How to Make a Low Fat Cheese Cake

Most everybody loves cheesecake! But oh, those calories and the fat content. Here is an easy way to make a low fat wonder.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Springform pan
• 2 wire mesh colanders
• 2 bowls large enough to fit colanders in with out them touching bottom of bowl
• paper towels or coffee filters
• 32 oz non fat or low fat plain yogurt
• Fat free or lowfat cookies
• 16 oz plain non fat or low fat yogurt
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup sugar or Splenda
• 1 TBLSP sugar or Splenda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• One wire cooling rack

1. 
   Non fat yogurt

   Set mesh colanders in large bowls. Line colanders with one layer of paper towels or coffee filters. Make sure that the colanders sit well above bottom of bowls. Pour 32 oz. yogurt into colander/bowl combination and let sit over night in refrigerator. This makes yogurt cheese, which will be the consistency of cream cheese, but with none of the fat and calories. Do the same with the 16 oz of yogurt, except let sit only 4 hours and you will get yogurt cheese the same consistency of sour cream.

2. 
   Yogurt cheese

   Use yogurt cheese like you would cream cheese and sour cream as follows:

3. 
   Homemade cheesecake

   Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Crumb cookies by putting them in a food processor, or crush them in a zip-lock plastic bag. Press crumbs into springform pan (usually found in kitchen specialty shops), making sure they come half way up the sides of the pan. Refrigerate while you mix the filling.

4. 
   Cheesecake wedges

   Mix 32 oz yogurt cheese, eggs, vanilla and sweetener together well. Pour into crust in springform pan. Bake 35 minutes.
   
   Meanwhile, make topping: Mix 16 oz thinner yogurt cheese, 1 tsp sweetner and 1 tsp vanilla together. Remove cheesecake from oven and spread topping evenly over top. Bake another 5 minutes.
   
   Cool cheesecake completely on wire rack, then refrigerate overnight.
   
   To serve, remove side of springform pan and cut cheesecake into wedges.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before beginning (yes, even the eggs).
• If cheesecake is not completely cooled on wire rack before going into the refrigerator, it will crack and split on top.