Gateau fromage blanc

When I was in France earlier this month, I had this cake for breakfast (not every day! just once). Sure, it was an indulgent treat but it was also so fluffy and light, smeared with some raspberry preserves on top, that it felt like it was allowed. Also, in this recipe, I made it with fat free fromage blanc, which still manages to be creamy, somehow defying yogurt and cheese laws like Oikos greek yogurt.

Fromage blanc (also called fromage frais) is a creamy, cow’s milk cheese, with a consistency between cream cheese, creme fraiche and yogurt. It’s often the ‘healthy’ dessert option in French restaurants, where it is served with fruit, nuts or preserves.

For all the fancy words, essentially, this makes a light cheesecake. I added in some lemon for flavor, but you could omit that or substitute it with other flavorings, if you’d like.

You’ll need:

• 600 g fat-free fromage blanc
• 3 eggs, separated & at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• juice & zest of one lemon
• 1 packet vanilla sugar (if you can’t get it, just put in a tsp of vanilla)
• 5 tbsps flour
• 1 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 155C (310 F). Beat together sugar and fromage blanc, scraping down the sides of the bowl so that the sugar is well incorporated.

2. Beat in the egg yolks, followed by the lemon juice and zest, and the rest of the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, vanilla sugar).

 

3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt, until foamy but soft. Fold into the batter mixture.

4. Pour into a round 9-inch cake pan (buttered and lined with baking paper). Bake for about an hour –  maybe a little bit longer, depending on your oven – until the cake is cooked through in the middle (and a knife/toothpick comes out clean) and browning on the edges.