Canderel Taste Test | Blueberry & Lemon Cheesecake Recipe

canderel taste test-low-sugar-blueberry-lemon-cheesecake-recipe-13

October has so far been cold, dark and wet and consequently my outdoor exercise regime has taken a bit of a slump. Due to my sweet tooth I don’t like the idea of depriving myself of sweet treats completely so I decided to take part in a fun Canderel Taste Test baking challenge to explore ways to reduce my calorie laden sugar intake.

Canderel kindly supplied me with the recipes and ingredients to make two cheesecakes and two sets of cupcakes. The only difference between the two was that in one batch I replaced the sugar with Canderel’s granulated sweetener Sugarly. My task was to find out if my friends and family would be able to spot the difference.

Canderel Taste Test | Blueberry & Lemon Cheesecake Recipe

Canderel Taste Test Part One – Blueberry and Lemon Cheesecake

Canderel Taste Test | Low Sugar Blueberry & Lemon Cheesecake Recipe

First up was a no bake Blueberry and Lemon Cheesecake which was really straightforward to make. The hardest part was lining the cake tin with baking paper (it was a bit like any time I’ve tried to wrap a round Christmas present) but I got there in the end and popped both versions into the fridge to chill overnight.

Canderel Taste Test | Blueberry & Lemon Cheesecake Recipe Canderel Taste Test | Blueberry & Lemon Cheesecake Recipe Canderel Taste Test | Blueberry & Lemon Cheesecake Recipe

The next day I felt like a domestic goddess. Both had set well and despite not being perfectly round they still looked rather good! After piling fresh blueberries on top of each and adding some fresh edible flowers there was little to separate their appearance other than that the blueberries had sunk down further in the Sugarly version.

Canderel Taste Test | Low Sugar Blueberry & Lemon Cheesecake Recipe

I served up a slice of each to N who decided that plate no 1 was his favourite because he thought it tasted a bit sweeter. When I revealed that this was actually the one containing Sugarly he looked more than a little put out to have guessed ‘wrong’. Why is it that my hubby always thinks that eating healthier versions of food is some kind of  reflection on his masculinity?!

I tasted both myself at this point and got confused trying to decide whether I could taste any difference. I couldn’t.

The big test was taking the rest of the cheesecakes into work. I am the only girl in my team, so based on the hubby’s reaction I was more than a little nervous to offer up my low calorie baking to three blokes.

However, what shall now be known as Cheesecake Tuesday was a success and everyone went back in for seconds.

The Results

I asked my workmates to sample both cheesecakes and pick their preferred one but didn’t tell them which contained Sugarly.

Canderel Taste Test | Low Sugar Blueberry & Lemon Cheesecake Recipe

  • O identified the sugar version straight away, explaining that it had a firmer set and a more complex flavour. (I was seriously impressed by this – his taste buds are obviously far more refined than my own!)
  • G said that there was so little difference between them that he would happily eat either one again. He eventually guessed correctly as to which one contained sugar after I made him choose!
  • B picked the Sugarly version as his favourite by a whisker but again said he’d eat either one again.

The general consensus seemed to be that if you just served up the Sugarly version on it’s own with nothing to compare it against, people wouldn’t be any the wiser that it contained a sugar substitute. Thus as a cheesecake in it’s own right it was a success.

Canderel Taste Test Part Two – Raspberry and Vanilla Cupcakes

…well there was supposed to be a Part Two to the experiment but I don’t think that the recipe I was using had the right dry to wet ingredients ratio as neither version turned out well. The cupcakes in both batches refused to cook properly around the raspberries despite me putting them back in the oven twice.

Oh well, at least I got to lick the spoon and eat the leftovers!

Canderel Taste Test | Low Sugar Blueberry & Lemon Cheesecake Recipe canderel taste test-low-sugar-blueberry-lemon-cheesecake-recipe-4

Next time I’d just adapt a standard cupcake recipe by using a low fat spread and substituting Sugarly in place of the sugar. (Just make sure to halve the weight if you do this as Sugarly is much sweeter).

Having not been able to eat them I can only really say that the Sugarly cupcakes had a smoother texture than those containing the sugar, as you can see from the picture below.

Canderel Taste Test | Low Sugar Blueberry & Lemon Cheesecake Recipe

Reduced Sugar Low Cal Blueberry and Lemon Cheesecake Recipe

When I shared a picture of the cheesecake on my social media I got quite a few requests for the recipe so here it is below. Now you can have your guilt free cheesecake and eat it too!

Canderel Taste Test | Low Sugar Blueberry & Lemon Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients (serves 10, 166 kcal per slice)

50g low fat spread
150g digestive biscuits (the light version)
3-4 sheets gelatine (depending on the size of the sheets)
360g half fat cream cheese
100g Canderel Sugarly
250g pot vanilla quark
2 lemons
250g fresh blueberries

You’ll need a deep, round loose bottom spring form tin, approximately 20.5cm / 8 inches. Lightly grease this with a bit of low fat spread, then line it with baking parchment. I wasn’t too fussy about how neat this was and mine worked out fine, so don’t worry too much about this!

Directions

  • Crush the digestives with a rolling pin, then melt the low fat spread and stir this into the crumbs.
  • Spoon the mix evenly into the bottom of the tin then use the back of a wooden spoon to press it firmly down. Leave this to one side to cool whilst you make the topping.
  • Add the gelatine to a bowl and cover them with water, then leave these to soften for 5 minutes.
  • Zest and juice the lemons and add these to a food processor/mixer with the cream cheese, quark and Canderel Sugarly, beating the mix until smooth.
  • Squeeze the water out of the gelatine, move it to a clean bowl and then pour over just enough water to cover it, then using a fork whisk the mix until the gelatine has dissolved and there are no lumps. Add this to the beaten mixture and beat it again until well combined.
  • Stir in a third of the blueberries, then pour the mixture over the biscuit base, smooth it until it’s even and then leave it to set in the fridge overnight.
  • Once ready to serve, release it from the tin and pile the remaining blueberries on top.

If you’d like to try Sugarly you can get a £1 off coupon here: Canderel.co.uk/coupon

Would you take the Canderel Taste Test or try this cheesecake recipe? What’s your favourite cheesecake flavour?

LovedByLaura

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored, however I did receive the ingredients to make the recipes that I attempted baked. As always views expressed in this post are my own.

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Peterborough | UK
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