New York cheesecake is based on cheeses with high fat content, yet little flour, and is therefore rich and heavy. In Israel, with the hot weather, this type of cake is too heavy, especially in the hot summer. Therefore, the preference in Israel is to prepare cheesecake with low-fat cheeses such as ricotta, 5% farmer cheese, or sour cream.
In Israel, people really love simple, mix-and-go, no-bake cheesecakes—cakes that can be made in just a few minutes, perfect alongside morning coffee or tea, in addition to a sweet end to an everyday or holiday meal.
In the past few years, cheesecake in Israel has benefited from many upgrades. While it used to be prepared simply with just low-fat cheese, today popular cheesecake fusions feature brownies, lemon curd, and seasonal berries, which not only add beauty but also meld complementary flavors for an exceptional taste.
Recipe courtesy of Racheli Krut
Caramelized Banana Cheesecake
Servings
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup soft butter room temperature
- 1⅔ cups ricotta cheese you can substitute ½ cup with cream cheese or farmer cheese
- 1¼ cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon or orange
- 3 eggs
- 2 tablespoons lemon or orange juice
- 1¾ cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 4 ripe bananas or any fruit desired such as peach, raspberry, blueberry, apricot or plum
- 4 tablespoons light brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the butter, ricotta, white sugar, vanilla, and zest until well combined. Small clumps of cheese are okay.
- Add the eggs and juice and mix well. Add flour and baking powder and mix well.
- Cut 2 bananas into chunks and add to the batter; mix gently Pour into prepared cake pan, until ¾ full (leave room for the cake to rise).
- Slice 2 bananas into ¼-inch pieces and arrange in a pattern on the cake. Sprinkle with brown sugar.
- Bake 50 minutes or until golden.
- Once cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired, then slice.
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