Instant Pot cheesecake

[pepperhead212]

I made a small cheesecake in my InstantPot!

It was easier than it looks, and good, though I will make changes next time. I only had 4 oz of cream cheese, so I used 4 oz cottage cheese ground up, for half of it (I've never been crazy about cheesecakes made with CC, but it was only half). It had 2 eggs; it could have used another, but only a couple of the large cheesecakes I make have that much compared to the cheese. I only used 3 tb palm sugar plus 4 packets of stevia, to make it somewhat edible for a diabetic friend (we both thought the stevia or sugar could have been reduced slightly, upon tasting it). And 2 tsp xanthan gum, in place of the flour, another thing for my friend. It would have been better if I had greased the soufflé dish with butter, instead of spray (I just didn't feel like getting a stick of frozen butter out just for that!). I also have a 6" aluminum cheesecake pan (nested inside 8", 9", 10", and 12" pans, from when I used to make a lot of them!), deep back in my cabinet, that would have been better for it. And I used the crema that I had left, from my Mexican foods - the original recipe called for sour cream.

I used a blender, only because I was grinding up the cottage cheese, to a smooth consistency. A mixer or FP would be better, with less bubbles. Some recipes recommended covering with foil, but the one on the IP website recommended leaving it uncovered, so I based this on that recipe.

Instant Pot Cheesecake

8 oz cream cheese, room temp
6 tb sugar (I used 3 tb palm sugar, and 3
packets of stevia sweetener)
1/8 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1/2 c sour cream, or crema
2 tsp lemon zest
1 tb lemon juice
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tb flour, or half as much cornstarch

Graham cracker crumbs and butter for standard crust (optional)

Place a steamer rack in the IP, and pour in 1 1/2 c water. Grease a 6" cheesecake pan, springform pan (only if coating with graham crackers), or soufflé dish with butter, and if using graham cracker crumbs, dust the pan heavily with them (pressing it into the seams of the springform, to prevent leaking).

Beat the cheese, sugar, and salt briefly in the mixer, or food processor; add one egg at a time, beating briefly in between, followed by the sour cream, and the remaining ingredients, scraping the bowl a few times. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and level out, tapping out air bubbles.

Place pan on steamer rack in the IP, and place the lid on. Set to manual, low, and set to cook 25 minutes. Let pressure reduce completely, about 20 minutes, then remove lid. Remove pan to a cooling rack; blot out any water on the top of the cheesecake with a piece of paper towel. Cool for an hour, then refrigerate for an hour, before covering - either with foil, or setting it inside a larger pan.

When ready to serve, if using a springform, run a knife around the inside of the pan, then remove the sides. If using the solid pans, set in a larger pan of warm water briefly, just enough to melt the butter, then move the pan around, to loosen the cake, then turn upside down onto a serving platter.

Option: to make a cheesecake flan, coat the bottom of the soufflé dish with some caramelized sugar. If I were making this for myself, and not a diabetic friend, as well, this is what I would do!

Instant Pot cheesecake started - the dark in it is the palm sugar. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished cheesecake batter. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Instant Pot cheesecake, ready to cook, in 6 in. souffle pan. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished Instant Pot cheesecake. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Instant Pot cheesecake, removed from the souffle dish. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Instant Pot cheesecake. by pepperhead212, on Flickr