Passionfruit Yogurt Cheesecake - Cheesecake Trio #3

This is my first time trying fresh local passionfruit. Somehow it doesn’t taste like those commercial flavours. It’s very much like Cosway’s Markisa Juice. And after doing some reading up, the local variety available here is indeed markisa. The skin’s pinkish rather than purplish or yellowish. So for those of you who is yearning for some passionfruit bakes but find it hard to get the pulp or fruit, head on to Cosway and get your bottle of markisa cordial. I’ve baked a chiffon with it few years back and it works.
 *** I’m not a Cosway member ***

With Mother's Day just 2 days away, I was thinking of visiting my mother on the day with a cake. She's not expecting me, as she was more worried about me being at 36 weeks (that time). I had no idea what to make for her until I rumaged my fridge to look for ingredients. I saw the pack of almost forgotten fruits. (I had been busy moving) The passionfruits had been lying in my fridge for 6 weeks, wrinkling by the day. The passionfruits seems to have taken on some mould. I washed away the mould and they looked ok. I cut them open and phew, absolutely ok. The skin’s really thick and I didn’t see any penentration of blackish, grayish or greenish stuff on the inside.The inner skin was just plain white and pretty. And they still taste pretty nice, but sourish. If you want to know where I bought them, it's at Subang's Jaya Grocer at Empire. Hahaha, do I live in Klang Valley or in KK, hahaha, take a guess.

I’ve been baking very much without a recipe nowadays. Throwing in whatever I feel like. Not trying to brag, but just to share. When the inspiration comes, I just try to imagine what I want and go about with that. It’s fun!
Oh yeah, I tried out my new oven with this cake, actually it's the 2nd cake as I baked a sponge just before this cake. Baked 2 cakes consecutively and the cheesecake must be the last as it needs to be cooled in the oven. I'll talk more about my oven next time.

To those of you who think I really cincai taruk (simply put in),NO, there still are rules to go by. Like ratio of gelatin to liquid is always 1 tbsp to 500ml liquid (but I might do adjustments accordingly at times). And the rest, is just reasoning. If one likes it creamy, then use some cream, if one likes it lemony, then use some zest and not the juice. But if you like it tangy, then use the juice. If you prefer it better aerated then beat the whites. It’s up to you!

Does this cake look familiar to you? I’m creating this cake based on Secret Recipe’s Raspberry Yogurt Cheesecake, which is Lydia’s favourite. It is not similar, in texture and taste but the inspiration is from there.

Passionfruit Yogurt Cheesecake
Recipe source: Wendyywy

Cheesecake base
250gm cream cheese, room temperature
50gm sugar
2 egg yolks
100ml whipping cream
½ tbsp lemon zest
20gm corn starch

2 egg whites
1 tsp lemon juice
40gm sugar

1. Prepare an 8 inch round spring form pan. Refer here. Prepare some boiling water. Preheat oven to 150C (bottom heat only, if that is not available, wrap top of cheesecake when cake gets too brown. I intend this cheesecake to have a pale top.)
2. Beat cream cheese until smooth (no need to be fluffy), put in sugar and egg yolks and cream until combined.
3. Pour in whipping cream, corn starch and lemon zest, and mix until smooth. Set aside.
4. In another clean bowl, beat egg whites until frothy and put in lemon juice. Beat until soft peaks and gradually add in sugar and beat until medium stiff.
5. Fold egg whites into main batter and pour into prepared pan.
6. Bake for 1 hour. Let cake cool in oven with door slightly ajar for 1 hour. Then remove cake from oven and remove base pan that contains water and let cake cool down completely. Chill in fridge (still in pan) when cake has totally cooled.

After chilling cake for at least an hour (or freeze it for 15 minutes for express chilling), prepare yogurt layer

Yogurt Layer
500gm plain yogurt
1 ½ Tbsp gelatin
50ml water
100ml whipping cream
70gm sugar
Extra sugar if needed (due to different level of tanginess of the plain yogurt, especially natural yogurt which is rather sour)

1. Put water into a heat proof bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over water. Let it bloom and then zap it in microwave on high heat for 30 seconds (or place bowl over some hot water to melt the gelatin). Let gelatin mixture cool down to room temperature.
2. Beat cream with sugar until soft peaks and mix in plain yogurt. Taste. If not sweet enough, add more sugar.
3. Run mixer on low and pour gelatin mixture into yogurt mixture.
4. Pour mixture over chilled cheesecake.
5. Place cake into freezer for 15 minutes.
While the cake is going through express chilling in the freezer, prepare the topping.

Topping layer
½ cup passionfruit pulp (derived from 400gm of passionfruit, weighed when still fresh and unwrinkled)
1 tsp gelatin
1 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp sugar

1. Place gelatin into a heatproof bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over and let it bloom for 1 minute.
2. Zap in microwave on high for 15 seconds or melt over hot water.
3. While gelatin solution is still hot, mix in sugar and stir. It’s ok if it’s not fully melted.
4. Mix in passionfruit pulp and mix until sugar is fully dissolved.
5. Remove cake from freezer and touch the surface of the yogurt. It should be wobbly but should not stick to your fingers.
6. Gently spoon passionfruit layer over yogurt. Chill for at least 5 hours before serving.

*If using Passionfruit/Markisa Cordial, then prepare half cup of slightly oversweetened cordial (mix the cordial with some water until sweeter than what u'll usually drink) and mix with the melted gelatin. Skip the sugar, of course, as the cordial is sweetened. Do step1,2, add prepared cordial and then 5 and 6 only

Verdict: 
The cheesecake base is not as heavy and creamy as Secret Recipe's but quite light by comparison. Well recieved by everyone, including my not-so-cake-loving brother, who loves passionfruit and kept on nagging on how I wasted the fruit by making this cake. He also bought some passionfruit the same time as I did and ate his fresh weeks ago after wrinkling them.