Adapted from a recipe in Fine Cooking, this sumptuous gluten-free cheesecake is wonderfully rich but not too sweet.
Ingredients
- COOKIE CRUMB CRUST
- 7½ ounces gluten-free graham crackers, such as Schär, to make 2 cups of crumbs
- 3 tablespoons (1½ ounces) white sugar
- 1 tablespoon (½ ounce) unsweetened cocoa
- ¾ stick (3 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
- 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese
- 1 8-ounce tub mascarpone, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) potato starch
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- ⅔ cup (5 ounces) white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 teaspoons instant coffee granules
- 2 tablespoons dark rum
- 4 large eggs, lightly mixed with a fork, at room temperature
- Unsweetened cocoa, for dusting
Directions
Heat the oven to 375° F. Set out an 8- or 9-inch diameter springform pan and line the base with parchment paper.
To make the crumb crust, break up the crackers and pulse in a food processor until ground to coarse crumbs. Add the sugar, cocoa and melted butter, and process just until the crumbs are evenly moist and start clumping. Transfer to the pan and press evenly over the base and 2 inches up the sides. Bake until firm, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool completely.
This can be made a day ahead: When ready to bake, heat the oven to 300° F. Place a shallow pan of water on the lowest shelf. The steam will help to prevent the cheesecake surface from cracking.
To make the filling, cut the cream cheese into 1-inch squares and drop into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the mascarpone, potato starch and salt. Install the flat paddle and beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl and paddle if necessary, until fluffy and free from any lumps.
Beat in the sugar. In a very small bowl, dissolve the coffee granules in the rum and add it and the vanilla to the mixing bowl and beat in. Add the eggs one third at a time, beating just long enough to incorporate. Don’t overbeat the eggs as too much air could compromise the texture.
Pour the filling into the crust and smooth the top. Bake until the sides look set, but the center jiggles and still looks moist, about 55 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the cake in the oven for 10 minutes with the door slightly ajar. Place the pan on a rack, carefully loosen the sides of the cheesecake with a knife blade, and let cool completely in the pan. Refrigerate overnight or for up to three days, covered.
To top, undo the sides of the pan and slide a large, thin metal spatula or the removable base from a quiche pan under the bottom crust. Transfer to a flat plate and sift a layer of cocoa over the surface.
To serve, heat a thin-bladed knife under hot water, wipe dry and cut into slices, heating and wiping the blade between cuts.
Nutrition Analysis: 510 cal, 40 g fat, 165 mg chol, 320 mg sodium, 31 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 21 g sugar, 8 g protein.
Recipes © copyright 2015 by Jacqueline Mallorca.
The author of more than a dozen cookbooks, Gluten-Free Living Food Editor Jacqueline Mallorca has written titles including The Wheat-Free Cook and Gluten-Free Italian.
