cheesecake | Miss Amateur Chef's Blog

Phew! I survived another V-day! Never have been a big fan of this “Hallmark holiday”, I sometimes like to think of myself as a Valentine’s day scrooge with a secret desire to ruin everyone else’s best laid plans (like booking every other seat in the cinema so couples can’t sit together!!). That being said, I think romance and love and caring and all those gushy sweet feelings we have for others should be celebrated every day… Why not start doing so by making this cheesecake for your loved ones?

Because a piece of classic New York cheesecake- likes any great love, never goes out of style. ❤

p.s. I like to have mine looking all rustic, cracked and glorious… but do feel free to add any toppings you like!

Yield an 8-inch cake (3 inches in height)

Ingredients:

Crust-

16 digestive crackers, crushed
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling-

3.5 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 1/4 cups white sugar
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease a 8-inch pan.
In a medium bowl, mix digestive cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press onto bottom of pan.
In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar with hand mixer until smooth. Blend in milk, and then add in the eggs (one at a time), mix until just incorporated.
Add in plain yogurt, vanilla and flour, mix until smooth. Pour filling into prepared crust.
Bake in preheated oven for 50min. Turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door closed for 2 hours to prevent cracking.
Sprinkle icing sugar on top. Chill in refrigerator until serving.

Happy mother’s day!! Being a mom is one of the most rewarding jobs on the planet, but let’s be honest, the job also comes with burnout, sleep deprivation and countless moments of insanity. Moms hold so many positions, chef, maid, nurse, financial advisor, personal shopper, psychiatrist and superhero to name but a few. Think about all the fashion phases you went in and out of as a teenager, all the hobbies you obsessed about for two weeks before moving on to something new, and all the dreams and ambitions you had as a little girl… She supported you through every single one of them. Mother’s Day comes once a year, and even though you should celebrate your mother every single day of the calendar, today is really when she should be treated like a queen- because she, without a doubt, deserves it!

Stayed up late last night to make this non-bake cheesecake: sakura blossoms are a classic Japanese ingredient, which not only has a very unique flavor but also adds beauty to the cake; and the tofu-based cheesecake gives a pleasantly refreshing taste.

For a special mom like mine deserves better than standard delivered bouquet =)

(Serving one 7’ cheesecake)

Base:

200g graham biscuits (crushed)
80g butter (melted)

Filling:

Silken Tofu 350g
200 g cream cheese (room temperature)
40g sugar
250ml whipping cream
15g gelatin
1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:

Konnyaku powder
Sugar
Water
Pickled Sakura

Method:

Rinse off the salt on the pickled sakura and soak with clean water for 2 hours .
In a small bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter and mix well. Press into the bottom of a 7’ springform pan with removable base. Chill until firm.
In a small bowl, dissolve gelatin in 100ml of water, stir until well combined. Warm up in microwave oven until the gelatin is fully dissolved. Set aside the mixture and allow it to cool completely.
In a mixing bowl, mix cream cheese and Tofu until combined. Sieve the mixture afterwards.
Beat whipping cream and sugar at medium speed until fluffy (around 5min).
Lastly, gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese-tofu mixture. Add in gelatin solution and vanilla extract.
Remove the prepared cake pan from refrigerator, then pour the cream cheese mixture on the cake pan. Refrigerate for about 4-5 hours or overnight.
Topping: Combine the konnyaku powder and water in a small pot, stir until well combined, then set aside and allow it to cool completely.
Remove the cheese cake from refrigerator, gently pour the mixture on top of the cheese cake, then gently place the pickled sakura on the topping mixture and arrange them nicely.
Refrigerate until the topping is set.