Chocolate Yogurt Cheesecake Recipe

Chocolate Yogurt Cheesecake

I made a Yogurt Cheesecake previously and commented that technically it was not a cheesecake since yogurt is not cheese. And texturally it was not quite a cheesecake either. Nevertheless it was delicious. However, from the texture perspective, this chocolate cheesecake more closely resembles a cheesecake texture. And the taste is fantastic.

And this version of cheesecake is cheaper since Greek or Turkish yogurt is much cheaper than cream cheese. I still stand behind the comment I made on the Yogurt Cheesecake Recipe post, you can have 3-4 slices, with no guilt. But don’t blame me if you notice the effects later.

Ingredients

Base

⅓ cup almond meal

¾ cup plain flour

¼ cup caster (superfine) sugar

90g butter, chopped

Filling

2 cups Greek yogurt

330 grams milk chocolate, melted, cooled

4 eggs

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1½ tablespoons cornflour

1½ tablespoons water

Method

1.      To make the base, place the almond meal, flour, sugar and butter in a bowl. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until a rough dough forms.

2.      Line the base of a 20cm-round springform tin with baking paper. Place the base mixture into the base and flatten. Bake at 150°C/350°F until light golden, about 12-15 minutes.

3.      To make the filling, mix cornflour and water until there are no lumps, Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until the batter is smooth.

4.      Pour batter over the base and bake at 160°C/325°F until the centre is almost set, about 40-50 minutes.

5.      Remove from oven and run a metal spatula around the rim of the pan to loosen the cheesecake. This helps prevent cracking. Let the cheesecake cool for about 20-25 minutes before covering and placing in the refrigerator. Refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours or overnight before serving.

Yogurt Cheesecake Recipe

Yogurt cheesecake 

Technically this is not a cheesecake since yogurt is not cheese. I hope the recipe naming police does not find me!

Texturally this is not quite a cheesecake either. I associate cheesecakes with having a rich dense filling. This cheeseless cheesecake has a 'lighter' filling, as the photo shows. 

Yogurt cheesecake

But it is delicious. I can imagine yogurt chocolate cheesecake will produce a better texture. I will try this next time.

If you are keeping an eye on costs, this cheesecake is cheaper since Greek or Turkish yogurt is much cheaper than cream cheese. This means you can have 3-4 slices, with no guilt. But don’t blame me if you notice the effects later.

In the photo you will see that the filling to base ratio is a bit out. I used less filling and more base.

Ingredients

Base

⅓ cup almond meal

¾ cup plain flour

¼ cup caster (superfine) sugar

90g butter, chopped

Filling

3⅓ cup Greek yogurt

4 eggs

1⅓ cups caster sugar

¼ cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1½ tablespoons cornflour

1½ tablespoons water

Directions

1.     To make the base, place the almond meal, flour, sugar and butter in a bowl. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until a rough dough forms.

2.     Line the base of a 20cm-round springform tin with baking paper. Place the base mixture into the base and flatten. Bake at 150°C/350°F until light golden, about 12-15 minutes.

3.      To make the filling, mix cornflour and water until there are no lumps, Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until the batter is smooth.

4.      Pour batter over the base and bake at 160°C/325°F until the centre is almost set, about 40-50 minutes.

5.      Remove from oven and run a metal spatula around the rim of the pan to loosen the cheesecake. This helps prevent cracking. Let the cheesecake cool for about 20-25 minutes before covering and placing in the refrigerator. Refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours or overnight before serving.

Yogurt cheesecake

Semolina Coconut Apple Cake Recipe

Semolina Coconut Apple Cake

Semolina adds a fantastic soft grainy texture to cakes. I’ve made many different variations of semolina cake and it never disappoints.  The cake is also super moist.

I chopped the apples into centimeter cubes. As a result the apples maintained a slight crunch. If you prefer the apples to have a softer texture, cut into smaller cubes, or grate them.

