Matcha cheesecake and spring florals are how I helped celebrate my daughter’s 17th birthday. Beyond adding pure Matcha green tea powder for gorgeous natural flavor and color, a slight change to my typical recipe created an incredible mousse-like texture, to completely elevate cheesecake for an unforgettable result. There is no turning back: adding tofu is the key.
Hang out with me to see how I put this together – from combining simple ingredients into a next-level cheesecake, to the thoughtfully-curated florals, all shown in a step-by-step video. Click here to view my quick YouTube video, and scroll down to download the written recipe, and see the florals and slice up-close.
This cheesecake is set apart from any I have ever made or tasted. It is light, airy, and not overly sweet. Cheesecake mousse seems to be the closest description to the end-result. I am going to make this again very soon. Next time, I imagine trying it without matcha, and a gluten-free/oat-based crust, with vanilla-blueberry-lavender cheesecake. I hope it works, so that I can make it happen for my work/Mili’s Sweets.
My daughter requested cheesecake as her birthday dessert, and she loves Matcha, so that love sparked this creation. The end result was honestly a surprise, and turned out more amazing than I imagined it would.
This dessert was going to be an automatic-winner with my kids. Cheesecake is one of their all-time favorites. My husband, on the other hand, is not even a “sweets person,” and doesn’t care for cheesecake or green tea flavors at all, so I was on the fence whether he would taste it at all. He did, and absolutely loved it. He talked about this a couple days after we cut into it too! The green tea flavor is subtle, and for us it was just right. Below I share how I recommend making it for an even more intense Matcha experience.
This Matcha cheesecake made for a special memory and despite a second birthday celebration within pandemic circumstances, was actually filled with hope and joy and much less uncertainty – as it should feel for the first day of Spring. As a family and as individuals, I think we have come a long way together in this year.
I wasn’t going to share this recipe with you and the blog, unless I knew it was a keeper. This is a keeper. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Next up, I share a close-up about the florals I used for a small arrangement, and to decorate the cheesecake.
Matcha Cheesecake
Ingredients
graham cracker crust
- 1 cup butter two sticks, cut into pats and almost totally melted.
- 2 and 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
cheesecake
- 32 ounces cream cheese Four, 8oz. packages – full fat
- 6 ounces tofu any variety or softness. I used organic, medium-firm, removed from the packaged liquid and patted-dry.
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 6 eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract optional
- 1/3 cup pure matcha green tea powder This is the amount I used for a subtle and beautiful flavor. For added matcha flavor, I recommend adding up to three tablespoons of additional (must be pure) Matcha powder.
Instructions
graham cracker crust
- Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 176 Celsius. Prepare your springform pan. I use non-stick spray, a piece of parchment paper at the bottom and a dusting of flour.
- In a bowl, cut butter into pats and melt. (I tend to zap it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds at a time until the pats are almost totally melted.)
- Add the graham cracker crumbs and sugar onto the melted butter. Fold until completely combined.
- Spoon onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Pat down and then smooth out until even and level.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes, depending on your oven. Next, prepare the cheesecake filling.
cheesecake
- Pre-heat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit or 148 Celsius. Seal the bottom and sides of the grahamcracker crust-prepared springfoam pan, with aluminum foil. Place the foiled pan in the center of a high-sided baking sheet, so that you can later add water.
- In a bowl, mix the cream cheese and tofu together.
- Add the sugar and optional vanilla extract. Mix.
- Add 6 eggs, one at a time until completely combined.
- Scrape the paddle or mixing attachment.
- Mix on high speed for 1-3 minutes.
- Fold in the pure Matcha powder until completely combined.
- Pour on top of the prepared graham cracker crust.
- Place the sheet pan with the foiled and filled springform pan, into your pre-heated oven. I recommend placing it at a near-bottom rack.
- Pour about 4 cups of water into the pan, so that it reaches 1/3-1/2 up the baking cheesecake. This amount depends on the size of the baking sheet you are using. It does not have to be exact.
- Check the cheesecake at the center at about one hour. It took me 1 hour and 20 minutes to bake this. It should not brown and it may start to crack. You can check the center for doneness as it should be soft but firm and not wet. The exact time will depend on your pan and your oven. It will not need to bake for more than an hour and a half.
- After the cheesecake has cooled to room temperature, (you can cover it or not) keep it inside the springform pan and place in the refrigerator over night.
- Easily remove the cheesecake from the pan and serve. Keep in the refrigerator for up to four days, or freeze for up to three weeks to enjoy at on a later date.
Video
Mili’s recommendations from the Glorified Hobby affiliate shop:
I had it in my mind, that I would make a floral arrangement for my daughter, to go with a first day of Spring theme, and use extra pieces to decorate her birthday cheesecake in a super-beautiful and special way. That was as my intention. I wasn’t able to plan ahead, and this was as last-minute decision, so I had to look for inspiration in whatever was available from a local supplier the day before. I’m so happy that I was able to make this happen.
When my daughter was a baby, and just big enough to hold a watering can, my husband built us/her a little garden. Inside at either end of the little rectangle box were daffodils, just like these. They were always the first sign that Spring was near, as they would be the very first thing to come up and bloom. It is such a sweet memory. Every single time I see daffodils, I think of my baby-girl.
I chose two types of ranunculus (classic and ruffled) because they are her favorite flower and I always try to make them happen in some way for her birthday. This is the perfect time, and when they are in-season. Pink and green is a loved color combination and I knew these would tie-in so beautifully with the natural color of Matcha.
I chose sweet pea because I call my kids ‘sweet peas’ and they are just so pretty and add a little extra color and grace. Finally, I pulled new jasmine vines and lavender from my backyard, to stretch it all out, and give it a little extra something. For more details about some of the florals I do for the florist-side of Glorified Hobby, please visit my Instagram, or florals page on this blog.
So there you have it my friends. I hope you enjoy this recipe, and the natural beauty of these flowers! Let me know what you think if you do get the ingredients together to make this cheesecake happen at home.
Take care,
