Israeli style cheesecake

This is actually the first cheesecake I made in Israel, in the 1970’s, and it quickly became a favorite in our family. I learned it on Kibbutz HaMa’apil where we used to go every Shavuot holiday, together with Saba and Savta Itzhak (Biziu) and Rivka (Regina). We loved going there with the kids for the festivities of the “Bikurim” on the kibbutz, and then we always had coffee and cheesecake at the friends of Saba and Savta on the kibbutz. This was a tradition that we enjoyed throughout the years that our kids were growing up.

And we continue to enjoy this cheesecake recipe, which our hosts so kindly shared with me some 35 years ago.. 

This cake does not “rise” in the oven; after baking, it remains the same size as when you put it in the oven.

It is elegant and very tasty.

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 175 grams (approx. 6 oz) Petit-Beurre Biscuits, crushed in food processor to crumbs
• 100 grams (approx. 3.5 oz) butter, melted

For the filling:

• 500 grams (approx. 17.6 oz) white cheese – I use 9% cheese (the Israeli white “ski” or “Tnuva” cheese).
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
• 1 whole egg
• 2 egg yolks

For the topping:

• 2 cups sour cream (I use one 9% and one 15% sour cream in Israel)
• 4 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Preparation:

1. Make crust:
   • In food processor, finely crush the Petit-Beurre biscuits.
   • Melt the 100 grams (3.5 oz) butter.
   • Mix together.
   • Pat firmly into bottom of 26 cm (10 inch) detachable (springform) pan.
   • Put in refrigerator until the filling is ready to be poured in. This will help firm up the base.
   • Meanwhile, pre-heat oven to 160 C (about 300 F)
2. Make Filling:  Mix cheese, sugar, vanilla, egg, and egg yolks in mixer.
   • Remove the cake pan with crust from the refrigerator. Make sure that there are no loose crumbs – if so, pat them down well into the crust.
   • Pour in the filling mixture.
3. Place in pre-heated 160C (approx 300 F) oven. I suggest putting aluminum foil under the pan, so that no liquid leaks out during baking.
4. Bake for about 35-40 minutes. The cake filling should not get brown. It should just firm up.
5. While the cake base and filling are in oven, mix together the topping ingredients: sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Set aside until the filling and crust are baked. It is good to
6. prepare this mixture early on, when the cake (crust and filling) goes into the oven, so that the sugar has a chance to soften in the sour cream.
   • When the filling of the cake is no longer liquid, take out of oven, and very carefully spoon the topping  on top of it, carefully spreading it till it covers the filling.
7. Put back into hot oven and bake for only 5 minutes more (do not leave it in any longer than 5 minutes).
8. Remove from oven, allow to cool.
9. When cooled to room temperature, cover well and put in refrigerator for at least one day.
10. Serve!