Semolina Coconut Apple Cake

Ingredients

1 cup semolina

¾ cup desiccated coconut

½ cup chopped apples (or 1 cup if you prefer lots of apples)

¼ cup sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1¼ cups yogurt

½ cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

For syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

Juice from ½ lemon

Method

1.      Soak coconut in yogurt for ½ hour (optional)

2.      Beat eggs and sugar until sugar has dissolved

3.      Add yogurt, coconut, apples and oil and mix well.

4.      In a separate bowl mix together all the rest of the ingredients. Add to the liquid mixture and mix to combine. The batter will be quite 'wet'

5.      Line a 8×8 pan with baking paper and pour batter in it.

6.      Bake at 175°C/350°F until golden brown and delicious, about 25-30 minutes.

7.      To make the syrup: Boil water and sugar for 3 minutes. Add lemon juice and boil for further 3 minutes. Let it cool completely

8.      Pour the cold syrup over the warm cake. Let it cool completely, or chill, before serving.

Semolina Coconut Apple Cake

Butter Pork (Pork Makhani) Recipe

Butter pork

Butter pork is nowhere near as common as butter chicken. Pork and chicken have similarities, so what works with chicken generally works well with pork. 

Butter pork may sound a bit unappetizing. Pork is already considered fatty, adding butter may be a step too far. But it is not, only a small amount of butter is added. Cream is the main ingredient. You can use oil instead of butter. The result will still be very delicious, however its perhaps not a good idea to call it “oil pork’.

Adopted from Easily Good Eats

Butter pork

Ingredients

25g butter

2 tablespoons oil

500 g diced pork tenderloin (I used Svensk Rapsgris Karré)

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

2 teaspoon curry powder

Chili powder or fresh chilies (to taste)

30ml natural yogurt 

40ml tomato paste (or 1 cup tomato puree)

100 ml heavy cream

100 ml water or chicken stock (omit if using tomato puree)

Directions

1.      Heat butter and oil in a saucepan over medium heat.

2.      Add the onion and salt and cook until translucent.

3.      Add curry powder, ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Stir constantly

4.      Add pork pieces and cook until browned

5.      Reduce heat to low, add yogurt, tomato paste, cream and water and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally

Butter pork

Carrot Chocolate Sunflower Seed Cake Recipe

Carrot Chocolate Sunflower Seed Cake   

Carrots, chocolate and sunflower seeds are good for you. So are yogurt and eggs. And as a bonus, this cake is really delicious too. Rich and moist. 

The recipe is quite forgiving. If you use more or less oil or yogurt, the difference will hardly be noticeable.

Carrot Chocolate Sunflower Seed Cake

Ingredients

1 cup sugar (I used ¾ cup)

1/3 cup canola oil

¼ cup yogurt or sour cream

2 eggs

1 cup finely grated carrots

½ cup sunflower seeds (or other nuts, chopped)

1 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

¼ cup baking cocoa, sifted 

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

Ingredients

1.      Line a 9-in. round baking pan with baking paper

2.      In a large bowl, beat sugar, oil, yogurt and eggs until well blended, then add carrots and mix well

3.      In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, sunflower seeds, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into carrot mixture until blended. 

4.      Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 175°C/350°F until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes.

Semolina Tres Leches Cake Recipe

Tres leches cake

A tres leches cake involves soaking a basic cake in three kinds of milk: evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream. For the purposes of this recipe, cream is considered milk.

I made a semolina cake instead of a basic cake. Semolina gives a nice texture to cakes, and it is especially appealing in cakes that require soaking, such as Semolina Lemon Coconut Cake and Semolina Yogurt Cake.

Tres leches cake

Ingredients

1 cup semolina

½ cup sugar

1-1½ cups milk

½ cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

For the Syrup

12 oz. evaporated milk

14 oz. sweetened condensed milk

½ cup heavy cream or plain milk

Ingredients

1.      Beat eggs and sugar until sugar has dissolved

2.      Add yogurt and oil and mix well.

3.      Add all the rest of the ingredients and mix to combine. Start by adding a liter of milk and add more if the batter is not runny enough. Semolina absorbs a lot of moisture so if the batter turns out to be too runny, don't worry.

4.      Line a 8×8 pan with baking paper and pour batter in it.

5.      Bake at 175°C/350°F until golden brown and delicious, about 25-30 minutes.

6.      Let the cake cool to room temperature. Thoroughly pierce the cake with a fork and

7.      Mix the syrup ingredients and pour over the cake. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Occasionally, spoon the syrup that has runoff back onto the cake.