Can I Use Fat-Free Dairy Products In The Basque Burnt Cheesecake?

Our answer

Nigella's Basque Burnt Cheesecake With Liquorice Sauce (from COOK, EAT, REPEAT) is a baked cheesecake that differs from the regular baked cheesecakes that are baked gently in a water bath. The Basque cheesecake is baked on a high heat, giving a burnished, caramelised top. The centre of the cheesecake should be jiggly when it comes out of the oven, as it will set more as the cheesecake cools to room temperature.

We are not sure if the fat-free product is the sour cream or the cream cheese, but we would prefer not to use low fat or fat-free ingredients for the cheesecake. Lower fat ingredients have a much higher water content, which can lead to a watery and slightly flabby-textured cheesecake, rather than the rich, smooth texure of the original recipe. In addition, these products usually have extra ingredients added to help to emulsify and thicken the cream cheese and cream and these ingredients are not always stable at high heats, which unfortunately can also mean that the cheesecake could be watery after baking.