Peach Dream Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)

There’s so little wheat flour in cheesecake that it’s pretty simple to change it to a gluten-free version by using cornstarch in the flour's place. Hence, a GF cheesecake isn’t much different from a traditional version and tastes nearly identical. The real difference is I’ve used a walnut and spice crust —which is GF— instead of the usual American graham cracker sort, which takes any cheesecake up to the next level. I may just start using nuts as the base for all my cheesecakes! Bake your cheesecake in a bain marie (hot water bath) in a roasting pan with handles or a baking pan quite a bit larger and deeper than your springform pan. This insures even baking and helps prevent cracks in the top of the cake. Note there are 3 different oven temperatures for this cake. Make the cake at least a day ahead of serving to ripen the cheesecake.

Ingredients

CRUST:

1 ½ cups walnuts
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon EACH ground ginger and cinnamon
4 tablespoons salted butter, melted

FILLING:

5 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons fresh lemon or orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
1 ½ tablespoons (4 ½ teaspoons) cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs at room temperature
3/4 cup puréed peaches. (I used 1 large peeled/pitted peach puréed in food processor.)

FOR SERVING:

2 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced
Whipped cream
Ground cinnamon

Instructions

PREPARATION: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack at center. Cover bottom and at least half-way up the sides of the 10-inch springform pan with two sheets of aluminum foil. Add a folded lightweight dishtowel to the bottom of a roasting pan. (This will keep the springform pan firmly set in the bain marie.) Heat a kettle of water to boiling.
MAKE/BAKE CRUST: In food processor, pulse walnuts with sugar, ginger, and cinnamon until finely ground. Pour in butter and pulse until mixture is like moist sand. Using a small sheet of plastic wrap or a flat-bottomed measuring cup (or both), press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of the pan and up the sides ½-inch. Place pan on rimmed baking sheet. Bake 12 minutes and remove to a rack while you make the filling. Raise oven temperature to 500 degrees F.
MAKE FILLING AND ADD TO CRUST IN PAN: Using an electric mixture or food processor, beat or pulse the cream cheese with the lemon juice and vanilla extract until smooth. Scrape down bowl. Add the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Beat or process for 3 minutes or until creamy, light, and smooth. Beat/pulse in eggs one at a time only until each is just mixed. Do not over beat. (Cake will rise and fall, perhaps cracking in oven if eggs are overbeaten.) Beat/pulse in puréed peach until just mixed. Pour batter into prepared crust. Place the springform pan in the center of the folded towel in the roasting or large baking pan.
BAKE/COOL/REFRIGERATE OVERNIGHT: Pull out the oven rack and put the roasting/baking pan with the cheesecake at the center. Carefully pour the hot water into the roaster around the springform pan with the cheesecake so that it comes up the sides of the springform pan 1 or 2 inches. Gently and carefully push the rack all the way in and close the oven door. Bake at 500 degrees for 12 minutes. Lower temperature to 300 F and continue baking another 45 minutes or until cheesecake is firm at edges, but slightly jiggly at center. (An instant read thermometer inserted at center should read no more than 150 – 155 degrees Fahrenheit and cake should remain a fairly pale color.) Remove roasting pan to a rack and run a thin knife around the edges of the cake. Let the cake cool in the pan in the remaining water. When completely cool, remove springform pan from the roaster and water and dry bottom with a towel. Cover loosely and refrigerate at least overnight before serving.
SERVE: Slice, dipping knife in warm water and wiping on towel before each cut to insure clean wedges of cake. Serve garnished with sliced fresh peaches and whipped cream with a sprinkle of cinnamon. If there is a bit of condensed liquid on top of cake, lightly lay down and pick back up a sheet of paper towel to absorb it. This happens if you’ve wrapped the cake tightly or it’s been refrigerated before it’s totally cooled.
STORAGE: Up to one week wrapped in the fridge or 2-3 months in the freezer. Cheesecakes freeze well and so are lovely to do the month ahead of a holiday or birthday.

Notes

For a cheesecake containing gluten, substitute 3 tablespoons (all purpose, unbleached wheat) flour for the 1 ½ tablespoons of cornstarch. You could also make a graham cracker crumb crust in lieu of the nut and spice crust.