Decadently Healthy Chestnut and Hazelnut Cheesecake… or what I had for breakfast this week!

Can you think of anything better than a nice, thick slice of creamy, silky smooth cheesecake for breakfast?

I don’t think I can. Especially if said cheesecake doesn’t leave me feeling guilty in the least.

Honestly, if you were to ask me what my ultimate favorite dessert is, I think I would have to answer cheesecake. To me, eating cheesecake is more than just about taste. It’s a complete physical and sensory experience. I’d even say that there’s something almost sensual about it.

And frankly, this cheesecake right here is very well worthy of the above description. In fact, I don’t think that I will need to say much at all to convince you that this cheesecake is absolutely decadent.

Just feast your eyes… a picture is worth a thousand words, isn’t that what they say?

What you might have a hard time believing, though, is that it is in fact also good for you!

I even started doubting that myself, so just for the hell of it, I went ahead and analyzed the recipe for a conventional New York Style Cheesecake.

The results absolutely shocked me! So much so, I felt the need to share.

Check this out!

Note that both servings are very similar in size (mine is even a little bit more generous even though both are based on 12 servings per cake)but look at the difference between the 2 of them… it’s plain unbelievable!

You’re talking almost double the amount of calories in the conventional cake: 815 for this guy vs 448 for my healthified version.

Whoa! Wait a minute here and hold the phone, will ya? 815 calories for one single slice and this is supposed to be dessert?!?! As in an actual addition to a meal that’s just been consumed?

Oopsie Doopsie Missis Daisy!

Based on a 2000 calorie diet, that would be 40% of your daily allowance right there. Yikes! Hopefully, the preamble was awfully light… as will be the rest of the nourishment for the day!

As if that alone weren’t enough, take a look at the saturated fat figures: 36.1 grams vs 7.9! Unreal! Just one slice and you’ve busted almost 2 days worth of your daily allowance with the first guy!

Sugar contents is just as insane: 44.4g to 22.8g. That’s, again, twice as much. PLUS, that doesn’t even take into account the fact that all the sugar in my cake comes from natural sources…

Sheesh! At that rate, I’d much rather have 2 slices of mine! 😉

Now if we take a look at the good stuff, you’ll see that my version offers a really decent amount of dietary fiber, which is almost non-existent in the conventional cake, as well as a hefty dose of protein, more than twice as much as the other guy.

And for those of you who are watching their carb intake, note that my healthified cake is much easier on you in that department too!

Now I’m not saying that my cake is the ultimatest healthiestest meal on the planet. I’m saying that I think it’s healthy enough to be had for breakfast, though, and that it WILL satisfy and support you all the way to your next meal!

Granted, it lacks a little bit in the fruits and veggie department, so you can’t really call this a “complete breakfast”, but hey… just make sure you have a little bit more veggies for lunch or dinner, ok?

At least until I find a way to sneak a decent portion of spinach into that cheesecake! 😉

And hey, there’s no rules against having this for dessert either, you know…

Just sayin’ 😉

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Decadently Healthy Chestnut and Hazelnut Cheesecake

Servings: 12

Ingredients

For the crust

• ¾ cup spelt flour
• ½ cup wheat germ
• 75 g toasted hazelnuts, toasted and crushed
• 75 g roasted and peeled chestnuts, coarsely chopped
• ¼ cup date paste
• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ¼ tsp Himalayan or fine sea salt

For the Cheese Filling

• 500 g 1% cottage cheese
• 500 g fat free plain Greek Yogurt
• 500 g reduced fat cream cheese, softened (at room temperature)
• 1½ cup unsweetened chestnut puree
• ¼ cup all natural hazelnut butter
• ¾ cup date paste
• 3 large eggs
• ¼ cup egg whites
• The juice of one lime
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 heaping tablespoons arrowroot flour

For the High Protein Chestnut Frosting

• ¼ cup fat free plain Greek Yogurt
• ¼ cup all natural hazelnut butter
• ¼ cup unsweetened chestnut puree
• ¼ cup date paste
• 2 tbsp pasteurized egg whites
• 3 scoops vanilla flavored whey protein powder

To make the "spider web"

• 2 tbsp fat free plain Greek Yogurt
• 2 tbsp milk or pasteurized egg whites

Instructions

For the crust

• Preheat oven to 325F. Brush a little bit of olive oil on the bottom and sides of a 9” spring form pan.
• Combine all the ingredients for the crust in the bowl of your food processor and process on pulse until well combined. The mixture should hold together when squeezed firmly.
• If you feel a little bit more moisture is needed, add a little bit more applesauce, one tablespoon at a time, until desired texture is achieved.
• Transfer to reserved baking pan and press firmly to the bottom and halfway up the sides to form a crust. Set aside.

For the Chestnut Hazelnut Cheese Filling

• In the bowl of your food processor, add cottage cheese, date paste, hazelnut butter and chestnut puree and process until smooth. Add cream cheese and yogurt and again, process until smooth.
• Add eggs, one at a time, giving the mixture a quick spin between each addition, then add egg whites, lime juice and vanilla extract. Sprinkle arrowroot over batter and resume processing until well blended.
• Pour batter over reserved crust, tap the sides gently to remove any potential air bubbles then delicately place your cake on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 60 minutes.
• When cake is finished baking, turn off the heat, crack the oven door open and leave the cake in to cool for a couple of hours.
• Remove cake from the oven and let it cool to room temperature before frosting.

For the High Protein Chestnut Hazelnut Frosting

• Add all the ingredients to the bowl of your food processor and process until smooth and creamy.
• Pour over cake and spread evenly with a spatula all the way to the edge, while trying to avoid as much as possible any contact between the pan and the icing.
• In a small mixing bowl, mix yogurt and milk or pasteurized egg whites until well combined. Transfer that to a small squeeze bottle and with it, draw a nice spiral on top of the icing.
• With a toothpick, trace lines across that spiral going from center to the edge and from the edge to the center, alternating between both directions.
• Place the cake in the refrigerator to chill completely, at least 6 hours but preferably overnight. Carefully remove cake from the pan and garnish with crushed toasted hazelnuts and a beautiful fanned strawberry, if desired.
• For easier cutting, dip your blade in hot water and wipe it dry before each cut.
  

Author: Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

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Ready for a little bit of porn?

Sorry, couldn’t help it… so here goes!

Press the crust on the bottom and halfway up the side of the pan

Pour the deliciously, thick, rich and yummy batter

Pour, pour, pour… 

Pour some more… 

All done, it already looks good. Do we really need to bake this? 

You need to get your hands on these! They’re such a time (and finger!) saver, and they’re very good too! 

Make sure you get the pure, UNSWEETENED Chestnut Puree

All dressed up and ready to go

Direct view from above… OMG, I’m dying! 

Breakfast is served! 

Quick, gimme a fork… 

What a thing of beauty… admiring my breakfast one more time before I dig in… 

Creamy enough for you? 

Don’t look for me now… I’ve just lost consciousness!