A cocoa almond flour crust makes an addictive base for fluffy cheesecake kissed with goat cheese and sour cream and smothered in Earl Grey tea poached pears and ruby pomegranate arils. Gluten-free and adapted from Alternative Baker: Reinventing Dessert with Gluten-Free Grains and Flours.
Today's post is extra special as it features not only a dessert loaded with CHEESE, but also because I've teamed up with the lovely folks at Rodelle and KitchenAid to give away a KitchenAid® Artisan® Mini Stand Mixer, a box of delicious organic baking ingredients, and a copy of my book! See below for details.
I love cheesecake (and really anything sweet made with cream cheese) but I've always shied away from making large cheesecakes, favoring smaller bars, or just putting cream cheese frosting on everything. Among the perils of large cheesecakes lurk tricksy water baths, leaky springform pans, stale store bought cookie crusts, lumpy filling, changing oven temperatures, cracking, breaking... the list goes on.
But a few months ago, Sarah and I styled this cheesecake for The New York Times, an old family recipe from Amanda Hesser. It boasts a chocolate cinnamon crust and an easy-peasy filling laced with vanilla bean. Its shorter size means it cooks evenly without any problems, with a good crust-to-filling ratio. It's perfectly creamy, not too sweet, a little tangy, and completely addictive.
The crust reminded me of something else addictive: the cocoa almond tart crust from my book. So I decided to mash up a couple of different recipes (cocoa almond crust and chevre cheesecake bars) and flavor loves (Earl Grey, pears, and pomegranate) from my book and brave a full-grown cheesecake. I'm so glad I did.
The crust may be made from scratch but, once you have the ingredients on hand, it's nearly as easy to mix up as a cookie crust: just toss all the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer, and paddle until it comes together in moist clumps, then press into the sides and bottom of the pan. Freeze, parbake, and voilà: a crispy, crumbly crust that tastes like deep chocolate wafer cookies, but fresher and naturally gluten-free. The crust creates an airtight barrier to prevent leaking, and a sturdy springform pan, such as the KitchenAid® Springform Pan that I used here, helps, too.
Sarah and I are particularly enamored of Rodelle's dutch process cocoa powder – it's soft and dark, with a creamy chocolate flavor. (Stay tuned for a couple of videos that we made in collaboration with Rodelle and KitchenAid highlighting this lovely product!) Rodelle also makes divinely tasty vanilla extract and plump vanilla beans, both of which flavor this luscious cheesecake from top to bottom in every layer – vanilla extract in the crust and sour cream topping, vanilla seeds in the filling, and vanilla pods in the poached pears. It's a chocolate and vanilla lover's dream come true.
Both the crust and the filling are easy to whip up with the help of a stand mixer. I grew up with a KitchenAid® stand mixer and can't imagine life without one. I inherited my grandmother's avocado green stand mixer which dates back several decades and never failed me. Then I bought one used from a colleague in pastry school 12 years ago – it lives on top of our refrigerator and works beautifully, though it takes a bit of hefting to move it to the counter when needed. Thus I was thrilled to learn that KitchenAid came out with a smaller stand mixer that's about 20% smaller and 25% lighter than the full size KitchenAid® tilt-head stand mixer but gets the job done for most home projects. I'm smitten with my new mini.
The cheesecake requires a few steps – baking the crust, making and baking the filling, mixing up the sour cream topping, and poaching the pears – but all can be done ahead of time, including the whole cheesecake which keeps beautifully, refrigerated airtight, for several days. The cheesecake pops out easily with the help of the sturdy crust. To slice, just be sure to use a large chef's knife dipped in hot water and wiped clean between each cut.
Top slices with the poached pears, pomegranate arils, and a drizzle of the reduced poaching syrup. The cocoa crust crunches in your mouth as the fluffy cheesecake dissolves into a puddle of creamy lusciousness, vanilla and tangy dairy playing off the subtle flavors of citrusy bergamot, floral black tea, and bright pops of pomegranate. The whole thing is well-balanced and completely addictive. I use a fairly mild chèvre made by Sierra Nevada Cheese Company, and it makes an especially divine filling that doesn't taste at all funky or savory; it just tastes like the best cheesecake you've ever had.
I fact, I think I'll have another slice.
THE GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED!:
- a KitchenAid® Artisan® Mini Stand Mixer in the color of your choice
- a box of Rodelle organic baking ingredients including Organic Baking Cocoa, Rodelle Organics Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Beans, Rodelle Organics Pure Vanilla Extract, and Rodelle Whole Gourmet Cinnamon Sticks
- and a copy of Alternative Baker to one lucky winner! (Head over to Instagram for a second chance to win!)
TO ENTER: Leave a comment below about your favorite holiday dessert.
THE DETAILS: Open to residents in the U.S. only. Giveaway will run from Tuesday, November 22nd through Tuesday, November 29th, 2016. A winner will be chosen at random and notified by email by Sunday, December 4th.
Also! If you're in the San Francisco area, I'll be at Green Apple Books tonight (Tuesday 11/22) with my pal Irvin Lin, signing our books and sharing sweet treats. We'd love to see you there! And if you'd like to order a signed copy, we're offering a special deal over at GFF Magazine.
