Gluten-free German Style Cheesecake

At the beginning of the year I made a crustless German style cheesecake. However, because that recipe calls for semolina flour the previously posted cheesecake wasn't gluten-free. To accommodate people with gluten sensitivity or Zeliacs disease I altered the recipe. Instead of the semolina flour I used ricotta cheese, and because I used full-fat ricotta cheese I left out the stick of butter. The ricotta cheese gives this cake the grainy texture the semolina flour usually adds. The raisins are optional, and can be exchanged for canned mandarin oranges - just make sure they are drained very well.

Ingredients:

Springform (12 inches or 28 cm in diameter)

Some grease

4 eggs

200 g sugar

Juice of a lemon

300 g or 2/3 lb ricotta cheese (I used regular, not fat-free)

700 g Greek Yoghurt (Fage or Chobani brand) or 500 g yoghurt and 200 g sour cream for a richer cake

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons gluten-free flour

Some raisins (to taste)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 F). Grease springform.

2. Separate eggs. Beat egg whites until fully stiff.

3. In a separate bowl mix egg yolks, sugar and lemon juice. Add gluten-free flour and baking powder. Lastly, stir in ricotta cheese, Greek Yoghurt, and raisins.

4. Carefully fold in egg whites. Pour batter into springform and bake at 180 degrees Celsius (350 F) for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

Comments:

This cake turned out very soft, and doesn't look as good as the previous one because the surface cracked while cooling down, so this recipe might need some more tweaking. It could be that the additional fat contributed by the stick of butter is essential to prevent the cake surface from cracking during the cooling process. Adding another tablespoon potato starch or gluten-free flour might also help.