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)

*recipe removed due to copyright restrictions.