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Light-as-air Israeli cheesecake with crumb topping

Israeli cheesecake is light, tangy and airy, like a dip in a cool pool on a hot summer's day. It requires no baking and only 10 minutes of work. What makes Israeli cheesecake so light is the use of a special low fat cheese, called simply 'White Cheese' (gvina levana). I have used 10% fat yogurt here in its stead, and loved the result. If you can't find 10% yogurt, you can also use low-fat ricotta, quark cheese, or even 5% Philadelphia cream cheese, though that would be my last choice.

Prep Time
1 d
Cook Time
mins
Total Time
1 d 10 mins
Servings: 8 -10
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Israeli

Ingredients

  • 200 g vanilla petit beurre biscuits or Graham Crackers broken into pieces
  • 100 g almonds optional; if you're allergic to nuts, use another 100 grams of biscuits
  • 100 g butter melted
  • 500 ml whipping cream
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 80 g instant vanilla pudding
  • 200 ml high-fat sour cream
  • 500 grams 10% yogurt Mediterranean style/ ricotta cheese/ quark cheese/ 5% Philadelphia cream cheese
  • Zest of one orange or one lemon

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. If using 10% yogurt, ricotta cheese or quark cheese, drain them in a colander covered with cheesecloth for a few hours, or even overnight.
  2. Process biscuits and almonds in a food processor until they are finely ground. Mix in melted butter, and stir until well combined and lumps are formed (I found that stirring with clean hands worked best, and it helps to gauge the texture).
  3. Line a springform pan with parchment paper for ease of removal (you can use anything 9"/23cm and over; 8" will produce a very tall cake) . Cover the bottom with ⅔ of the crumb batter, making a crust.
  4. Using a hand-held blender or a standing blender, whip whipping cream, sugar and vanilla pudding until a stable cream is formed. Add sour cream, drained yogurt and citrus zest, and continue blending until stable. Pour mixture into cake form, and top with remaining crumb mixture.
  5. Cool in fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, or ovenight.