I don't typically buy cake mixes, but sometimes I pick one up when I'm starting to crave some cheesecake bars (search to your right in the sidebar or above on the search page). So I've had this sugar free yellow cake mix sitting in my pantry and I've been wanting to make something with it but I just wasn't ever in the mood to make the cheesecake bars. Well, THREE times in the past week I have gone to the cupboard and taken out the mix and hemmed and hawed and tried to decide what I was "in the mood for" to make out of it. I never did make anything out of it and put it back every time. Sigh.
Yesterday I opened the refrigerator and saw some food items I wanted to 'use up' before going grocery shopping today. I had some heavy cream, half and half, a small container of cream I had already whipped into whipping cream and sweetened, as well as that cake mix. Well helloooo? Just looking at those ingredients my brain said, "DUH! CHEESECAKE!" and with birthday cake 'truffles' dancing in my head, the two swirled around each other just long enough for me to say "Birthday Cake Cheesecake!" SUGAR FREE and low carb.
Of course no one else has to make it sugar free if they don't want to.
Use regular sugar, a regular cake mix and put a regular graham cracker or sugar cookie crust on this baby and you've got it made.
I wasn't going to use any crust at all (crustless cheesecakes are no big deal with you are used to eating sugar free and/or low carb) but I remembered I had some of my sugar free, low carb 'sugar' cookies in the deep freezer just hanging out waiting for a use; 15 cookies later they were in the food processor and boom! We have a crust. I will put my sugar free 'sugar' cookie recipe at the bottom of this post if you've missed it the couple of times I've posted it.
I had 2 pieces of this last night.
And another 2 today.
My husband better hurry and eat a bunch of it tonight or I swear, I'm going to have another 2 pieces tomorrow and the next day until it's gone. (And then probably make another since I still have 2/3 of the cake mix left!)
Amounts don't completely matter! As I said, I made this to use up some ingredients in the refrigerator. I'm putting down the approximate amounts but if you use a little more, a little less; it won't matter. Taste test if you want.
Sugar Free Birthday Cake Cheesecake
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, soft
2/3 c sweetener of choice (I used Ideal mixed with Truvia and guessed at the amount)
1/4 t Lorann Princess Cake flavoring
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 1/2 c heavy cream
3/4 c dry cake mix from the package
1/2 c half and half or milk
sprinkles (these have sugar in them but you don't have to use many if you don't want to or you could make sugar free)
Crust if you wish to use one or make one
If
you are using crust, whirl your graham crackers or about 12-15 cookies
of your choice in a food processor to get about a cup of crumbs. I did
not want to take the time to make a hard crust so I just dumped them
into the pan knowing they would stay crumbs, which I was fine with. You
can add 2 T butter to yours, and bake at 350 about 10 minutes and let
cool before adding the cheesecake filling if you wish.
In a mixing bowl beat the cream cheese with the sweetener and the princess flavoring and vanilla until smooth. Scrape down the bowl. Add a bit of the whipping cream and start the mixer on low (trying to cut down on splatters). Keep pouring in the rest of the cream and half and half. Then increase the speed to a medium/high like you usually use to whip. Within about 1 minute it should be whipped to stiff peaks. Add the cake mix and mix on low just until blended. I just dumped some in - going to guess it was about 3/4 cup-ish. One cake mix can make about 3 of these cheesecakes. Save the rest of the dry mix for another time.
At this point mine got really thick so I used about 1/3 c half and half to thin it out just a little bit. Use your half and half or milk for this purpose if it's super thick, to get it to a nice thick batter more like stiff peak whipped cream. Mix in some sprinkles if you wish at this point to make it rainbow sprinkled all the way through or you can leave it white and put the sprinkles only on top. Up to you!
Brainstorming what I could make with some leftovers from the refrigerator to use up and a cake mix.
I decided to use some low carb, sugar free cookies I had in the deep freezer for a quick crumb crust. Recipe down below if you wish or use whatever graham crackers or cookies you wish!
Whipped cream and cream cheese before adding the cake mix.
Scoopable... not a real thick batter but not thin or pourable either. "Scoopable" and "spreadable" is about right.
Here comes the pretties!
Scoop into the springform pan (I didn't spray mine and it came out perfectly after freezing/chilling).
Ready to add the rest of the pretties on top and then chill.
I wanted it to be set up in time for dinner in a few hours so I put it in the freezer for about 2 hours. It went into the refrigerator after that. Set up beautifully.
YES I AM SHOWING YOU MY FOOD AS I AM EATING IT.
Because... yes it was that good.
This is the LorAnn Princess Cake flavor I mentioned above; I ordered mine from Amazon quite a while ago. It's an emulsion, not a watery liquid so you use a little less (I only use about 1/4 teaspoon instead of the normal 1 t I'd use of any other flavoring). It's a mixture of almond, vanilla and lemon I think. It's just so good and tastes to me like what white 'bakery' cakes taste like.
Lorann Oils Bakery Emulsions Natural and Artificial Flavor, 4-Ounce, Princess Cake and Cookie3 different styles affordable Springform Pans available through Amazon;
Wilton Excelle Elite 6 x 2-3/4 Inch Springform Pan
Nordic Ware Leakproof Springform Pan, 10 Cup, 9 Inch
Norpro Nonstick 3 Piece Springform Cake Cheesecake Tart Quiche Pan Set New 3903
Reposting this here just because it's the cookie I had in the freezer and used about 14 or 15 of them to make a crumb crust for the cheesecake.
If you can, make these a day ahead of time. I found the taste improved even more after I stored the finished cookies in the refrigerator all night.
A wheat free, sugar free 'sugar' cookie!
1/4 c butter
1/4 c cream cheese
1/3 c Ideal baking sweetener
2 T Just Like Sugar baking sweetener
1 egg, beaten
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 c coconut flour (scant)
1 3/4 c almond flour
1 scoop vanilla whey powder
1/4 t xanthan gum
Cream the butter and cream cheese with the sweeteners and vanilla. Add half of the beaten egg. Beat in the dry ingredients. Chill in the refrigerator. Preheat your oven to 350. Roll the dough between parchment paper dusted with a bit of vanilla protein powder or coconut flour. Cut out shapes. The dough is delicate so carefully transfer to your baking sheet. I used a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake about 12 minutes until the edges are turning golden brown. Carefully flip each cookie over and continue to bake an additional 3-4 minutes until the cookie is more firm and golden on the second side. After cooling for 2-3 minutes on the pan, remove to a wire rack so they can cool completely. Frost with your favorite sugar free frosting.
You might also be interested in;
Ideal No Calorie Sweetener 10.6 Ounce Baking Bag (Pack of 2)
Ideal Brown No Calorie Sweetener, 10.6 oz.
Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Flour (Gluten Free), 16 Ounce Canister
Natural Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
