Recipe from James Campbell : Japanese Patisserie
31 December 2019
A delicious showstopper cheesecake perfect for any occasion AND manageable for amateur home bakers. Safe for those I-CAN'T-AFFORD-TO-MESS-UP occasions such as a New Year's Eve dinner.
Holy Smokes... A no-bake cheesecake that actually set!
I have attempted no-bake cheesecakes before- Tasty's Matcha Layered Cheesecake, to be exact; and for a party, no less. Guess what? A night in the fridge AND the freezer later,
fate still wouldn't have it- I was left with a thick soup of matcha cheesecake. Thank god we had chocolates and other dessert options to spare. Unsurprisingly, I have since been cautious about anything that required gelatine in it.
On a side note, Recipe TinEat's baked cheesecake is safe and absolutely delicious for a fail-proof party bake! However, I always halve the sugar in the recipe, and I do not add any additional sugar into the biscuit base. I'll link it down below!
I wanted to get fancy for New Year's Eve, plus I thought that attempting something out of the usual would be a great start to my 2020 resolution of upping my baking game. This White Sesame Adzuki Bean Cheesecake was quite the showstopper! The flavour is a really nice balance between sweet and savoury- perfect for those who prefer a less sweet dessert. The texture is really smooth, soft and airy- kinda like a tofu cheesecake- the type where it is at once rich, but light at the same time. I made this while in Malaysia, and I couldn't find any gelatine leaves so I substituted it with 1 whole packet of agar-agar powder (the standard 10g one you can get as individual packets). It worked but the cake was really soft so I might need to experiment with the amount a bit more.
The biscuit base offers a really nice, crunchy texture contrast. So you really get a full punch of flavour, complemented with a surprisingly light texture such that you'll get the satisfaction of a dense cheesecake, but wouldn't feel sick after having it (especially after a big dinner). You get me? Plus, this unique flavour, accentuated with a Chocolate Sesame Soil, would most likely arouse a hushed 'wow' across the table.
The Soil is impressive to talk about and really not hard to make! I find it a wonderful addition into anyone's baking repertoire- a quick and versatile element that can ornament any dessert.
Overall, I really like this recipe and would definitely make it again.
For the koshian, I used the recipe from :
I'm constantly trying to get the best texture and taste in desserts with the minimal amount of sugar, so I halved the sugar in this recipe as well. Aesthetically, it didn't turn out very glossy, but taste-wise, it blended well with the cheesecake recipe.
Homemade Tahini
Ingredients
150g Roasted Sesame Seeds
2-4 Tbsp Olive Oil / Vegetable Oil as needed
Salt to taste
Roast white sesame seeds / toast them in a toaster until fragrant.
In a food processor or blender, blend roasted sesame seeds, 2 tbsp of oil and salt to taste. Add more oil as needed until paste is just mixable.
Ta-da! Thats it!
Enjoy!!
Links:
RecipeTin Eats Baked Cheesecake:
James Campbell : Japanese Patisserie