You may recall that last week I posted a recipe for homemade ricotta from buttermilk and sour cream, well this is what the ricotta became and it was delicious! It was a cake I made for our dear friends Rae and Mon when they invited us for dinner one night in June. Check out the notes, I give some very good tips on how to bake a cheesecake without it cracking!
Lime and Matcha Cheesecake
A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe
Makes one 23 cm cheesecake
For the Crust:
- 175 g graham cracker crumbs
- 50 g butter, melted
- 35 g coconut sugar
- pinch of cinnamon
- 10 g unsweetened coconut
- 1.5 g lime zest (about 1 lime)
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Line the bottom of a 23 cm springform pan with parchment grease it well including the sides.
- Line the outside bottom of the pan with foil tightly. Cover the outside of another, slightly larger pan with foil so that it is water resistant.
- Combine all of the above crust ingredients and mix until well coated with the butter. This step may be done in a food processor.
Press into the prepared smaller pan and bake for 20 minutes. Cool completely.Decorate with lime zest, matcha powder, coconut and thinly sliced limes.
For the Cheesecake:
- 150 g granulated sugar, divided
- 4 eggs, separated
- 300 g buttermilk, sour cream ricotta (recipe)
- 120 g sour cream
- 3 g lime zest (about 2 limes)
- 50 mL lime juice (~2 limes)
- 15 g AP flour (check weight)
- 5 g matcha powder
- pinch of salt
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 325° F.
- Beat the egg whites with 50 g of sugar until stiff shiny peaks form.
- Beat the egg yolks with 100 g of sugar until they are thick and pale.
- Add the ricotta and greek yogurt to the egg yolk mixture and then add the lime juice and zest and beat until well blended.
- Sift the flour and matcha powder into ricotta mixture.
- Finally, fold the beaten egg whites into the ricotta mixture until well blended. Spoon into the chilled prepared crust.
- Set the pan into the slightly larger pan with the bottom covered in foil, and set both into a tall-sided roasting pan and pour just hot water into the roasting pan so it goes about half-way up the sides.
- Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the centre doesn’t jiggle when gently shaken. Turn the oven off, allow to cool in the oven undisturbed. Once cool, refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Decorate with lime zest and matcha. Serve with lime infused whipping cream or with blueberries.

A deliciously flavoured, baked cheesecake.
Notes:
- I always beat my egg whites first so that I don’t need to wash my mixer whisk attachment.
- To prevent cracking while baking and cooling:
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- Set the 23 cm springform pan into a slightly larger, springform pan with the bottom covered tightly with foil to double ensure water-tightness and insulate the sides so that the outside bakes at the same rate as the inside.
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- Set both pans into a high-sided roasting pan.
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- Fill the roasting pan (not the larger springform pan) with hot water to about the middle height of the springform pans.
- Step 3 and 4 may be done in a large food processor, which will result in a smooth cheesecake, otherwise, the ricotta curds will add some texture to the cake.