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What is Rare Cheesecake?
Rare cheesecake is Japan’s answer to no-bake cheesecake. It’s made with cream cheese (of course), whipped cream and yogurt which together create a light and refreshing dessert with a fluffy, mousse-like texture. Japanese rare cheesecake often contains gelatine for a little added stability, since the added yogurt makes the mixture quite soft.
Since this cheesecake contains no eggs and doesn’t require baking, there is little room for error. It’s super easy to make and perfect for summer! My Matcha Rare Cheesecake combines the sweet and tangy flavors of a classic no-bake cheesecake with the rich and earthy flavors of matcha green tea. It’s a must-try summer dessert for matcha lovers!
How I Developed This Recipe
Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts, and matcha is one of my favorite flavors so it’s only natural that I would experiment with matcha cheesecake at some point!
Summer in Japan is extremely hot and humid, and using the oven can become quite unbearable. If you want to enjoy homemade cheesecake in the summer, rare cheesecake is absolutely the way forward!
Rare cheesecake is a pretty fail-free dessert, so my main goal here was getting the best flavor with the perfect level of “matcha-ness”. Although this is down to personal preference, I think I’ve achieved the perfect balance of matcha, sweetness and tanginess in this cream cheese filling. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
Key Ingredients & Substitution Ideas
- The Base: A classic combination of crushed cookies and butter is used for this cheesecake. It’s difficult to find graham crackers in Japan, so I used Marie biscuits (マリー), also known as Maria cookies in the US. Feel free to add some sugar to the base for some added sweetness. You can also make it gluten-free by using your favorite gluten-free alternative.
- Cream Cheese: Use a full-fat cream cheese to ensure the filling has the right taste and consistency. I used Philadelphia.
- Heavy Cream: Also known as “heavy whipping cream” (or double cream) and one of the key ingredients that will help your cheesecake set!
- Plain Yogurt: Japanese rare cheesecakes often contain plain yogurt which adds a light and tangy flavor, and enhances the flavor of the cream cheese. For a richer flavor, you can also use greek yogurt.
- Powdered sugar: The finer the sugar, the easier it is for it to dissolve into the mixture. Powdered sugar also contains a little cornstarch which contributes to stability.
- Gelatine: A small amount of powdered unflavored gelatine will give an extra boost of stability to your cheesecake. I opt for the powdered type since it’s easier to use in small amounts.
- Matcha Powder: When it comes to desserts, using a good quality culinary-grade matcha is perfectly suitable, save your high-quality ceremonial matcha for drinking! Ito En’s unsweetened matcha powder (affiliate link) or something similar works great!
Tools:
- Electric whisk: This recipe is possible to make by hand, but whipping cream manually is a workout and an electric mixer of some kind will make your life easier!
- Springform pan: For easy removal, a springform pan works best. I use a 6″ pan (15cm) for a small but tall cheesecake. You can use an 8″ or 9″ pan by simply doubling the recipe.
- 3 Mixing bowls: It sounds like a lot, but one bowl will be used to mix the cream cheese, one to whip the cream and another to hold ice and keep the cream cold. I recommend glass or steel mixing bowls for whipping cream as they conduct heat (or cold) better. You can even chill the bowl for better results.
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make no-fail Matcha Rare Cheesecake. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
This section aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the cooking steps and techniques with visuals. It also includes more in-depth tips and tricks and explains why I do what I do.
Start by crushing your cookies using your preferred method. I like to use a freezer bag and a rolling pin so that there’s still a bit of crunch and texture, but you can use a food processor to get it super fine. Tip: for a sweeter and firmer base, add a few teaspoons of sugar.
Melt the butter and pour it into the bag, then massage until all the crumbs are saturated.
I like to wipe out the bowl of butter with kitchen paper and use it to lightly grease the springform pan. I also line the bottom with baking paper for easier removal later.
Pour the crumb mixture into the pan and press it down with a spoon or flat-based glass.
Once it’s well flattened, store in the refrigerator until later.
Before you make the filling, I recommend bringing all of your ingredients (except the whipping cream) to room temperature. This will help them combine more easily when mixing. You can also chill a mixing bowl in the freezer ready to whip the cream later (optional but makes the cream whip better).
If you’re short on time, place the cream cheese in a heatproof mixing bowl and microwave for 20-30 seconds to soften it. Whisk until smooth.
Once it’s smooth, you can add the yogurt, powdered sugar and vanilla essence.
When it’s all incorporated, set aside for later.
Measure the cold water into a small heat-proof bowl and sprinkle the gelatine on top. Mix well and set aside for 10 minutes to let it bloom.
