Baked Green Tea & Red Bean Cheesecake

I've mentioned before I wasn't a big fan of green tea for sweets & cakes.

I've changed since the trip to Paris last year & I've tried 'Bamboo' the green tea entremet from Sadaharu Aoki.

It has been a while since then that I made anything of green tea flavour.

Simply because I have a long baking list & as a chocoholic, most of them are chocolate.

Last week, I baked a green tea cheesecake with red or azuki beans, which is a classic combo.

The cheesecake is smooth, the bitterness of green tea was nicely balanced by the sweet beans, yet not overtaking the green tea flavour.

Good quality green tea powder is the key, for taste & intense shade of green.

As green tea powder get oxidised & the colour fades once opened, I bought small sachets from Vitalife, I found it very handy.

As Valentine's day is near, I also baked a few in heart shape.

Recipe (7" round):

Crust

75 g caramel biscuit crumbs

30 g unsalted butter, melted

Mix all ingredients & press into a 7" spring form tin.

Grease the side & refrigerate for use.

Green tea cheesecake filling

3 large eggs, separated

300 g cream cheese

150 g soured cream

115 g granulated sugar

15 g plain flour

10 g green tea powder

70 g sweetened red beans

Preheat oven to 160C.

Beat cream cheese & 60g sugar in small bowl until smooth.

Blend in egg yolks & soured cream.

Beat egg whites with 55g sugar added in 3 batches until soft peaks form.

Fold egg whites into cream cheese mixture & sweetened red beans.
Mix the flour & green tea powder, sift & fold gently with the batter.

Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 min then leave to cool inside the oven.

Remove from oven, refrigerate for at least 2 h before serving.