Israeli Cheesecake; A Delightful No-Bake Treat

What is an Israeli-style Cheesecake

Israeli crumb cheesecake, better known as Ogat Gvina Perurim (עוגת גבינה), is what happens when cheesecake decides to be light, elegant, and not put you into a food coma. Unlike its dense American cousin, this version is airy and delicate, with a buttery shortbread base and a generous shower of crumbs on top. The contrast between the silky, cloud-like filling and the crisp, buttery cookie layers is exactly why this cake is unforgettable, and why one slice is never enough.

It is customary to eat this cake during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, which celebrates the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. This holiday is celebrated by eating dairy products and recipes like Biscoff Cheesecake, San Sebastian Burnt Cake, Sponge Cheesecake, Cheesy pastries, and of course, this no-bake Israeli Biscuit cake.

For the chocolate version, check out this Krembo Cake.

Ingredients for No-Bake Crumb Cheesecake

You can find the complete list of ingredients including measurement at the recipe card, here is a quick recap for the key ingredients including substitutions if possible.

For The Cheesecake Filling

• Cream cheese and Plain Greek yogurt, full-fat at room temperature. Traditionally, this cake calls for a soft Israeli cheese known as gvina levana, white cheese; here in the United States, you may find it in a kosher market. For this recipe, I replaced it with plain Greek yogurt, but you can also use full-fat sour cream. 
• Heavy cream, very cold.
• Powdered sugar and vanilla instant pudding. Most versions of this cake call for regular sugar and a full package of instant pudding to set the cake since this is a no-bake cheesecake. When I tested this recipe, I found that the instant pudding mix gives the cake an artificial flavor. To avoid this, I replaced the sugar with powdered sugar, which contains cornstarch. The cornstarch is a great stabilizer for the cream. In addition, I reduced the amount of pudding by more than half.   
• Vanilla bean paste. If you don’t have the paste, use extract.
• Optional: Flavoring the cake. Rub lemon zest into the sugar for a bright lemony flavor. Fold in 1/2 cup of melted white chocolate into the filling for a slightly sweeter, and richer flavor and texture.

How to Make No-Bake Israeli Cheesecake

Below are step-by-step images for a visual cues including all my tips, tricks and recommendations for the best results.

• This cake has two parts (three if you include the assembling part): the dough (which we will use to make the crumbs topping) and the filling. The dough can be made up to three days ahead of time, and because the filling is perishable, it is best to make it not longer than the night before serving it.
• Plan ahead because the crust should be baked and chilled before the cake is assembled.

Prepare the Cheesecake Filling

• While the cream cheese, and greek yogurt should be at room temperature, so they will whip without any lumps, the whipped cream needs to be as cold as possible.
• Once you added the cream and sugar mixture, avoid over whipping it. The filling will set even more during the chill time.

Assemble

Storage and Yields

• Storage: Store the cheesecake in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap or a lid, for up to 5 days.
• Freezing: You can freeze the cheesecake for up to 2 months. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil before freezing. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
• Yields: This recipe yields one 8-inch or 9-inch cheesecake, serving approximately 8-10 slices, depending on how generously you slice.