Known in Israel as crumble-cheesecake, this is one of the most popular cheesecakes in the country.
As with most other Israeli cheesecakes, this one uses the Israeli white cheese, a type German quark. A good alternative is Turkish labneh, which is less sour than the traditional labneh, available at Middle Eastern supermarkets. Another, more readily available alternative, is to use a combination of cream cheese, sour cream and Greek yogurt (details in the recipe below.)
12
servings30
minutesKnown in Israel as crumble-cheesecake, this is one of the most popular cheesecakes in the country.
As with most other Israeli cheesecakes, this one uses the Israeli white cheese, a type German quark. A good alternative is Turkish labneh, which is less sour than the traditional labneh, available at Middle Eastern supermarkets. Another, more readily available alternative, is to use a combination of cream cheese, sour cream and Icelandic yogurt – SKYR (details in the recipe below.)
Use a 9” x 12” cake or a 11” round cake pan (a slightly smaller or larger pan will work as well, and will just make a taller or shorter cake)
INGREDIENTS
- For the base
2.5 cups flour
0.5 tsp baking powder
0.5 cup sugar
0.5 teaspoon kosher salt
12 Tablespoons butter, cold
2 egg yolks
- For the cheese filling
2 cups heavy cream
10 TBSP sugar
3.2 oz. pack INSTANT vanilla pudding mix
20 oz. Israeli white cheese, quark or Turkish labneh (Or 8 oz. sour cream and 16 oz. Icelandic yogurt – SKYR)
Zest of one lemon
Pinch kosher salt (optional)
DIRECTIONS
- Make the base: turn oven to 325 F degrees. Grease a 9” round cake pan and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Put flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in the food processor, then cut butter into the mix and pulse. Add the yolks and pulse to get crumbs, add 2-4 tablespoons cold water if crumbs are not created after the first few pulses.
- Using your hands, gently flatten ⅔ of the dough into the greased pan, spread the rest on the baking sheet. Bake until the dough just begins to turn golden on the sides and a bit harder to the touch, about 20-22 minutes. Let cool completely on a cooling rack. After 15 minute you can transfer the cake pan into the fridge, to make the cooling process faster.
- If you’re using the combination of cream cheese, sour cream and Greek yogurt, put them all in a food processor and pulse briefly just until smooth. Set aside. Continue with the directions as usual.
- To make the cheese filling start whipping the heavy cream with the sugar with a mixer on m low speed. With mixer running, sprinkle pudding powder on the cream, raise the speed and whip to light whipped cream consistency. Do not over-whip, as the pudding will help the mixture thicken later. Fold in the Israeli cheese or cream cheese mixture and lemon zest using a spatula. Taste and add a pinch of salt if you want (the
Israeli cheese is a bit salty, so it depends on the cheese you’re using.) Pour the mixture on the baked crust in the pan and use an icing spatula to make the top even. - Crumble the baked dough from the baking sheet on top of the filling. Refrigerate covered for 8 hours, and preferably overnight, before serving. The cake keeps in the fridge up to 5 days.
Can u freeze for 2 weeks ?
Hi for some reason I can’t see the measurements amounts. Is there a problem with the website
Thanks for the question, yes, it’s the second time it has happened. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll fix it asap.