Take two mixing bowls, add a handful of ice to one and then place the other one on top. I recommend using glass or steel mixing bowls for this. Pour about 1/3 of the cream into the empty bowl and sift in the matcha.
Whip with an electric whisk until smooth. If you have one, I also find using a milk frother works really well to break up any stubborn lumps of matcha, but of course, this is optional.
Once the matcha is smooth and well combined, add the rest of the cream and whip until firm peaks. The firmness of the cream is vital for the success of your cheesecake.
Pour the matcha whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture and whisk until combined.
Once combined, melt the gelatine by heating it in the microwave at 20-second intervals. Make sure the gelatine is completely dissolved before pouring it into the cheesecake mixture, undissolved gelatine can cause a grainy texture!
Mix until evenly distributed throughout the cheesecake filling.
Pour the filling over the biscuit base and smooth out the top.
Cover and set in the refrigerator for 8 hours, preferably overnight.
Once fully set, sprinkle with matcha powder and decorate with your choice of fruits and/or mint leaves.
Enjoy!
Jump to Full Recipe MeasurementsHow to Store
This Matcha Rare Cheesecake can be stored for around 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
Since it contains yogurt and gelatine, this recipe is not suitable for freezing.
FAQ
Here are answers to frequently asked questions I have received across all platforms, including here, YouTube, and Pinterest. If you have any questions, feel free to send them to me anytime! It will be a big help for everyone in this community!
The main cause of no-bake cheesecake not setting is when the heavy cream isn’t whipped enough. You need to whip to stiff peaks before mixing it with the cream cheese. It also needs to rest in the refrigerator overnight to set completely.
If you over-whip the cream, it can start to separate and become grainy so it’s important to stop whipping before this point. Using coarser sugars like granulated might also have trouble dissolving in the mixture, so it’s better to stick with powdered sugar in this recipe.
Matcha (green tea powder) does not dissolve, it simply disperses through whatever you mix it with. It is also prone to clumping, which is why I recommend sifting it before adding to it any dessert mixtures.
I hope you enjoy this Matcha Rare Cheesecake recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Japanese Dessert Recipes
- Lemon Rare Cheesecake
- Matcha and Dark Chocolate Brownies
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Lawson‘s Caramel Basque-Style Cheesecake
Want more inspiration? Explore my Japanese Dessert Roundup Post for a carefully selected collection of tasty recipe ideas to satisfy your next sweet craving!
Matcha Rare Cheesecake (No Bake)
Equipment
- 1 6" Spring Form Pan (15cm) (for 8" or 9" inch pans, double the recipe)
Ingredients
- 75 g graham crackers or similar plain biscuit/cookie
- 40 g butter melted
- 1 tbsp cold water
- 1 tsp unflavored gelatine powder
- 200 g cream cheese full fat, softened
- 150 g plain natural yogurt or greek yogurt
- 2 drops vanilla essence
- 60 g powdered sugar
- 175 ml heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbsp matcha powder plus extra for sprinkling
- fresh berries optional decoration
- mint leaves optional decoration
Instructions
- Pour 75 g graham crackers into a sealable freezer bag and crush with a rolling pin until fine crumbs. (If you prefer them super fine, feel free to use a food processor.)
- Melt 40 g butter and pour it into the bag. Massage until the crumbs are evenly covered.
- Line the base of a springform pan with a piece of baking paper, and lightly grease the edges with a little butter. Pour the crumbs into the pan and press flat. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
- Pour 1 tbsp cold water into a small heatproof bowl and sprinkle 1 tsp unflavored gelatine powder over the top. Mix and leave to bloom for about 10 minutes.
- Place 200 g cream cheese in a glass bowl and whisk until smooth. If it's too stiff to mix, microwave for 20-30 seconds to soften.
- Add 150 g plain natural yogurt, 2 drops vanilla essence and 60 g powdered sugar to the bowl and whisk until combined. Set aside while you mix the cream.
- Take a large bowl, add a handful of ice and place another empty mixing bowl on top. Measure out 175 ml heavy whipping cream and pour about one-third into the empty bowl. Add 2 tbsp matcha powder and whip until combined.
- Add the rest of the cream and continue to whip until thick with firm peaks.
- Pour the matcha cream into the cream cheese mixture and mix until combined.
- Microwave the bloomed gelatine in 20-second intervals until fully melted, then pour it into the cheesecake filling and mix until evenly distributed.
- Pour the mixture over the biscuit base and smooth the top with a palette knife. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
- Remove from the pan and decorate with a sprinkle of matcha powder, some fresh berries and mint leaves before serving. Enjoy!
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