This delicious Low Fat Cheesecake will satisfy your sweet tooth without ruining your good intentions! Made with Quark cheese and topped with fresh fruit it makes a perfect healthy dessert.
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Recipe originally published in March 2016 and updated in February 2019.
Week four of my weight loss journey and I have been enjoying more delicious food than ever, mainly because I make everything from scratch.
But as the weeks went by I started craving sweet treats rather ferociously. This week in particular I have found myself reaching for the chocolate and dreaming of cakes!
Thankfully this Low Fat Cheesecake has come to the rescue – it is delicious a mere 175 calories and only 4 WeightWatchers SmartPoints so you can treat yourselves guilt-free 🙂
Take a look at the video and step by step instructions to see how to make a slimming friendly low calorie cheesecake!
What is quark?
Quark is a type of fresh acid-set cheese – it is very popular in German cooking as you can see in my Quick and Easy Stollen Bites!
Quark has a very mild flavour and texture like ricotta but is very low in fat. You can now find tubs of flavoured quark, such as vanilla or strawberry.
You can use it in both sweet and savoury recipes and currently I always have a pack or two in the fridge along with cottage cheese.
Low Fat Cheesecake? Say What?
This cheesecake is a variation of Italian ricotta cheesecake using quark cheese in place of the ricotta and sweetener (Sukrin Gold) instead of sugar.
This cheesecake has no crust – it’s a bit of a cross between cheesecake and soufflé. Unlike most baked cheesecakes it doesn’t require a water bath which makes it much easier to handle.
It has very light and fluffy texture, unlike traditional baked cheesecakes which can be quite dense. It contains a tiny amount of flour which can be gluten free if preferred.
Delicious served with fresh berries or blood orange wedges. If you are feeling fancy you could drizzle with a little Grand Marnier, but I found a little blood orange juice added a splash of colour and hint of tangy sweetness that went perfectly with the light taste of the cheesecake.
HOW TO MAKE LOW FAT CHEESECAKE
Take a look at this step by step tutorial – please note you will find the full recipe, including ingredients in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Step 1. Spray an 18cm (7in) springform cake tin with cake release or use Fry light. Line the base with baking paper and spray again.
Step 2. Put the cheese, egg yolks, sweetener, vanilla, flour and orange zest in a bowl and mix together with a hand whisk until smooth.
Step 3. Use a stand or hand mixer to whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until you have soft peaks. Make sure the bowl and beaters are clean and free of grease otherwise your eggs will not froth up. Continue whisking at high until you have firm peaks.
Step 4. Add one third of the meringue into the cheese mixture to loosen it. Fold the rest of the egg whites very gently trying not to knock all the air out.
Step 5. Transfer into the prepared tin and bake for about an hour until risen and golden. Leave to cool in the tin – the cheesecake will deflate slightly and sink in the centre. Chill for a couple or hours or overnight.
Step 6. Top the cheesecake with fresh berries or citrus slices. Drizzle a little blood orange juice over the slices as you serve them, if you like.
Recipe Tips and Troubleshooting
- Always whisk egg whites in a spotlessly clean bowl – ideally a metal or glass one as plastic can hold on to grease which will prevent the egg whites from frothing up. Start by whisking the eggs on medium-low speed until small bubbles form then increase the speed until you have firm peaks.
- You can use granulated sweetener (my favourite is Sukrin Gold) or sugar in this recipe. If you use another granulated sweetener make sure it can replace sugar at a 1:1 ratio.
- This cheesecake has a tendency to colour quite rapidly in the oven. Don’t tent it with foil! It will puff up and stick to it ruining all your work. Put a shelf well above the cheesecake (allowing plenty of room for it to rise) and place a tray or some foil there to prevent it from browning too much.
- The cheesecake will puff up in the oven like a soufflé but it will deflate slightly once out of the oven. This is normal – the recipe contains very little flour and relies on the egg whites to rise.
Popular Cheesecake Recipes!
