Gluten-free Blackberry & Rose Pistachio Cheesecakes with Homemade Graham Crackers (Egg free, No Bake!)
Your quest for a creamy, dreamy cheesecake without the gluten ends here! I'm super thrilled to share two irresistible cheesecake recipes to elevate your dessert game. Loaded with the classic tang of blackberry and the floral notes of rose pistachio, these cheesecakes are a must-try!
Equipment
- 1 Hand mixer
- 2 Mixing bowls
- 2 Springform pans
Ingredients
Blackberry Compote
- 1.5 cups Blackberries Fresh or frozen
- ¼ cup Granulated sugar
- 1 tsp Lemon juice optional
Cheesecake Base
- 200 gms gluten-free graham crackers
- ¼ cup Melted butter
- 2 tbsp Brown sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Blackberry Cream cheese Filling
- 8 oz Cream cheese
- ¼ cup Sour cream
- ½ cup Heavy Cream
- ½ cup Powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp Blackberry compote
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch
- ¼ cup Fresh blackberries for garnish (optional)
Rose Pistachio filling
- 4 oz Cream cheese
- 2 tbsp Sour cream
- ¼ cup Heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup Powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
Instructions
Blackberry Compote
- In a pan add the blackberries and sugar on low-medium heat you can add 1 tbsp of water if there is not enough moisture.
- Let the mixture simmer for about 10-15 minutes stirring and making sure there are no berries sticking to the bottom of the pan. At this stage, take a spoon and check the consistency of the compote. It should be thick and sauce like.
Gluten-free cheesecake base
- In a food processor add 2 cups of gluten-free graham crackers (about 200 gms). Process for 2-3 minutes or until the graham crackers are finely ground. Open the food processor and check for consistency, the crumbs should have a uniform consistency.
- Add in brown sugar, vanilla extract and melted butter to the mix. Mix thoroughly with a spatula or using your hands. The mixture should have a wet sand consistency.
- Prepare your baking pans / springform pans by thoroughly coating the sides and the base with melted butter or butter spray. This helps release the cheesecake out of the pan with ease.
- Line the base and the sides with parchment paper. I highly recommend this as it also holds the cheesecake better.
- Add the crumbs mixture to the prepared pan(s) firmly pressing down on the base and on the edges. We want our cheesecake to have a nicely defined wall so firmly press down the mixture against the wall as well. *I've prepared 2 pans, a 6 inch pan for my blackberry cheesecake and a 3 inch pan for my rose pistachio
- Bake the crust in the preheated oven at 350 deg F for about 8-10 minutes or until the edges have turned light brown. Turn off the oven, take out the crust(s) and let them cool completely.
Blackberry cream filling
- Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature. The heavy cream and sour cream need to remain chilled.
- Sieve the powdered sugar to make sure there are no lumps. Take out lemon rind and set aside.
- Blend 1/4 cup of blackberry compote into a smooth paste and set aside.
- Add the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and blend using a stand mixer or a hand mixer. Since the cream cheese is at room temperature and is soft, it starts becoming fluffy after 2-3 minutes.
- At this stage, add in the powdered sugar in batches while continuing to blend. This will take about 1-2 minutes until the sugar gets well combined. Keep scraping down the walls of your mixing bowl using a spoon or spatula to mix them uniformly.
- Add in lemon rind and 2 tbsp of cornstarch in batches while continuing to blend using the hand mixer. Add in sour cream and blend for another 30 seconds. Add 2 tbsps of blackberry compote paste to the mix and blend.
- I didn't sieve the compote paste as I don't mind the tiny pieces, for a smoother texture, sieve the blackberry compote paste before adding.
- In another bowl, add heavy cream and 1/3 cup of powdered sugar in batches. Using a hand whisk blend for about 1-2 minutes or until soft peaks are formed.
- Now fold in the heavy cream mix into the blackberry cream mixture using a spoon or a spatula. We don't want to over mix as it leads to deflating the mixture.
Assembling the Blackberry cheesecake
- Pour the blackberry cream cheese filling into our cooled cheesecake base. Spread it evenly using a spatula. Now cover it with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight for the cheesecake to set.
Rose Pistachio Cream cheese Filling
- In a mixing bowl add in the softened cream cheese and blend using a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Add in the powdered sugar in batches and blend until well combined.
- Add in the sour cream and mix well. Then, blend in cornstarch. Add heavy cream and mix for just 30 seconds taking care not to over mix. Blend in rose water.
Assembling Rose pistachio cheesecake
- Onto the cooled cheesecake base, add the rose pistachio cream cheese filling. Then, add a layer of crushed pistachios and then the remaining cream cheese filling.
- Top off your aromatic and luxurious cheesecake with additional crushed pistachios and rose petals. Cover with a plastic wrap and let it refrigerate for about 4 hours.