Cheesecake Made With Agave Nectar With Sweet Sour Cream Topping

Some seriously yummy cheesecake! I just made this for Thanksgiving and it was a big hit! Especially after everyone found out there were virtually no carbs involved. So...if you are like me and can't stand life with no cheesecake...feel free to indulge here and there with this concoction. The Crust is amazing and made with nuts...no flour!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

For The Filling:

4 ~ 8 oz. Packages of Cream Cheese at room temperature ( I used 2 cream cheese and 2 Neufachetal to cut the fat just a tad)

3/4 cup Agave Nectar

1 Tbsp Lemon Zest

2 Tbsp Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

4 Eggs at room temperature (critical)

1/4 Cup Sour Cream (optional but really makes this!)

1/4 Cup Heavy Cream (again...optional but really makes this!)

Pinch Of Sea Salt

For The Crust:

You may choose the nuts you like best, but for my recipe, I had almonds and walnuts and it wow'd me!

1 Cup Almond Meal (you can make your own by grinding almonds in food processor..making sure not to make "almond butter" by pulsing too long!)

1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts

1/2 Cup Chopped Almonds

1/4 Cup Agave Nectar

1/2 Tsp Cinnamon

Pinch Of Sea Salt

1 Stick of Butter (you could probably get away with 3/4 but hey...what the heck!)

For The Topping:

1 Cup Sour Cream

1 Tsp Vanilla

2-4 Tbsp of Agave Nectar (taste for your sweetness preferance and adjust accordingly)

Pinch Of Sea Salt

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare the crust first so it can cool while you mix the filling. Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees. Combine the almond meal, chopped nuts, agave nectar, cinnamon and salt in a mizing bowl. Add melted butter. Mix well with spoon and be prepared to add almond meal if necessary to ensure you get a nice texture that will be "pressable" but not too wet. Press Mixture into the bottom and 1/4 way up the sides of a prepared springform pan. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Nuts burn easily so be aware of time! They do not have to turn black to taste burnt! Cool Completely before filling. ( I throw it in the freezer while I prepare the filling)

FILLING: Using an electric or Stand Mixer, Cream the Cheese together until very smooth. Add the Agave Nectar, Lemon Zest and Lemon Juice and Sea Salt until well incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time making sure each is well mixed in. Pour into the pan over the crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Then, open the oven door and allow cake to cool in the oven. Make sure you have a shallow pan of water in the bottome of the oven or your cake will crack on the top! (see my pic...lol! But the good news is that the topping covers that up!)

For The Topping:

Preheat oven to 425 Degrees. Combine all ingredients well and spread on the top of the cheesecake. Bake for 5 minutes to allow the topping to set. Cool and Refrigerate for 6-12 hours for best results!

ENJOY!!!!