Deliciously creamy and decadent, these cheesecake squares are the perfect dessert for your upcoming holiday feast or gathering. And the nut crust made with pecans and almond flour means it’s not only delightfully nutty – it’s also gluten free!
Makes: 24 squares
Prep time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Resting time: overnight
Ingredients:
Crust:
- 1½ cups whole pecans
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 6 tbsp butter, melted
Layer 1:
- 450g cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Layer 2:
- 1 cup Greek yoghurt
- 4 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Method:
Crust:
- Preheat oven to 190°C.
- Add the whole pecans to a food processor and pulse until the texture is similar to ground flour.
- Add the almond flour and coconut sugar and pulse a few times to blend.
- Add the melted butter and mix well into the nut mixture.
- Press the nut mixture into a parchment-lined baking tin. Set aside.
Layer 1:
- In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, eggs, maple syrup and vanilla. Beat well until smooth.
- Pour the cream cheese mixture over the nut crust in the tin and spread evenly, making sure to spread the mixture to the edges of the tin.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Cool for at least 10–15 minutes.
Layer 2:
- Set oven temperature to 230°C.
- Combine the Greek yoghurt, maple syrup and vanilla and mix together with a whisk until well combined.
- Pour over the cooled first layer in the tin and use the back of a spoon or a spatula to evenly spread it to the edges.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Bring the cheesecake to room temperature before covering with foil or a pot lid. Refrigerate overnight.
- Cut the cheesecake into squares. Serve with freshly whipped cream and fruit sauce, if desired.
Recipe notes:
- When beating the cream cheese mixture, don’t worry if there are tiny lumps of cream cheese remaining. As long as the majority of the mixture is smooth, the little lumps will melt when baked and you won’t notice a thing.
- This recipe can be made using a deep-dish pie tin so that the cheesecake can instead be served as slices. Just make sure to press the crust up the sides of the tin as well as on the bottom.
- This cheesecake freezes well. Freeze uncovered first, then wrap in foil and seal in a ziplock bag.
- It’s great topped with chocolate sauce, chopped nuts, chocolate shavings, fresh berries and/or crumbled cookies.
- For detailed instructions – with images – on how to make this dish, check out the recipe on my website.
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