Today is International Children’s Day and in honor of it I decided to share the recipe the child within me loves the most. This gluten free cranberry mascarpone cheesecake is as delicious to the taste buds as it is to the eyes. It is aromatic, sweet, tangy, and most of all, very creamy. And best of all, you can make it year-round since you don’t need any out of season ingredients.
I made the cake base gluten free by using oat flour instead of regular flour. I prefer it over wheat flour because it is way higher in nutrients like protein, fiber, and iron. It is gluten free, which is great for those who can’t tolerate gluten, and it tastes like regular flour. Especially when you add chocolate to the batter.
I chose to use melted chocolate instead of cocoa powder in the batter for two reasons. Firstly, goods baked with cocoa powder tend to come out a little dry. Secondly, it can taste a little overpowering (and perhaps too bitter) for some people, especially children.
For baking this cake I used a cake pan of 23 cm (9 inch) diameter. This gave me a cake that was thick enough that I could cut it in half but thin enough for a nice cake-cream ratio.
For the cheese filling I chose to use mascarpone cheese. I did so because mascarpone has a thicker body than cream cheese and thus it does not require baking. It can easily support a layer of cake on top of it without sliding out of place. However, make sure you allow the cake to fully cool before spreading the cheese filling over it.
This recipe calls for vanillated sugar. You can find it in most grocery stores that carry European products as well as online. I like using it instead of vanilla extract in recipes where I’m trying to minimize the quantity of liquids added. You may substitute vanilla paste if you have it.
For making the cranberry compote you can use either fresh or frozen cranberries. I used frozen ones that I let thaw before using them. The texture does not matter since you will cook them anyways. After making the compote, drain the juice into another bowl and save it. You will need it later for making the glaze.
See more cake recipes here.
And finally, here’s the recipe for the gluten free cranberry mascarpone cheesecake:
Gluten Free Cranberry Mascarpone Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the cake batter:
- 1 ¼ cups (125 g/ 4 ½ oz.) oat flour
- 1 stick (115 g/ 4 oz.) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 g/ 5 ¼ oz.) granulated sugar
- 130 g (4 ½ oz.) semi-sweet chocolate
- 1 tbsp. vanillated sugar
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter for greasing the baking pan
- 2-3 tbsp. oat flour, for dusting the baking pan
For the mascarpone cream filling:
- 1 ½ cups (360 g/ 12 ½ oz.) mascarpone cheese
- 1 cup (240 g/ 8 ½ fl. oz.) whipping cream (35% fat content)
- ½ cup (60 g/ 2 oz.) icing sugar
- 2 tbsp. vanillated sugar
For the cranberry compote:
- 1 ½ cups cranberries
- ½ cup (100 g/ 3 ½ oz.) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (80 ml/ 2 ¾ fl. oz.) water
For the glaze:
- 1 ½ cups (180 g/ 6 ⅓ oz.) icing sugar
- 4-5 tbsp. juice from the cranberry compote made earlier
Optional:
- whipped cream for serving
Instructions
For the cranberry compote:
- In a small pan over low-medium heat place the water, sugar, and cranberries. Let them simmer for approximately 30 minutes. Drain the juice (save it for later) from the cranberries and let them cool.
For the cake batter:
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie. Once melted, set aside to cool a little. Separate the eggs, placing the yolks in a small bowl and the whites in a large bowl.
- In another large bowl place, the butter, ½ cup (100 g/ 3 ½ oz.) sugar and whisk them until you reach a light, fluffy consistency. Add the vanillated sugar, the salt, and the egg yolks one by one, whisking after each yolk you add. Gently pour the melted cooled chocolate, while you are whisking continuously.
- Beat the egg whites to a soft peak. Slowly add the remaining sugar, while continuously beating the whites. Beat to a stiff peak. Gently add the whites to the butter-yolk mixture. Add the flour, and with a spatula slowly fold it in.
- Grease a cake pan with butter. Dust with oat flour and shake the pan to evenly distribute the flour. Remove any excess flour. Pour the batter and bake for 35-40 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the center. If the tooth pick comes out clean, the cake has fully baked and is ready to be removed from the oven. Let it cool 2-3 minutes in the cake pan, then invert it onto a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely. Once completely cooled, cut it in half lengthwise.
For the mascarpone cream filling:
- In a bowl beat the mascarpone with the icing sugar until it becomes creamy and smooth. Add the vanillated sugar and mix. In another bowl whip the cream to a stiff peak. Gently fold the whipped cream into the creamy mascarpone.
For the glaze:
- In a small bowl, place the icing sugar and the 4 tbsp. of the compote juice prepared earlier. Mix until the sugar is well dissolved and the glaze is smooth.
For the cake assembly:
- Over the bottom half of the cake, spread one layer of mascarpone filling. Add the cranberry compote, then spread another layer of mascarpone cream over them. Place the second half of the cake and pour glaze over the surface.
Optional:
- Serve with whipped cream.
