Feather Light Cheesecake
Submitted by dot9866
A feather-light cheesecake lightened with whipped egg whites for an airy texture, on a cinnamon zwieback crust, finished with a sour cream, crumb, and almond topping. Far lighter than dense New York style.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
7 minREADY
8 hrsTrue to its name, this cheesecake eats light and airy rather than dense and heavy, and the trick is in the eggs. Only the whites are used, beaten stiff with sugar and folded into smooth cream cheese, which aerates the filling so it bakes up almost souffle-soft.
It sits on a crisp crust of crushed zwieback bound with butter and a little cinnamon, pre-baked and chilled so it stays firm under the filling. After the cheesecake sets in the oven, a tangy layer of sweetened sour cream is spread over the top and baked briefly, then showered with the reserved spiced crumbs and slivered almonds for crunch.
The last step is the hardest: patience. An overnight chill in the springform is what lets the cake firm up and the flavors settle, so don’t rush it to the table.
Chef Tips
- Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold them in gently; that air is what gives the cake its feather-light texture.
- Chill the crumb crust after its pre-bake so it stays crisp and holds together when sliced.
- Refrigerate the finished cheesecake overnight; it needs the time to set fully and slice cleanly.
- Run a knife around the edge before releasing the springform so the top doesn’t crack or tear.
Variations
- Use graham crackers or vanilla wafers if you can’t find zwieback.
- Top with fresh berries or a fruit compote alongside the almonds.
- Add lemon or orange zest to the filling for a brighter flavor.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 375℉ (190℃) F.
Use the steel blade of the food processor; drop the zwieback cookies into the processor, one at a time, and process until fine.
Add the sugar and cinnamon.
Melt butter and pour in.
Process 2 seconds or until crumbs are moistened.
Reserve ¾ cup of crumbs.
Press the rest into bottom and sides of a buttered 25 cm springform pan.
Bake 10 minutes.
Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Wash the food processor bowl.
Preheat oven to 175 cup .
Cut the cheese into 30 g pieces.
Process with steel blade until smooth.
In another bowl, beat the eggs until stiff.
Blend sugar into the egg whites and pour into processor bowl.
Process with cream cheese until smooth.
Add vanilla.
Process for 2 seconds.
Pour mixture into crust and bake for 25 minutes.
Preheat oven to 250 cup .
Mix together the sour cream, sugar and vanilla.
Pour and spread over the top of cake.
Sprinkle reserved crumbs to cover topping.
Arrange slivered almonds over the crumbs.
Bake for 7 minutes.
Refrigerate overnight.
The next morning open the springform pan and knock off excess crust.
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