Blue and White Cheesecake Squares
These squares are light enough for the warm weather but rich enough to satisfy your cheesecake craving. And with a blue swirl, they're basically irresistible.
These blue and white cheesecake squares are made with gvina levana, a delicious soft white cheese that makes a frequent appearance at Israeli breakfasts. It’s similar in consistency to sour cream or yogurt and is sold in Lakewood and some parts of New York.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Baking Time: 55 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Kashrut Type: Dairy
INGREDIENTS
Crust
200 g chocolate wafers, finely crushed (to equal about one cup crumbs)
¼ cup butter, melted
additional butter to grease dish
Filling
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
500 g 5% gvina levana (or Greek yogurt for more tanginess)
500 g 9% gvina levana
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp potato starch
Topping
3 drops blue food coloring
PREPARATION
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, finely crush the wafers into crumbs. Mix the melted butter into the crumbs.
2. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8×8 baking dish with butter and press a sheet of parchment paper into it. This will make it easy to remove the cheesecake later for slicing.
3. Press the wafer crumb mixture into the bottom of the dish with your fingers. Press down on it with a drinking glass to even it out. Bake for 9 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, place all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fully blended. Set aside ½ cup of batter.
5. Remove crust from the oven and leave the oven on. Scoop the cheesecake batter onto the crust, spreading it evenly with a (silicone) spatula.
6. Add food coloring to the reserved batter and mix well. Drop nine little spoonfuls of the blue batter onto the top
of the unbaked cheesecake. Using a knife, gently “cut” the surface of the cheesecake diagonally in both directions. You’ll be making “S” shapes on an angle.
7. Bake for 55 minutes, peeking every now and then (through the door – don’t open the oven) to make sure the surface hasn’t browned or cracked.
8. After 55 minutes, turn off the oven and let the cheesecake sit inside for an additional 75 minutes.
9. When the second timer goes off, remove the cheesecake from the oven and set aside to cool.
10. Lift the cheesecake out of the baking dish and slice into squares. Store in the refrigerator, allowing them to chill thoroughly before serving.
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Jamie Geller is one of the most sought-after Jewish food and lifestyle experts worldwide. She is the bestselling author of 5 books and founder of Kosher Network International, publisher of JamieGeller.com featuring more than 10,000 recipes, articles, and videos. Check out her new #1 Amazon Bestseller, Brisket 101 and her new family meal plan “Fresh Families” at FreshFamilies.us.
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