Hi Weekenders! The arrival of November means the festive season is creeping up soon. Instead of indulging on ultimately sinful desserts during the holiday period, how about cushioning the blow with a healthier choice - Matcha green tea desserts!

Okay, I know what you must be thinking; Desserts can't ever be healthy. But I'm hoping that incorporating Matcha will make things better? #wishfulthinking&nbsp

This month's featured recipe is a Matcha Azuki Rare Cheesecake, in other words, Green Tea No-bake Cheesecake with Japanese Red Beans. I've made Matcha cheesecake previously, but this is a new and improved version with an added flavour of azuki red beans! The sweetness of the azuki is a nice contrast to the slight bitterness of Matcha as they are one of the classic flavour combinations. 

And yes, Macchan makes her appearance again! In case you are unaware, Macchan is my new Matcha Green Tea character. She debuted in my Matcha Macaron post, and now you stand a chance to win a box of Macchan macarons with other assorted flavours.

MATCHA AZAUKI CHEESECAKE
By Sumopocky
Equipment: 6 inch spring-foam cake pan
Time: 50 minutes active time + 3-4 hours for cake to set in the fridge

Ingredients
[For Biscuit Base]
60g of Plain/Digestive biscuits
20g of Unsalted butter

[For Red Bean Paste]
100g of Azuki beans
30g of Caster sugar

[For Matcha Cheesecake]
200g of Cream cheese (room temperature)
100ml of Heavy cream
50g of Plain yoghurt (If your yoghurt is unsweetened, add 50g of caster sugar)
1/2 tbsp of Lemon juice
1 tbsp of Matcha powder
6g of Gelatine
3 tbsp of Water (for Gelatine)

Directions
[For Biscuit Base]
1. Place the biscuits in a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to crush them into fine pieces.
2. Add the softened butter and knead it until they are well combined.
3. Line the cake pan base with parchment paper, and press in a layer of biscuit base. Let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

[For Red Bean Paste]
1. Strain the beans to remove water. I used the canned "yudeazuki" as pictured below.


2. Place the soft beans and sugar in a pot on medium-high heat, stirring constantly for approximately 10 minutes until a shiny but loose paste is formed. It might appear too liquid, but the paste would harden up when cooled.
3. Transfer the paste to a bowl/container and allow it to cool in the freezer for 5 minutes.
4. Spread a layer of the azuki bean paste on top of the biscuit base made earlier. Let it cool in the fridge while you prepare the cheesecake.

[For Matcha Cheesecake]
1. Place the gelatine in water and heat it up in the microwave until all is dissolved.
2. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar using an electric mixer until it is smooth.
3. Add the yoghurt, heavy cream, and lemon juice until they are thoroughly combined.
4. Sift in the matcha powder to avoid any lumps and mix well.
5. Pour in the melted gelatine and mix well.
6. Transfer the batter to the cake pan and let it rest for at least 3 hours in the fridge.
7. Dust with matcha powder before serving.