Hojicha Chestnut Cheesecake 焙茶栗子起司蛋糕
Today is the 3-year anniversary of my Instagram account. To celebrate, I am bringing my kitchen journey to a brand new world here and documenting my kitchen creations in more detailed and descriptive ways. And the first recipe I am going to write about and share here with you guys is this hojicha tea infused cheesecake with chestnut cream and vanilla whipped cream.
I originally developed the recipe for Shavuot, a Jewish holiday to celebrate harvest season and people traditionally eat a lot of dairy food on this holiday, including cheesecakes. I love pairing dessert with tea, and tea infused recipes are one of the things I create very often. This cheesecake recipe is no exception. I used the Japanese roasted green tea as my tea base to pair with the creamy and rich cheesecake. And to add some more flavor, I added a layer of chestnut cream between the cake and the vanilla whipped cream. Instead of freestyle spreading on the whipped cream, I piped them on, creating a pearl like pattern, and randomly dotted with some chestnut cream to have a contrast of color just for the aesthetics. For me, the look and the taste of the food are almost equally important, so whenever I can, I always try to make sure my recipes can be presented in cute or pretty ways!
Hojicha chestnut cheesecake 焙茶栗子起司蛋糕
Yield 4 small 3” cakes
Base Ingredients
Graham cracker, 75g
Almond, 25g, toasted
Hojicha powder, 1 tsp
Unsalted butter, 40g
Cake Ingredients
Cream cheese, 342g
Sour cream, 45ml
Light brown sugar, 80g
Eggs, 2
Hojicha tea leaves, 1 ½ TBS, ground
Vanilla extract, ½ tsp
Lemon, zested to get 1 TBS
Topping Ingredients
Chestnuts, 100g, cooked and peeled
Water, 40ml
Light brown sugar, 70g
Heavy cream, ¼ cup
Vanilla extract, ⅛ tsp
Hojicha tea leaves, 1 TBS, ground
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325F, grease the cake rings, and line the sides with parchment paper with at least 1 ½” overhang. Place the rings on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan, once melted, remove from the heat and add in the hojicha powder. Mix a little bit. Set aside to infuse and cool a little.
In a small food processor, add in the almond and pulse several times until evenly chopped, add in the graham cracker and continue to pulse until they are all finely chopped into crumbles. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add in the infused melted butter. Mix well. Divide the mixture evenly into the cake rings and use the bottom of a glass or a spoon to firmly press the base into an even layer. Place them into the fridge while preparing for the cake.
In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese and sugar. Add in the sour cream and eggs and continue to mix. Followed by the hojicha powder, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Continue to mix until well combined.
Pour the batter into the cake rings, bake for 25-30 minutes until the edges are set but the center is still a bit wobbly. Turn off the oven, use a wooden spoon to leave a crack in the oven door, leave the cakes inside the oven for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven, let it cool completely and cover the top with plastic wrap, set in the fridge overnight.
Melt the sugar in water in a small saucepan. In a small food processor, puree the chestnut with 1 tsp of the sugar water. Add another tsp if needed. Once pureed, transfer to the saucepan with the sugar water, stir to combine. Cook the mixture over medium low heat until it thickens. Set aside to cool.
When ready to serve. Whip the heavy cream until stiff peak. Transfer both the chestnut cream and the whipped cream into two piping bags.
Take the cakes out of the fridge, remove the parchment paper and the cake ring. Transfer to a serving platter. Pipe a thin layer of chestnut cream on top of each cake. Pipe the whipped cream and the chestnut on top of the cake. Scatter on some more ground hojicha.
