Shoofly Cheesecake

Sooo… I was asked to develop a recipe for Shoofly Cheesecake quite some time ago, for a birthday celebration. The cheesecake also had to be relatively diabetic friendly. Good thing birthdays are annual events, so the cheesecake might get a second shot at being the birthday dessert. I actually got right on it, and only needed several kitchen test sessions to produce a delicious cheesecake. So why the delay? I’d love to give you a fabulous excuse… you know, I got a great job, had a unique travel opportunity, or Covid!!! Because Covid can excuse just about anything these days, right? But the truth is _{I lost the recipe notes}. What, you didn’t quite catch that? I’ll repeat it. _{I lost the recipe notes}. Ok, I LOST THE RECIPE NOTES. But miraculously they presented themselves several weeks ago, hiding under a pile of papers on the bookshelf… 

Shoofly pie, for the uninitiated, is a layered pie with molasses on the bottom and brown sugar streusel on the top. It’s a Pennsylvania Dutch specialty, apparently a takeoff of the British treacle tart, made with the staple ingredients available to the American settlers at the time. This pie was another example of our having a “family recipe” with its origins in the Amish community. My maternal grandmother was of German ancestry, so who knows? She might have had a few secrets… Mom made shoofly pie often, and we all enjoyed its sweet molasses goodness.  But to be honest, shoofly cheesecake was not a mash up I would have dreamed up on my own. Which just goes to show that I should think outside the box more often, for this dessert is delicious.

It starts with baking a tin of “shoofly cake.” It’s important to use the type of pan specified in the recipe, else one might make “shoofly goo.” Don’t ask me how I know this.  A portion of the shoofly cake is added to almond meal to create a crumb crust, which is quite delicious all on its own. However, I don’t recommend too much tasting if you actually wish to end up with a cheesecake. Don’t ask me how I know this, either. From there, a basic lightened up cheesecake mixture is made in the food processor, with the remaining shoofly mixture folded in. Bake! And the reward is a delicious rich tasting cheesecake marbled with the sweet, golden flavor of molasses. 

With the recipe neatly transcribed in my folder of blog recipes, I know it won’t get lost again. And I do hope that the birthday girl actually gets to try it on her next birthday. I’ll be making it for just about any occasion, and hope that you’ll try it, too!

Print Recipe

Shoofly Cheesecake

Rich, creamy cheesecake with the golden flavor of molasses.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Amish

Keyword: Molasses, Shoofly

Servings: 8

Ingredients

Shoofly Cake

• 1/3 c white whole wheat flour
• 1/4 c brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 1/2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp dark molasses
• 1/4 c boiling water
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• scant 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp vinegar

Crust

• 1 1/4 c almond meal/flour
• 1 Tbsp butter
• Pinch salt

Filling

• 8 oz Neufchatel cheese
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp white whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch salt
• 3 Tbsp Greek yogurt
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 c milk

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Shoofly Cake

• Combine the 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and cinnamon in the work bowl of food processor. Add the butter and pulse to fine crumbs. Alternately, cut in using a pastry blender. Spread this mix in an 8-inch pie pan or other shallow baking pan. Mix the molasses, boiling water, vanilla and baking soda. Add the vinegar, which will cause the mixture to foam. Quickly pour over the crumb mixture in the pie pan and dsitribute evenly. Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until the cake on top is set. Watch carefully, as it will burn easily. Remove and cool slightly. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

Crust

• Pour the almond meal and salt into the work bowl of food processor, pulse to combine, then pulse the 1 tablespoon of butter to very fine crumbs. Scoop one quarter of the baked shoofly cake into the food processor and process to crumbs. Butter a 9-inch pie pan, then press the crumb mixture in firmly. Bake at 325 degrees F. for 15 minutes. Remove and cool slightly. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Filling

• Combine all ingredients in workbowl of food processor and process to combine. Alternately, mix well in a large mixing bowl. Scoop the remainder of the shoofly cake into the work bowl and pulse to distribute throughout the filling mixture. If mixing by hand, fold the shoofly cake into the filling until it is distributed well. Pour the filling into the crust and bake at 300 degrees for 35-40 minutes, till set in the center. Remove to cooling rack. Cool, then chill for several hours before slicing.

Notes

Prepared as written, one 1/8 slice of cheesecake is approximately 24 grams of carbohydrate.

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