Green Tea and Black Sesame Cheesecake

This was a great Asian-inspired cheesecake to make. I used graham cracker crust from the NY cheesecake. When I added the matcha topping, I used a spoon to dollop in on top and tried to make sure it covered the entire service area of the springform pan.

Matcha Black Sesame Cheesecake (~from Oh Sweet Day)

Ingredients (8-inch cake):

Hazelnut Shortbread Crust

·       2/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

·       6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

·       3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

·       1/3 cup granulated sugar

·       1 teaspoon salt

Cheesecake

·       2 packages of 8-ounce cream cheese, softened

·       1 cup sour cream, room temperature

·       1 cup sugar

·       1 tablespoon vanilla extract

·       2 large eggs, room temperature

·       4 tablespoons matcha powder

·       1/3 cup black sesame powder

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven at 350F. Grease and line an 8-inch spring form pan.

2.     Make the crust by mixing all the crust ingredients in a food processor, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Press the mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake crust for 15 to 18 minutes. Set aside to cool. Turn down oven temperature to 300F.

3.     In the bowl of a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, mix cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla extract until combined.

4.     Add eggs, one at a time. Blend for another 2 minutes until well combined.

5.     Divide batter into two equal portions. Add 2 tablespoons matcha powder to one, and black sesame powder to another. Mix until well combined.

6.     Pour the black sesame filling in the prepare pan. Dollop matcha filling on top with a big spoon. Use a knife to swirl the mixture together.

7.     Position rack in the centre of oven and place cheesecake on it. Place a shallow pan full of water on the lower rack in the oven.

8.     Bake for an hour, or until the edge of the cheesecake is puffed but the centre is still wobbly and wet looking.

9.     Turn off the oven with the door slightly opened, let the cheesecake sit in the oven to cool completely, at least an hour.

10.  Remove from the oven. Chill for overnight.

11.  Sprinkle the remaining matcha powder on top of the cake before serving.