Why This Cheesecake Can Be So Light
To get that “cloud in your mouth” texture, a few key principles:
Use a lighter cheese base: Cottage cheese (or quark/farmer cheese) gives tang and body but is fluffier than pure cream cheese.
Smooth the cheese (blending/straining) so no lumps remain.
Whip egg whites or cream separately and fold gently into the batter to trap air.
Bake in a water bath (bain-marie) to moderate the heat and help the cheesecake rise gently without cracking.
Gentle cooling (letting the oven cool with cheesecake inside, opening the door softly) helps avoid collapse.
Chilling time after baking helps it stabilize and develop flavor.
Many recipes using cottage cheese follow those ideas (blend cheese, whip whites, fold) to produce lighter cheesecakes.
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🛒 Ingredients (for 8–10 servings)
Here’s a robust ingredient list you can scale, plus optional additions.
Crust (optional — for a base layer, but you can omit for a “crustless” version)
1 ½ cups (≈ 150 g) cookie or biscuit crumbs (e.g. graham crackers, digestives, petit beurre)
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons (≈ 55 g) melted butter
Filling (cheesecake “batter”)
2 cups (≈ 450 g) cottage cheese (full‑fat is preferred)
½ cup (≈ 120 ml) sour cream or Greek yogurt
½ cup (≈ 100 g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs, separated (yolks & whites)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons (≈ 15–20 g) cornstarch or all-purpose flour (for structure)
Zest of ½ lemon (optional, for brightness)
A pinch of salt
Optional whipped cream top / garnish
½ cup (≈ 120 ml) heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
Fresh fruit (berries, sliced citrus, etc.)
Powdered sugar, cocoa powder, or fruit coulis drizzle
🧰 Equipment You’ll Need
Blender or food processor (to smooth cottage cheese)
Mixing bowls
Electric mixer or whisk
Spatula
8‑inch (20 cm) springform pan (or regular deep round pan)
Parchment paper
Aluminum foil
Baking dish or pan large enough to hold the springform (for water bath)
Cooling rack
⏱ Time Breakdown
Step Approx Time
Prep & smooth cheese, separate eggs 10–15 min
Whip egg whites 5 min
Fold batter & assemble 5–10 min
Bake (in water bath) 50–60 min
Gentle oven cooling & room cooling 30 min to 1 hour
Chill in fridge 4–6 hours or overnight
Total (excluding chill) ~1 hour 30 min
👩🍳 Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Prepare the Pan & Water Bath
Preheat your oven to 325 °F (≈ 160–165 °C).
Grease your springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. If you want a crust, assemble it first (see next step).
Prepare a water bath: place your springform inside a larger baking dish or tray. After you fill the cheesecake, you’ll pour hot water into the outer pan so it comes about halfway up the side of your springform. This helps baking gently.
2. Make the Crust (Optional)
Mix cookie crumbs + sugar + melted butter until you have a moist, sandy texture.
Press this mixture firmly into the bottom of the springform (or also a little up the sides, if desired).
Chill in refrigerator while you prepare the filling (this helps it set).
3. Smooth the Cottage Cheese Base
In a blender or food processor, combine cottage cheese, sour cream, vanilla extract, lemon zest, sugar, egg yolks, and starch. Blend until very smooth and creamy, no lumps remaining. (If your cottage cheese is very curdy, you might need to blend a bit longer or add a tablespoon of cream or milk to help it along.)
Scrape into a large mixing bowl.
4. Whip Egg Whites
In another clean bowl, whip the egg whites (with a pinch of salt) until stiff peaks form. (Stiff peaks means when you lift the whisk, the peak stands up firmly, barely bending.)
The whipped whites are your lift — treat them gently.
5. Fold Whites into Base
Add about one‑third of the whipped whites into the cheese mixture and fold gently (cutting through the center and lifting gently). This lightens the base.
Then fold in the rest of the whites in two additions, being careful not to deflate too much.
6. Assemble & Bake
Pour the batter into your prepared (and crusted or uncrusted) pan.
Smooth the top gently with a spatula.
Place the springform into the larger pan and carefully pour hot water around it to create the water bath (about halfway up the sides).
