Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, is a spring harvest festival held seven weeks after Passover. It commemorates the revelation of the Torah to the Jews and a mixed multitude of people at Mt. Sinai. Shavuot also holds special meaning for Jews by choice or converts; in synagogues around the world, we read the Book of Ruth (the first recorded convert to Judaism).
It is common in some Jewish traditions (Greek, Turkish, Balkan, Kurdish, and Ashkenazi Jews, among others) to consume dairy foods on Shavuot. In our mixed Japanese and Ashkenazi household, I make Japanese-style baked cheesecake with the season's first berries. If you're not in California, I recommend topping the cheesecake with a good-quality jam. Any kind will do, but berries and cheesecake are always a winning combination.
Japanese cheesecake, also known as baked cheesecake or cotton (for its light, airy consistency) cheesecake, is typically incredibly labor-intensive to make. This recipe yields similar results in terms of a light consistency and delicate flavor, minus the many hours of prep. It's all held together by a crunchy wheat-free pecan and oat crust. Chag sameach!
*This recipe was originally created for 18Doors.
Total cooking time two hours; serves six
Crust
Cheesecake
Toppings
Line the bottom and sides of cake pan with parchment paper. For the sides, you will need a 29-inch piece of parchment. This part is a little tricky but really important. The cake is very delicate and the sides will tear in the end if you don't line the pan.
For the crust:
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Firmly press into the bottom of the pan. Bake the crust oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let it cool while you prepare the cheesecake.
For the cheesecake:
Open the oven door to let out a bit of heat and turn down the oven to 340°. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand-held electric mixer (I used a Kitchenaid) until soft and whipped.
Add the rest of the ingredients, in order. Mix each one carefully in, scraping down the sides of the bowl before adding the next. Mix until mixture thickens. Pour the cheesecake batter into the cake pan on top of the crust.
Bake in the oven for one hour; the top should become slightly golden and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove it from the oven and let cool.
Once it is cool enough to handle, remove the cake from the pan, discard the lining paper around the sides and let it cool completely.
Top with blueberries first, then blackberries and raspberries. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, sifted on top. Add sliced strawberries and edible flowers. If you'd like, you can add fresh springs of mint or mint leaves around the cake for decoration.
For a light, creamy and smooth cake, serve immediately. For a thicker, richer cake, refrigerate the cake for a few hours or up to one night before (in this case, add berries right before serving).
Kristin Eriko Posner is the founder of Nourish Co., a lifestyle website that inspires multiethnic people and families to create nourishing new rituals drawn from time-honored wisdom. She does this through her writing, recipe development, and a limited-edition collection of modern heirlooms, all of which explore and celebrate her intersecting identities. Nourish Co. has been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, The Forward, Real Simple, and The San Francisco Chronicle, among other publications.