HAVE YOU MADE MY LOW FAT CHEESECAKE? Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes. I can’t wait to see your take on it!
Low Fat Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 345 g | 12oz quark cheese or ricotta
- 6 ½ tbsp Sukrin Gold or other granulated sweetener or sugar
- 2 tbsp plain flour Gluten-Free if preferred
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
- 1 orange zest only
- 3 eggs separated
- pinch salt
- 3 oranges or fresh berries to decorate
- 1 tbsp pomegranate seeds optional
- 2 tbsp blood orange juice to drizzle optional
- icing sugar to dust optional
- rosemary or mint to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C | 350 F. Spray a 18cm (7in) springform cake tin with cake release or Fry Light. Line the base with baking paper and spray again.
- Put the quark cheese, egg yolks, flour, sweetener, vanilla extract and orange zest in a bowl and mix together with a hand whisk until smooth.
- In a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until you have soft peaks. Continue whisking at high speed until you have firm peaks, 4-5 minutes.
- Add one third of the meringue into the cheese mixture to loosen it. Fold the rest of the egg whites gently trying not to knock all the air out.
- Transfer into the prepared tin and bake for about an hour until risen and golden.
- Leave to cool in the tin – the cheesecake will deflate slightly and sink in the centre. Chill for a couple or hours or overnight.
- Top the cheesecake with fresh berries and dust with a little icing sugar or decorate with blood orange slices. Drizzle a little blood orange juice over the slices as you serve them if you like.
Video
Notes
- Always whisk egg whites in a spotlessly clean bowl – ideally a metal or glass one as plastic can hold on to grease which will prevent the egg whites from frothing up.
- Start by whisking the eggs on medium-low speed until small bubbles form then increase the speed until you have firm peaks.
- You can use granulated sweetener (my favourite is Sukrin Gold) or sugar in this recipe.
- You can use ricotta instead of quark cheese if you are not on a diet!
- The cheesecake has a tendency to colour quite rapidly in the oven. Don’t tent it with foil! It will puff up and stick to it ruining all your work. Put a shelf well above the cheesecake (allowing plenty of room for it to rise) and place a tray or some foil there to prevent it from browning too much.
- The cheesecake will puff up in the oven like a souffle but it will deflate slightly once out of the oven. This is normal – the recipe contains very little flour and relies on the egg whites to rise.
- Decorate with fresh fruit just before serving. If you are using oranges, cut the peel and pith off before slicing thinly.
Liz Crookston says
WOW i made this for a taster session at my SW class and it was absolutely lovely , came home with an empty plate and everyone said how good it was , i have a fan oven so reduced the temp to 160 and left in for another 5/6 minutes and it was great
Lucy Parissi says
Oh it’s such a compliment that everyone enjoyed it! Thanks so much for the comment Liz ❤️
The_Eagle says
Absolutely amazing cheesecake. Made it many times – always disappears within hours here 🙂
Lucy Parissi says
Glad to hear it!!
Dawn says
How can it be given 5 stars when no-one has tried it yet?
Lucy Parissi says
Hi Dawn, the recipe was published a few years ago it was recently updated
Jill's Mad About Macarons says
Thanks for the recipe, Lucy. This looks super – now I just need to get my hands on quark and try it. What gorgeous photos! Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve seen it in Paris but will now be paying more attention. If not, it will have to be ricotta…
Lucy Parissi says
Ricotta will work just as well and the cheesecake will be a bit richer as a result!
Jennifer | Savor With Jennifer says
I’m super excited to find your recipe! This looks PERFECT for my sweet craving fix without all the guilt. Can’t wait!
SHASHI AT SAVORYSPIN says
my first time hearing of Quark – and wow – love how it makes for a diet friendly cheesecake! Love your idea of serving it with gorgeous blood oranges!
Mike Hultquist says
Yes! My wife and I LOVE cheesecake, but limit ourselves because of the calories. This is exactly what we both need. Awesome recipe!
rebecca says
what a gorgeous cheesecake! It looks delicious too