More Cheesecake Recipes:
- (Raw, Vegan) Chocolate Cheesecakes
- Gluten-Free Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies
- Berry Chèvre Cheesecake Squares with Gluten-Free Pistachio Crust
- Small Batch Cheesecake with Elderflower Peaches {gluten-free}
*Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this gluten free chocolate cheesecake recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.*
Chocolate Crusted Chèvre Cheesecake with Earl Grey Poached Pears & Pomegranate {gluten-free}
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Crust:
- 1/2 cup (80 g) sweet white rice flour
- 1/2 cup (60 g) blanched almond flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill)
- 1/2 cup (45 g) cocoa powder (preferably dutch-process)
- 2 tablespoons (12 g) tapioca flour
- 1/4 cup (50 g) organic granulated cane sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon plus 1⁄8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 5 tablespoon (70 g) cold, unsalted butter, diced into 1⁄2” cubes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling:
- 8 ounce (230 g) fresh soft goat cheese, at room temperature
- 8 ounce (230 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (165 g) organic granulated cane sugar
- 2 tablespoons (15 g) sweet white rice flour
- Seeds from 1-2 vanilla beans (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) sour cream
Topping:
- 1 ½ cups (355 ml) sour cream
- 3 tablespoons (40 g) organic granulated cane sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Poached Pears:
- 4 cups (950 ml) boiling water
- 3 tablespoons loose Earl Grey tea leaves
- ¾ cup (165 g) organic granulated cane sugar
- 2 scraped vanilla pods (from above)
- 4 medium, firm-ripe pears (such as Bosc), peeled, halved, cored
- juice of 1 large lemon
Instructions
Make the crust:
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375ºF.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the almond and sweet rice flours with the cocoa powder, tapioca starch, sugar and salt. Scatter the butter pieces over the top and drizzle with the vanilla extract. Turn the mixer to medium-low and run until the dough comes together in clumps and the butter is worked through, 3–5 minutes. (It will seem as though the dough won’t come together, but don’t worry – it will!)
- Dump the crumbs into a 9-inch springform pan and press the dough evenly into the bottom and 1 ¼ inches up the sides, starting with the sides and then moving to the bottom, keeping the edges square. (It usually takes me about 5 minutes to make it look pretty.) Freeze until firm, 15–30 minutes.
- Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet (to catch any drips) and bake until slightly puffed and firm to the touch, 18–22 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and, while it’s still hot, press the sides and bottom with the back of a spoon. This will help it hold together when cool. Decrease the oven to 325ºF.
Make the filling:
- Wipe the bowl of the stand mixer clean and add the softened goat cheese, cream cheese, sugar, rice flour, vanilla seeds, and salt. Mix on medium low until smooth and creamy, 2-3 minutes, scraping the bowl and paddle a few times. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on medium-low until combined and scraping the bowl and paddle well between each egg, then stir in the the ¼ cup sour cream.
- Pour the filling into the cooled crust and bake at 325ºF until gently puffed and mostly set when you give it a wiggle, 40-45 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Make the topping:
- While the cheesecake bakes, whisk together the 1 ½ cups sour cream, sugar, and vanilla. Gently spoon the sour cream mixture over the cheesecake, spread smooth, and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Remove the cheesecake and allow it to cool completely at room temperature, 1-2 hours, then chill until cold, 4 hours and up to 1 or 2 days.
Make the pears:
- In a large, heatproof measuring pitcher, pour the boiling water over the tea leaves and let steep 5 minutes. Strain the tea into a wide skillet with high sides, or another large pot. Add the sugar and vanilla pods and bring to a boil. Add the pears and lemon juice (the liquid should just cover the pears, but you can add more water if need be) and simmer the pears until just tender but still holding a shape, 8-12 minutes, turning the pears over halfway through. Remove the pears to a plate and simmer the poaching liquid until thick and syrupy, 10-20 minutes. Let cool. Cut the pears into chunks.
- To serve the cheesecake, release the edge of the springform pan and slide the cheesecake onto a platter or cutting board. Cut into slices with a large chef’s knife dipped in hot water and wiped clean between each cut. Serve slices topped with the poached pears, pomegranate arils, and a drizzle of poaching syrup. Extra cheesecake keeps well, refrigerated airtight, for up to several days (if you can make it last that long).
Notes
Nutrition
Trena says
My favorite holiday dessert is pumpkin pie with fresh whipped cream; a classic.
Malky says
Cannot wait to try this! My favorite holiday dessert is pecan pie always and forever :)
Julia says
My favorite holiday dessert is grashopper brownies. Fudgy brownies covered in minty creamy layer and chocolate ganache on top!
Hannah says
This sounds so delicious! One of my favorite holiday desserts is a Russian Honey Cake. It has tons of thin layers of cake with a caramel cream between them. It's the best :)
melissa @ treats with a twist says
It's incredibly simple, but I love my grandma's pumpkin pie. There's just nothing like it.
Rebecca says
gingerbread cookies are a for sure favorite this time of year!
