake by its very nature should be dense but creamy. To achieve this goal, you have to make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature. Doing so, you also limit the curdling or clumping of the cream cheese–one of the key ingredients of this recipe.
If you’re looking for a delicious topping that’s certainly not canned, try my Easy Rhubarb Compote that offers the perfect sweetness for any cheesecake.
How to Avoid Cracks in Your Cheesecake
And, what about cracking? Well, I’m not worried about cracking as much as other folks. The fact is, unless you can control the wind and weather, you might as well forget about eliminating cracks in your cheesecake.
Still, there are some tricks of the trade to reduce the “big” one that usually occurs right in the middle of this delectable dessert.
You do this by 1.) using a bain-marie (a water bath) and 2.) allowing the cake to cool in the oven, slowly and naturally, and 3.) DO NOT USE A KNIFE or long toothpick to test for doneness.
It’s best if you jiggle the springform pan/mold to see if the batter is set. The center, however, should have a slight jiggle. Your cheesecake will continue to cook even after the heat has been turned off.
And, that’s it. Other than that, I know of no other way to do this.
Try This: Mini Crustless Cheesecakes
Take this recipe one step further and make mini cheesecakes. Perfect finger food and delicious with your favorite toppings.
To replicate the photo below, use a thinned chocolate glaze, shake on some cocoa powder, then top with fresh raspberries. YUM!
Form It or Mold It
One of the things I love to do is change up how I serve my cheesecake. You can choose to use a springform pan or a silicon mold. Both work well. Both have to be greased, preferably with a non-stick spray or butter. But that being said, springform pans do bake at a different rate as silicon molds. to watch both carefully.
Now here are my favorite choices for cheesecake pans and silicon molds:
Kaiser Bakeware LaForme Plus 8-Inch Springform Pan
Large Silicon Mini Muffin Molds
Crustless Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 16 oz cream cheese
- 2/3 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs beaten well
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
For the Topping:
- 8 oz sour cream
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- butter or nonstick spray
- parchment paper
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Allow all of the ingredients to come to room temperature, approximately 30-60 minutes.
- Grease your springform pan or silicon mold with non-stick spray or butter. Be sure to grease well the base of the pan/mold.
- If using a springform pan, first spray base or grease with butter or nonstick spray. Add parchment paper, latch pan around parchment, and regrease/spray really well. Then, double wrap your springform pan with aluminum foil, so that the batter will not leak into your water bath (bain-marie).
- First lay down a tea towel in a sturdy cake pan with high sides. Then place your springform pan or baking mold on top of this. Note: Make sure that you have plenty of room on all sides of of your springform or mold. You will be adding boiling water to the cake pan once you add the cheesecake batter.
- When you are ready to begin mixing your cake batter, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl beat the cream cheese and then add each of the rest ingredients one at a time. Make sure that each ingredient is incorporated into the batter before adding the next one. Be sure not to over beat your batter. Mix it just enough to combine the ingredients until smooth and lump free.
- Pour batter into springform pan/mold.
- Add boiling water to the cake pan and fill 1/2 of the way up the sides of the springform pan or mold. Be careful not to get any hot water in the cake batter.
- Using oven mitts, place cake pan into preheated oven and bake for approximately 60-70 minutes or until cooked through. Note: Depending upon your oven, it may take longer (or shorter) to bake.
- Check the cheesecake around the 60 minute mark (less for mini cheesecakes). Once the cake has reached doneness, carefully remove the cake and prepare the topping.
- Note: To check for doneness, jiggle the pan slightly to see if the batter has completely set. If the center jiggles slightly, your cake is done. DO NOT USE A KNIFE. This will only make a large crack in your cheesecake.
For the Topping:
- Mix sour cream, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice in a bowl.
- Pour the topping evenly over the top of the cheesecake. You can use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to help do this task.
- Then, place the cheesecake back into the oven to finish baking and allow the top to gently brown, for another 10 minutes or so.
- After this time, turn off the oven but do not remove the cheesecake. Allow the cake cool with the oven door closed for about 1 hour.
- Next, remove cheesecake from the oven and carefully lift the springform/mold out of the water bath. Note: The water will still be hot. Place the mold or springform pan on a cooling rack.
- Allow your cheesecake to cool for about 2-4 hours or until the cake comes to room temperature. Then, place the cheesecake into the refrigerator overnight or at least 8 hours before serving. Remove outer rim. Slice. Serve. Enjoy!
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