Airier and lighter than its hefty American cousin, this French cheesecake—also called Käsekuechen—is a staple from the Alsace Region. Its sturdy crust encircles a pillowy filling traditionally made with fromage blanc, but in Canada I substitute Greek yogurt and heavy cream for the same effect. The cake soufflés up in the oven and is then flipped upside down on a circular rack to cool—which maintains the cloud-like texture and completes its signature scalloped-top appearance.
SERVES 8 TO 10 / MAKES 1 CHEESECAKE
For the Pastry Crust
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
½ cup (113 g) chilled unsalted butter, cubed, plus more for greasing the pan
1 large egg
¼ cup (60 ml) water
For the Filling
2¾ cups (785 g) Greek yogurt (10% fat or more)
⅓ cup (80 ml) heavy cream
⅔ cup (130 g) sugar
½ cup (63 g) all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
4 large eggs (separate egg whites from egg yolks)
Powdered sugar, for garnish
To make the pastry crust, mix the flour, salt and butter with your fingers or pulse in a food processor, until you get a crumbly consistency and pea-size bits of butter are still visible. Add the egg and water, mixing just until the dough comes together. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm—a minimum of 30 minutes.
Lightly butter a 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan. Take the dough out of the fridge, and roll to a 15-inch (38-cm) diameter circle. Transfer the dough into the springform pan, and ease it down to the base and up against the sides. Don’t worry if the dough pleats on itself or cracks. You can fold the edges of the dough over the rim of the pan to keep them upright and patch cracks with excess dough; this crust is meant to be rustic-looking. Put the pan in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4).
To make the filling, whisk together the Greek yogurt, heavy cream, sugar, flour and salt. Add in the egg yolks, and mix until just incorporated. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to a firm peak. Gently fold the egg whites into the Greek yogurt–mixture with a spatula, until homogenous. The batter will be light and fluffy.
Take the pan out of the fridge and gently scrape the batter in, right to the edges of the crust. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean. The filling will have souffléd to about 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the top of the crust. Let the filling deflate to the same level as the crust in your oven, with the heat off, for about 15 minutes. Take the cheesecake out of the oven, and immediately flip it upside down onto a circular cooling rack. Remove the pan, and let the cake cool completely to room temperature before flipping it back over.
Chill for 1 hour. Sprinkle with a thin layer of powdered sugar before serving.