Matcha au Lait Cheesecake

i can't remember the last time i made a cheesecake, it was probably in 2007 or 2008. as ironic as it may seem, i think baking a cheesecake is just too much work. having to bake it in a waterbath means i have to juggle with a boiling kettle and then the long baking + cooling/chilling time simply puts me off. it was after i got this japanese cheesecake book that my interest for it started to re-ignite. i really like how the japanese incorporate ingredients like honeydew melon and yuzu into their cheesecakes, making a dense dessert become seemingly lighter. i also like the fact they use the word 'rare' to describe no-baked cheesecakes. sounds so pretty don't ya think? looking at this recipe reminds me of my favorite starbucks matcha latte and while its not that obvious, this has got a nice white chocolate topping, hence the name 'au lait'.

tastewise, i totally love this cheesecake! even though i can't really taste the matcha, i love how creamy it is. some cheesecakes can be quite dense and floury but this one is creamy and rather light for a baked version. despite the fact i did use a waterbath (the recipe didn't use that), my tops still got a little burnt, else i think the white chocolate swirl topping would shine through. also, the original recipe says to bake them using two 18cm (7") tins. i used 12cm (4.7") tins instead and as you can see they're already rather low in height. i can't imagine if i were to stick with 18cm ones, how much lower would it be? wonder if the recipe made a mistake somewhere.

p/s : if you remember junko fukuda, she's the author of a few books and one of the three co-authors of this book. so far i tried some of her recipes, the purple sweet potato & sesame marble cake as well as the black sesame chiffon and they all turned out very well. so including this one, i can safely say her recipes are very good!



recipe source : 我 ♥ 乳酪蛋糕 by 福田淳子，信太康代，柳濑久美子 (cheesecake book by junko fukuda, shida yasuyo & yanase kumiko)

ingredients (makes two 12cm/4.7in round removable tins) :

80g digestive biscuits, crushed

30g unsalted butter, melted

250g cream cheese, room temp

80g caster sugar (A)

50ml whipping cream (A)

1/2 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tbsp cake flour

2 tsps matcha powder

2 tsps caster sugar (B)

1 tbsp kirsch

20ml whipping cream (B)

100g white choc couverture, melted

directions :

1. mix together digestive biscuits and butter then press it firmly onto the bottom of the tins lined with baking paper. freeze until ready to use.

2. in a bowl whisk together cream cheese and sugar (A) until creamy. add in whipping cream (A) followed by egg and cake flour and whisk until well combined. measure out 25g of the mixture and set aside. whisk in matcha powder and sugar (B) to the rest of the cream cheese mixture followed by kirsch. pour mixture onto the digestive biscuit bases.

3. heat whipping cream (B) until boiling then combine with the melted white choc. add into the 25g of the cream cheese mixture and mix well. swirl or pour the white choc mixture on top of the matcha mixture then bake in a preheated oven of 160C for 35-40 mins or until firm and center is slightly wobbly. leave cheesecake in oven to cool completely then refrigerate for at least 2-3 hrs or overnight before unmolding.