Rich Keto Chocolate Cheesecake

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Chocolate. Cheesecake. Chocolate cheesecake... (sigh...)

Is there anything more perfect in this world that rich and silky cheesecake combined with decadent dark chocolate? I think not.

This is a good low-carb dessert to serve a group of friends (or keep all to yourself) as it can easily be made in advance and stored in the fridge until required.

You'll only need to bake the grain-free chocolate crust, let it cool down, and then brush it with a thin layer of melted extra dark chocolate which will insulate the cheese layer and keep the crust crunchy.

The dark chocolate cheesecake filling doesn't need to be baked — you'll only need to let it set in the fridge for a couple of hours. When ready to be served, drizzle some more melted dark chocolate on top, add dark chocolate shavings or some whipped cream. Done — the perfect festive treat to impress your family with this holiday season!

Be warned, you only need a small slice of this keto cheesecake as it is very rich. Enjoy!

Tips & Substitutions

If you need to make this low-carb dessert nut-free, simply swap the almond flour with ground sunflower seeds.

Because this is a no-bake keto cheesecake (only the crust is baked), you can even swap the cream cheese for coconut cream and the whipping cream for coconut milk. Instead of butter you could use palm shortening. (Oil palm production has a devastating impact on a huge number of plant and animal species in, especially in South East Asia — make sure you use products from sustainable agriculture.)

You can use raw cacao powder or Dutch process cocoa powder — just make sure there is no sugar it.

We used 90% dark chocolate but any dark chocolate with at least 85% cacao is a good low-carb option. Although there is a small amount of sugar, the carb count is low and it's one of the ingredients that can be used in moderation when you follow a healthy low-carb diet. You can also use sugar-free chocolate sweetened with stevia or inulin.

Nutritional values (per serving, slice)

Ingredients (makes 12 servings)

Crust:

• 3 cups almond flour (300 g/ 10.6 oz)
• 1 cup + 1 tbsp cacao powder (90 g/ 3.2 oz)
• ¹/₃ cup powdered Erythritol or Swerve (53 g/ 1.9 oz)
• 1 ¹/₂ sticks unsalted butter, melted (170 g/ 6 oz)
• 6 large squares 90% dark chocolate, melted (60 g/ 2.1 oz)

Filling:

• 500 g full-fat cream cheese (1.1 lb)
• ¹/₂ cup heavy whipping cream (120 ml/ 4 fl oz)
• 1 tbsp virgin coconut oil (15 ml)
• 1 ¹/₂ bars dark chocolate (150 g/ 5.3 oz)
• ¹/₃ cup powdered Erythritol or Swerve (53 g/ 1.9 oz)
• 1 tsp sugar-free vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 170 °C/ 340 °F (fan assisted), or 190 °C/ 375 °F (conventional). Grease and line a 20 cm (8 inch) springform pan.
   
   
2. Place all of the dry crust ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
   
3. Melt the butter and add it to the bowl. Stir through until well combined.
   
   
4. Press around sides and base of pan, bringing it up the sides as much as you can. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove and let cool.
   
   
5. Melt the extra 60 g/ 2.1 oz of dark chocolate and paint a generous layer inside the crust. This will not only taste delicious but will help stop the crust from softening too much.
   
6. In a small saucepan, melt the rest of the chocolate, along with the coconut oil and set aside to cool.
   
   
7. Place the cream cheese and sweetener into the bowl in your stand mixer and beat until soft and fluffy.
   
   
8. Add the chocolate in a steady stream until it is all combined. Add the cream and the vanilla and continue beating until a light and fluffy result is achieved.
9. Pour into the prepared shell and chill for at least two hours.
   
   
10. Dust with cacao powder and garnish with an extra drizzle of melted chocolate, if desired.
    
    
11. Slice and serve.
12. Store, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Ingredient nutritional breakdown (per serving, slice)

Net carbs	Protein	Fat	Calories
Almond flour (blanched ground almonds, almond meal)
2.2 g	5.4 g	13.1 g	148 kcal
Cocoa powder, raw (cacao)
1.6 g	1.5 g	1 g	17 kcal
Erythritol (natural low-carb sweetener)
0.2 g	0 g	0 g	1 kcal
Butter, unsalted, grass-fed
0 g	0.1 g	11.5 g	101 kcal
Extra dark chocolate, 90% cocoa (cacao)
0.7 g	0.5 g	2.8 g	28 kcal
Cream cheese, soft (full-fat)
1.3 g	2.9 g	11.7 g	102 kcal
Cream, heavy whipping, pouring, full-fat (30-40% fat)
0.3 g	0.2 g	3.8 g	37 kcal
Coconut oil, extra virgin
0 g	0 g	1.1 g	10 kcal
Extra dark chocolate, 90% cocoa (cacao)
1.7 g	1.3 g	7.1 g	71 kcal
Erythritol (natural low-carb sweetener)
0.2 g	0 g	0 g	1 kcal
Vanilla extract, sugar-free, alcohol-based
0 g	0 g	0 g	1 kcal
Total per serving, slice
8.1 g	11.8 g	52.1 g	516 kcal

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