Mocha Swirl Cheesecake

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When you work in retail, you learn that there’s a love/hate relationship with the holidays. There’s an undeniable energy . . . and lots and lots of chaos. Last year, the stress of working during the holidays got the better of me. I was downright miserable and had absolutely no interest in decorating or celebrating much of anything. Josh had to force me to agree to even put our tree up. (I’m glad he did.)

This year is different though. Our first holiday as parents and possibly one of the very few seasons where Hayla still believes wholeheartedly in the magic of Santa is not something I’m taking lightly. So even though Black Friday was insane, I made a point of embracing it and enjoying the special activities of this time of year: we went to a holiday parade, ate way too much turkey, and baked special treats.

I really have to watch my sugar intake with my diabetes, which is even harder during the holidays. Even if you’re not monitoring your blood sugars, it’s hard to keep the sweet tooth in check. Did you know that the average woman consumes more than three times the recommended daily amount of sugar? Crazy, right?

I’ve tried practically every sweetener on the shelf, but SPLENDA® has always been my preference for baking because of how easy it is to swap with regular sugar, since it measures the same. You don’t have to be a math whiz to figure out how many little packets you need to equal a half cup.

I get enough stress from work . . . I don’t need it from my sweeteners too.

Plus, my mom gave me a SPLENDA® dessert cookbook a few years ago, so when we were down the baking aisle at Walmart getting Turkey-Day supplies, picking up a box between the pre-made mixes and the regular sugar was a no-brainer.

In exchange for not having to make another pumpkin pie this year, I let Josh decide which recipe we were making out of the dessert book. He practically needed a drool bib when he saw the photos for the Mocha Swirl Cheesecake.

The cheesecake starts out really simple: beat cream cheese and SPLENDA®, then add eggs, vanilla extract, a little cornstarch and sour cream.

What really makes it stand out is that you take a half a cup of your basic cheesecake batter and add hot chocolate mix and instant espresso crystals to make the swirls. Just make sure you mix it really well so everything dissolves or you’ll have crunchy cheesecake bits.

If you’re not a coffee fan, I’ve also made it with just hot cocoa mix and it’s awesome.

And no shame – I bought a pre-made chocolate wafer crust. I had to be at work by 5:30 am on Thanksgiving. Momma ain’t got time for all that.

The next step is to make 4 layers, alternating between the basic cheesecake batter and spoonfuls of the mocha batter, and then swirling the mocha batter with a spatula or the tip of a knife.

I think I overestimated how much a half cup was when I separated the batter and ended up with a marble look instead of the pretty swirls.

Pop that baby in a 325 degree oven for 40-60 minutes and you’re done. Try to let it cool completely (or overnight if possible).

Good luck with that part.

By swapping a single cup of regular sugar for an equal amount of SPLENDA®, you can cut as much as 600 calories out of your recipe. If you’re looking for ways to make more balanced choices about the amount of sugar you’re eating, check out the SPLENDA® SWEET SWAPS™ Initiative.

Mocha Swirl Cheesecake

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 20 mins

 

Serves: 1 10-inch cheesecake (16 slices)

Ingredients

• 1½ lbs low-fat cream cheese
• ¾ cup SPLENDA® Granular
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1¼ teaspoons instant espresso crystals
• 2 packets (.55 ounces) sugar-free instant cocoa mix
• 1 chocolate wafer crust (homemade or store bought)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat cream cheese and SPLENDA® Granular together until smooth. Add eggs, egg whites, cornstarch, and salt. Mix until smooth, add sour cream and vanilla.
2. Measure out ½ cup of batter into a small bowl. Add instant espresso and cocoa mix. Stir until dissolved.
3. Pour half of plain batter over crust. Place ½ of mocha batter in spoonfuls over plain batter and gently swirl with knife tip or spatula. Repeat layers and swirls.
4. Bake 45-60 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from oven and let cool for an hour before covering and placing in the fridge. Chill 6 hours or overnight before serving.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 slice Calories: 240 Fat: 14g

3.5.3208

What’s your favorite holiday treat?