One drawback is the crust. Typically, the crust is made with crushed graham crackers. That was attractive and amusing, once upon a time. Since my near escape from diabetes-2, Graham crackers are on the "Never Eat" list. A single graham cracker has at least a teaspoon of sugar in it, or even two. You can make graham crackers yourself, using erythritol as your "sugar," but if you're going to that much trouble it's just as easy to make The Baking Wizard's standard "Lindy's"-style pastry.
The hard part about baking cheesecake is not the crust, it's managing the remarkable range of oven temperatures that will produce that perfect firm but creamy texture. For the filling itself, which invariably calls for a cup or more of sugar, if that's all right for you, have at it. Erythritol works fine for me, as do other sugar substitutes, like stevia, etc. The Baking Wizard's "Very Lemon Cheesecake" calls for a 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk, which is about 40-45% sugar, 215 gram or 50 teaspoons! People who say cheesecake is "too rich" usually mean the cream cheese. That's a minor diet problem. Who eats more than a slice for dessert? If serving for 10, OK. Myself, I'll eat a whole pear galette on my own, if no one else wants in. One slice of cheesecake is plenty.
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The real objection to labeling music as "cheesecake," as that the term has been co-opted as sexy pictures. In 1662, a poem bemoaning Oliver Cromwell's puritanical rousting of prostitutes from London was published: "But ah! It goes against our hearts/To lose our cheesecake and our tarts." That line adds a fresh turn on "tart," as well. But modern "cheesecake" was re-coined in 1912 by a New York City tabloid photographer who shot a photo of a pretty girl just as the breeze lifted her skirt. "Prettier than cheesecake," was his tag. He was known to love the dulcet dessert.
Jon Jackson co-hosts "The Food Guys" on Montana Public Radio. He is also a writer, jazz enthusiast and has a passion for great food.
