Let’s Talk Fruit (No Sugar Baker’s Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake)

Welcome back to my kitchen!

When I first got sick, The Hubs and I thought we were making the best choices. From bananas to grapes to apples with peanut butter, my snacks and lunch supplements had to be better than potato chips. Right? However, after eating grapes or an apple, I would find myself puking repeatedly. At that time, we knew something was not adding up. But, thought it was the flu………

Then, came along Doc Lopez. At first, he recommended an extremely strict no-fruit diet besides lemon and limes. I followed his recommendation like pepperoni on a pizza. After four months, he gave me the green light to try adding blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, or blackberries in moderation. A serving for me is about ¼ C.

Berries are rich in vitamin C, folic acid, fiber, and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals. Berries have less fructose than other fruits. The primary sugar found in fruit, fructose is metabolized by the liver and can bypass a rate-limiting enzyme that signals when cells have had too much sugar. The tricky part of fruit, for a diabetic, is that everyone responds to food, especially fructose differently. While I’m not able to eat apples, bananas, and grapes because these fruits cause my blood sugar to spike, you may be able to eat such fruits without any issue.

According to medical journals, generally, one serving of fruit equals about 15 grams of carbohydrates. Take a look at this list of what is one serving of typical fruit choices:
• 1 small piece (4 ounces) apple, orange, peach, pear, or plum
• 1/2 medium banana
• 2 small or 1 large tangerine (4 ounces total)
• 2 small (2 ounces each) kiwi
• 4 small (1 ounce each) apricots
• 1 cup of melon (cantaloupe, watermelon, or honeydew)
• 15 grapes or cherries
• 1/3 medium mango
• 1 1/4 cup strawberries
• 3/4 cup blueberries
• 1 cup raspberries or blackberries

For me, berries are my sole option for now and probably life. I feel like my baking goes along these lines. Blueberries. Raspberries. Strawberries. Repeat. Blueberries. Raspberries. Strawberries. Repeat.

This week, a social media memory pulled up on The Hubs’ account. He chuckled out loud and said look at two years ago. Then, The Hubs flashed the picture before my eyes—it was a pic of a chocolate, peanut butter cheesecake topped with peanut butter cups and melted chocolate. This cheesecake no doubt weighed five pounds and I made it for The Hubs, Em and our neighbors. “Oh….., how have times changed,” The Hubs said staring at the picture.

I wondered. What if……….I headed to the kitchen the next day this week.

Homerun! Winning! “This is your best dessert ever!” per one of my routine taste testers!

Who says you can’t make a tasty, delightful, no-sugar fruit-based cheesecake without losing flavor? Not I!

We’re on a roll. Life is sweet.
All this made with LOVE!

Jayne (aka The No Sugar Baker)

The No Sugar Baker’s Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake

Ingredients for Crust:

2 Cs. Almond Flour
½ C. Sliced Almonds
½ C. Swerve Granular
½ t. Salt
½ C. Butter Melted

Easy Directions: Combine all the ingredients. Place firmly in heavily greased or sprayed springform pan or round pan. Prick the top with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes at 325. Let cool.

Ingredients for Filling:

32 oz. Cream Cheese
1 C. Swerve Granular
3 T. Flour (I admit to using all-purpose flour, but almond or coconut flour can be used)
1 C. Sour Cream
¼ C. Lemon Juice
3 Eggs
3 Egg Yolks
1 Pint Fresh Blueberries
¼ C. Heavy Whipping Cream

Easy Directions:

In an electric mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and Swerve. Add in the flour and combine. Add in the sour cream, heavy whipping cream and lemon juice, combining until smooth. Add in one egg at a time, while continuing to mix. Do the same with the egg yolks. Fold in blueberries.

Pour mixture onto crust. Set aside. On a baking sheet or larger baking pan, fill the pan with a water bath, about enough water to do ½ to the top of the cheesecake pan. Place the cheesecake pan onto the water bath pan. Bake at 300 for 85 minutes. Do not open the oven! Set a timer and let it be! After the initial 85 minutes, turn off the oven and the leave the oven door closed for an additional 30 minutes. Set a timer and let it be.

After 30 minutes, crack the oven door slightly. And, let the cheesecake rest again for another 30 minutes. Set a timer and let it be. Remove the cheesecake and place just the cheesecake pan in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

I topped our cheesecake with an additional blueberry topping. In a small saucepan, I placed a pint of blueberries, ½ C. Swerve Granular and ½ C. water. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Let boil for 2-3 minutes. Add 2 T. corn starch and stir. Let sit. When serving cheesecake, add blueberry topping.

In addition, I topped our cheesecake with a whipped topping. Using my electric mixer, I mixed 1 C. heavy whipping cream with ½ C. Swerve Confectioner’s and beat until peaks.