Allergy Friendly Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Squares
Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Squares
Rich, decadent and flavorful, this hybrid dessert takes dairy-free indulgence to a whole new level. Thank you, Daiya, you’ve made the world a better place with your vegan dairy-free cheeses!
Makes 16 squares
Free From: gluten and all top allergens
Chocolate Layer Ingredients
½ cup + 4 tbsp dairy-free milk alternative (such as rice milk), divided
1½ tsp powdered egg replacer (such as Ener-G)
1¼ cups my Basic Gluten-Free Flour Mix or Authentic Foods GF Classical Blend
1¼ cups sugar
½ cup + 2 tbsp cocoa powder
1¼ tsp baking soda
⅝ tsp double-acting baking powder
⅝ tsp salt
½ tsp xanthan gum
½ cup + 2 tbsp warm water
¼ cup + 1 tbsp canola oil
¾ tsp vanilla extract
Cherry Cheesecake Layer Ingredients
2 tbsp dairy-free milk alternative (such as rice milk)
1½ tsp powdered egg replacer (such as Ener-G)
4 oz dairy-free, soy-free plain cream cheese alternative (such as Daiya)
2 tbsp dairy-free soy-free vegetable shortening
2 tbsp + 2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp my Basic Gluten-Free Flour Mix or Authentic Foods GF Classical Blend
⅜ tsp vanilla extract
1¼ cups cherry pie filling
Chocolate Drizzle
¼ cup allergen-free semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp dairy-free soy-free vegetable shortening
1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 9-inch baking pan with foil, extending ends over sides of pan and lightly grease.
2. For chocolate layer, whisk together 2 tablespoons milk alternative and egg replacer in a small bowl, until frothy.
3. In bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, whisk together flour blend, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt and xanthan gum.
4. Add remaining ½ cup + 2 tablespoons milk alternative, warm water, oil, vanilla and egg replacer and beat on medium-low speed until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
5. Transfer batter to foil-lined pan. Bake 25 minutes.
6. For cherry cheesecake layer, whisk together milk alternative and egg replacer in a small bowl, until frothy.
7. In bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese alternative and shortening on medium speed until smooth. Mix in sugar and flour. Add egg replacer and vanilla and beat on medium speed until creamy and slightly fluffy.
8. When chocolate layer has baked 25 minutes, remove from oven and immediately spoon cheesecake mixture and cherry pie filling over top, alternating heaping tablespoons of each in a checkerboard pattern. Use a spoon to swirl together until marbled, leaving a little chocolate visible around edge of cake.
8. Bake 35 minutes, until chocolate layer starts to pull away from pan sides and filling edges are puffed and set. The center will still jiggle slightly.
9. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Transfer to refrigerator and chill at least 4 hours.
10. Grab edges of foil on both sides and lift cake out of pan. Cut into squares, wiping the knife blade clean after each cut. Transfer squares to individual cupcake liners.
11. For chocolate drizzle, place chocolate chips and shortening in a small microwave safe bowl and microwave on high 30 seconds. Vigorously stir. If not melted, microwave on high 30 seconds. Vigorously stir until smooth. Drizzle over squares and let stand 5 minutes. Serve immediately or store tightly covered in refrigerator up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.
Allergy-Friendly Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Squares © 2014 by Cybele Pascal
This recipe first appeared in the Fall 2014 issue of Allergic Living Magazine
Allergy Free Banana Chocolate Swirl Bread
Allergy-Free Banana Chocolate Swirl Bread
(Vegan and Refined Sugar-free)
Not your momma’s fruitcake, this quick bread is chock-full of natural kid-pleasers like chocolate, bananas, and honey. It’s also gluten-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free. We eat it for breakfast toasted with Earth Balance buttery spread, with tea, and of course, for dessert.
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate or ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (dairy and soy-free)
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup honey (or agave nectar)
3 ripe medium-sized bananas (1 ¼ cups mashed)
2 Tablespoons flax seed meal mixed with 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons hot water (“flax eggs”)
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups my Basic Gluten-Free Flour Mix or Authentic Foods GF Classical Blend
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons double acting baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Chop chocolate into pieces the size of an almond or smaller, and set aside in a microwave safe bowl.
3. Use an electric mixer to combine canola oil and honey on medium speed. Mash the bananas, add to bowl, and blend thoroughly. Add “flax eggs”, lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour mix (to measure flour, use a large spoon to scoop flour into the measuring cup, then level it off with the back of a knife or straightedge), xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet, and mix until combined.
5. Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, at 30-second increments, stirring between each with a wooden spoon. Do not overheat the chocolate as it burns very easily. Once melted, scoop out 1½ cups of batter and mix thoroughly into the melted chocolate.
6. Oil a 9×5-inch loaf pan and dust with a little flour. Spoon the batters into the loaf pan in two layers, alternating spoonfuls of banana and chocolate to simulate a checkerboard. To create swirls, run a knife or skewer through the batters in a swirling motion. Bake 60 to 70 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. To test for doneness, insert a skewer into the center of the bread. It should come out clean (perhaps with a little melted chocolate). Let cool in pan on a rack for 30 minutes. Then invert onto rack, flip and let cool completely before slicing.
Allergy-Free Banana Chocolate Swirl Bread © 2014 by Cybele Pascal
Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Chunk Blondies
I was so excited when Enjoy Life came out with their Semi Sweet Mega Chunks and newish line of chocolate bars, I literally jumped for joy. I was already a huge fan of their chocolate chips, and now they’ve given me a whole new genre of chocolate to bake with. These chocolate chunk cookie bars are an old-fashioned picnic or school function favorite. So easy and yet sooooo good!
Chocolate Chunk Blondie Bars
makes 16 bars
2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons Authentic Foods GF Classical Blend or my Basic Gluten-Free Flour Mix
1/2 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
11/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dairy-free, soy-free vegetable shortening
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
11/2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer mixed with 2 tablespoons rice milk
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon rice milk
6 ounces Enjoy Life Chocolate Chunks or Enjoy Life Rice Milk bars or Dark Chocolate Boom Choco Boom bars (about 4 bars), chopped into centimeter-size chunks
♥♥♥
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 by 9-inch pan.
2. Whisk together the flour mix, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the shortening, granulated sugar, and brown sugar, beating on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the vanilla and egg replacer and mix for 20 seconds.
5. Add the flour mix in three batches, mixing on low speed, alternating with the rice milk, and beginning and ending with the flour mix.
6. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
7. Spread the batter evenly across the bottom of the baking pan.
8. Bake in the center of the oven for 35 minutes, or until lightly golden, rotating the pan halfway through.
9. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on a cooling rack for about 15 minutes. Cut into 16 squares. Let cool.
Reprinted with permission from The Allergen-Free Baker’s Handbook: How to Bake Without Gluten, Wheat, Dairy, Eggs, Soy, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, and Sesame. Copyright © 2009 by Cybele Pascal, Celestial Arts, an imprint of Ten Speed Press, a division of the Crown Publishing Group, Berkeley, CA.