A mini version of my famous low carb chocolate strawberry cheesecake. This no-bake keto dessert is just the right size for two people!
Valentine’s Day: it’s one of those love it or hate it holidays. People love it when they have someone special in their lives and are eager to show them how they feel. Often this is at the beginning of a romance, when things are shiny new and you look for any opportunity to splurge on your honey (or hope that they splurge on you). People tend to hate Valentine’s Day when they don’t have someone special. Or someone newly special, anyway. You can also have someone special, someone who’s been special for a long time, but both be so busy with work and kids and lives that you simply don’t have time for each other. Then Valentine’s Day seems like a bit of a chore, all that going out to dinner and buying flowers and finding a nice gift. When you’d rather curl up on the couch with your special one, eating something easy but yummy and watching Netflix. You feel guilty not doing something more special but that’s all you’ve got the energy for. But hey, at least you’re together.
Sound familiar at all? That’s pretty much the story of my life these days. My husband and I have been “special” to each other for a good 20 years so it certainly isn’t shiny new anymore. And we’ve got the jobs and the kids and the everyday busyness that makes it impossible to plan too many fancy dinners and flowers and special gifts. But we do have a standing “date night” on Fridays and it really does consist of eating something easy but yummy (steak and mushrooms) and watching Netflix (just finished Season 2 of Narcos!). While I don’t hate Valentine’s Day, I can’t say I really love it either. It mostly becomes a chore because my kids have to fill out cards for everyone in their and they end up coming home with a bag of sugary sweets that I don’t approve of. Sorry, Valentine’s Day, but you’re just not my jam anymore.
What is my jam is coming up with delicious Valentine’s Day treats. While I may be sitting on my couch eating my steak and watching Colombian drug lords shoot each other up, you may have that shiny new romance going on and you’re dying to impress. You’re whipping up a gourmet (low carb) dinner and you want your shiny new honey to swoon over your mad dessert skills. I feel ya. I like to think I have mad dessert skills too, which I then pass on to you. And since my No Bake Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake is one of my most popular desserts, I decided to re-make it on a more intimate scale. It’s still no bake and very easy to make, but it’s perfect for two of you. Or really, you, yourself, and you if that’s what it comes down to!
I did have a little trouble with this one. My first attempt was delicious but the filling didn’t set properly. It looked good but it smooshed out all over the plate when I tried to cut into it. I clearly had too many pureed strawberries and other liquid in there for it to firm up. I had to really play with the proportions to get it right. I really recommend the teaspoon of grassfed gelatin in there. It doesn’t make the filling gelatinous at all, it just helps offset the liquid from the berries. If you can’t get your hands on the good grassfed gelatin, Knox should work as well but you need to dissolve it in some water first. You won’t need a whole envelope of Knox, so I would measure out about 1/2 teaspoon and dissolve it in 2 teaspoons of water. Let sit for a minute before adding to the blender.
Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake for Two
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 tbsp almond flour
- 1 tbsp granular Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tsp cocoa powder
- 2 tsp butter melted
Strawberry Filling:
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/3 cup chopped strawberries (about 2 medium-large berries)
- 2 tbsp confectioners Swerve Sweetener
- 1 tsp grassfed gelatin you can use Knox but must dissolve it in warm water first. You would only need about 1/2 tsp
Chocolate Topping:
- 1 1/2 tbsp whipping cream
- 1/2 ounce sugar-free dark chocolate chopped
Instructions
Crust:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, and cocoa powder. Stir in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Lightly press into the bottom of a 4-inch mini cheesecake pan (don't press firmly or it will stick too much when you try to slice the cake).
Strawberry Filling:
- In a blender or food processor, combine the cream cheese, strawberries, sweetener, and gelatin. Blend until smooth. Spoon mixture over crust. Freeze until firm, about 2 hours (Freezing helps it set faster. Once it is set, you can leave it in the fridge. But it's pretty tasty frozen too!).
- Remove the sides of the pan while the cake is still frozen.
Chocolate Topping:
- In a small saucepan, heat the cream over low heat until very hot (try not to let it simmer). Add the chopped chocolate and let sit a few minutes until melted. Pour over the top of the frozen cake and let set.
- Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.
Miriah Baxter says
I’m finding I’m having problems with Swerve/erythritol lately. Xylitol gives me diarrhea. And I’ve never liked stevia! Can I use Bocha Sweet, monk fruit or allullose in this? I know you sometimes talk about how erythritol and sugar alcohols set things up better and Bocha Sweet type sweeteners keep things softer and smoother. It hasn’t even worked for me to mix erythritol with another sweetener for a while now, don’t know why, but like you, I’m diabetic and can’t use regular sugar! Will Bocha Sweet keep it from setting or should I use more gelatin with it, do you think?
Carolyn says
You can certainly try, I just can’t guarantee the results. Expect a longer setting time at least…