Pineapple Yoghurt Cheesecake

The pineapple yogurt cheesecake has been on my to-bake list for a very long time. So for this Valentine’s Day, I decided to give it a go. It is pretty awesome. The yogurt and pineapple makes this cheesecake lighter than the usual baked cheesecake. I love the biscuit sponge, which is like a thin sponge cake base. So good I can eat it by itself.

Pineapple Yoghurt Cheesecake
(recipe adapted from Okashi by Keiko Ishida)

Special Biscuit Sponge
40g pastry flour
20g corn flour
35g unsalted butter, melted
90g egg whites
80g caster sugar
80g egg yolks

Pineapple Yogurt Cream Cheese
130g canned pineapple, cut into small cubes
200g cream cheese
80g castor sugar
300g natural yogurt (Sugar Free Plain Yogurt)
100g whipping cream
zest of 1 lemon
5g gelatin sheets

To make special biscuit sponge:

1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. Line 28x28cm square cake pan with baking paper.
3. Sift pastry flour and corn flour.
4. Beat egg whites with an electric mixer until foamy.
5. Add sugar to egg whites and beat until stiff peaks form.
6. Add egg yolks and beat until combine.
7. Fold flours into egg mixture with spatula.
8. Pour melted butter into batter and fold well.
9. Pour batter into cake pan and spread evenly with a scraper.
10. Bake for 10-15 mins.
Optional- Peel off brown skin from the top of sponge.

To make pineapple yogurt cream cheese:

1. Soaked gelatin sheets in iced water to soften.
2. Beat cream cheese and castor sugar with an electric mixture until creamy.
2. Add yogurt, cream and zest and beat until combine.
3. Place softened gelatin sheets in double boiler over simmering water until melted.
4. Add cream cheese mixture into melted gelatin and mix until incorporated.
5. Transfer half yogurt cream cheese into another bowl.
6. Add pineapple to half the yogurt cream cheese and fold together.

To assemble:

1. Using an 18x18cm square cake pan, cut out 18cm square from biscuit sponge.
2. Line cake pan with baking paper (optional if you have a cake pan with removable base).
3. Place biscuit sponge in cake pan.
4. Pour pineapple yogurt cream cheese mixture over biscuit sponge.
5. Level evenly with a scraper.
6. Pour remaining yogurt cream cheese over and level evenly again
7. Refrigerate overnight to set.