Bake in the preheated oven for 50–60 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center still wobbles slightly (it continues to set as it cools).
Do not open oven door while baking.
7. Gentle Cooling
Turn off the oven. Leave the cheesecake inside with the door slightly ajar for ~30 minutes. This slow cooling prevents cracks and collapse.
Then carefully remove the whole setup and allow to cool on a wire rack to room temperature.
8. Chill in Fridge
Once cooled, cover and refrigerate for at least 4–6 hours, preferably overnight. This chilling time lets it firm up and develop flavor and texture.
9. Serve & Garnish
Remove from springform.
If desired, top with whipped cream, fresh fruit, or a light dusting of powdered sugar or fruit coulis.
Slice gently with a warm, clean knife (wipe between cuts).
Serve chilled or slightly cool from fridge.
🧠 Tips, Tricks & Troubleshooting
Choose good cottage cheese: Full-fat or 4% gives better richness and fewer watery texture issues.
Strain cottage cheese (if watery): place in cheesecloth and let excess whey drip.
Blend thoroughly: lumps of curd will spoil the smoothness.
Whip whites to true stiff peaks — underwhipped gives insufficient lift, overwhipped may dry out.
Fold gently — preserve as much air as possible for the light texture.
Use the water bath — it moderates baking heat and helps prevent cracking and collapse.
Avoid opening oven early — sudden changes cause the cake to collapse.
Cool slowly to avoid cracks.
Chilling is not optional — the structure solidifies as it cools.
Flavor tweaks: you can add fruit purées (strawberry, mango, etc.), chocolate, or extract, but avoid too much liquid addition (which may flatten texture).
If the top cracks a bit, that’s okay — you can top with whipped cream or fruit to hide it.
🍓 Variations & Flavor Ideas
Strawberry cottage cheesecake: swirl a few tablespoons of strawberry purée into part of the batter before folding whites; or top with fresh strawberries and a light coulis.
Lemon & blueberry: add more lemon zest and swirl in blueberry compote.
Chocolate cottage cheesecake: add 2 Tbsp cocoa powder or melted chocolate to the blended base before folding whites.
Matcha / green tea: add 1 teaspoon matcha powder to the base for a green twist.
Coffee or mocha: dissolve instant coffee in a little warm cream and fold into base.
Tropical: swirl mango or passionfruit purée, or top with tropical fruit.
Crustless version: you can skip the crust entirely, making it more delicate and lighter (just bake the batter directly).
Mini cheesecakes: divide into muffin liners or small ramekins, adjusting baking time (shorter).
✅ Full Clean Recipe Recap
Ingredients
(Crust, optional)
1 ½ cups cookie/biscuit crumbs
2 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp melted butter
(Filling “batter”)
2 cups cottage cheese
½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
½ cup sugar
3 eggs, separated
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp cornstarch (or flour)
Zest of ½ lemon (optional)
Pinch of salt
(Optional topping)
½ cup whipped cream
Fresh fruit
Powdered sugar or fruit drizzle
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 °F (160–165 °C).
Prepare and line a springform pan (with parchment) and, if using, press in the crust mix.
Blend cottage cheese + sour cream + sugar + egg yolks + vanilla + zest + cornstarch until smooth.
Whip egg whites with salt to stiff peaks.
Fold whites gently into base in 2–3 additions.
Pour into pan; place into a larger pan and pour hot water around for a water bath.
Bake 50–60 minutes until edges are set and center still slightly wobbly.
Turn off oven; leave cheesecake inside with door ajar ~30 min.
Remove, cool to room temp, then refrigerate 4–6 hours or overnight.
Garnish and serve chilled.
🎯 Why This Will Be One You’ll Never Get Tired Of
It’s light but still rich in flavor, not heavy.
The airy texture feels elegant and satisfying.
You can customize flavors endlessly (fruit, chocolate, citrus, etc.).
It’s not overly sweet — the tang of cottage cheese balances it.
It keeps well and often tastes better after chilling.
It’s relatively forgiving once you get comfortable with folding technique.
If you like, I can convert this recipe to metric units, or adapt it to ingredients easily found in your area (Morocco). Or I can also make a no-crust version or mini individual cheesecakes version for easy serving. Would you like me to send one of those?
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