Mary says
We love to make our great grandmother's recipe for molasses cookies....with one pecan centered on top!
Yvonne W says
This looks delicious! My favorite holiday desserts are the NYT's plum cake and a version of nigella lawson's chocolate pudding with pears.
Frances says
My favorite holiday dessert is warm apple crisp with fresh vanilla ice cream, all homemade. :)
Natalie says
I really like Napoleon cake. With vanilla pastry cream and condensed milk. Oh my.
Also your recipe is so creative!
Steph Harris says
Indian bread pudding is a holiday must!
Lucy says
This cheesecake looks so smooth, I can't wait to try it.
I've lived in the U.S. for a long time but I I I grew up in Australia, so I'm used to celebrating Christmas at one of the hotter parts of the year.
My favourite Christmas dessert is an ice cream my sister makes, freezing it in a star-shaped pan before turning it out, which combines the best parts of a Christmas pudding (brandy soaked mixed dried fruit; toasted, slivered almonds, and a little finely chopped dark chocolate) with a rich vanilla ice cream in place of the cakey part of a traditional Christmas pudding. She serves it with Mum's brandy sauce ands it's delicious.
Malavika Kesavan says
I love the flavor of cardamon and inevitably make something like a cardamon flavored buns around this time of year!
Maureen Sutherland Weiser says
OMG Alanna, that cheesecake is absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to make it! Heavenly! My favorite holiday dessert is buttermilk pie. The recipe was handed down to me by my amazing mother in law. I switched it up a little bit this year and used your amazing piecrust and it was even better than the original!
KitchenAid, Rodelle and Alternative Baker???!!! Yaasss!!!
Cheers,
Maureen
Kyra says
Mmmm this cheesecake recipe looks and sounds fantastic!
Pumpkin Pie is the classic holiday dessert I always look forward to, but variety and trying something new is fun. This year I made your Alternative Baker pie crust from scratch and Meyer Lemon Buttermilk Vanilla Bean pie, and it was the clear win at Thanksgiving! Just the right amount of yummy citrus flavor without being overly sweet, and the creamy buttermilk gave it a subtle and delicious rich flavor. Everyone loved it. Even the kids asked for seconds. I'm excited to add more of your recipes to my repertoire.
Alanna says
Aw! Thanks for trying my recipe - I'm so glad the pie was a hit! <3
Claire says
My grandmother's black walnut fudge is my favorite holiday treat. Simple yet not easy to make, my one attempt at her recipe is also my single biggest baking fail! (To date.)
Grace says
I love pumpkin pie and sweet potato pie. My friend made the Cook's Illustrated pumpkin pie recipe that you later adapted on your web site. It was fantastic and I'm going to make your version soon.
Rita says
I love this site. Your recipes are beautiful as well as delicious! My favorite holiday dessert has to be anything my kids help me bake. Cookies are always on top of the list!
Leila Gunning says
This looks absolutely divine as do all of your recipes! This year the favorite at our table for Thanksgiving was the gingersnap pumpkin spice pie (gf) and at Christmas I usually love having some type of trifle but I am a also a sucker for cheesecake and pie...I am not sure what I am making yet for Christmas (probably whatever is least time consuming while I chase after the 4 children under 4 I have at the moment!)
April says
This looks gorgeous and inspiring. Sharing recipes should be just that!! My favorite holiday desert is classic pumpkin pie, but i also love to make my daddy's chocolate oatmeal cookies for his recipe goes all into a cast iron skillet, combined and dumped on a dinner plate ♡ the hardest part is waiting!!!
Jackie says
My favorite holiday dessert is gingerbread cake with lemon- ginger glaze. I make it every year. Your cheesecake looks absolutely stunning and I am bookmarking it for my birthday!
Tracy says
Hey Alanna!
Making this for a party on Friday and wondering if it can be done successfully without a springform pan? If I froze it the night before and then did a waterbath to loosen it and tease it out. Or, I have a 8" springform and also small individual 4.5" springforms. But, oddly, and sadly, the 9" is missing from my arsenal. Please advise.
Tracy says
Scratch that. I just unearthed my pan from the depths of my upper cabinets. Sorry, I lose my mind when I'm hosting/cooking for a party. By the way, love your blog and your cookbook! I did some recipe testing for you and knew it would be a triumph.
Happy Solstice and New Year:)
Alanna says
Hi Tracy! Glad you found the pan! Please let me know how the cheesecake comes out. Thank you SO MUCH for your recipe testing help - I'm forever grateful!
Gina Paquet says
A new favorite: clementine cake (flourless)... truly amazing!
John says
My favorite holiday dessert, which is mostly served at Christmas time, is my great-great grandmother's plum pudding. While I can't make it exactly like she did, because I lack some of the fresh ingredients, the very process of making it reminds me of her and the stories of life in Ireland.
Gigi says
Could I use all cream cheese, instead of the goat cheese? I’m planning on subbing a few ingredients to make this dairy and refined sugar-free, and am hoping it turns out as uncompromised as possible! Gorgeous!!
Alanna says
You can absolutely use all cream cheese! Excited to hear what you try!