This 9×13 cheesecake is perfect for breakfast and kosher for Pesach! Prep it in a bowl with just a whisk.
Last Pesach, I had an epiphany. I would kasher my milchig oven and bake cheesecake. Why hadn’t I thought about it before? Cheesecake tastes the same year round. The ingredients are the same. Right?
Well, that is, until we get to the crust.
Esti Waldman’s sister-in-law had told us that she used the Pesach Chocolate Chip Squares as a base for her cheesecake. All I had to do now was figure out which one of our family’s favorite cheesecakes I would use. Once I started thinking about that, I realized that I wanted this to be truly a 9×13 recipe and no electric beaters would need to be involved. Just a whisk. And a bowl.
That narrowed down the choices of cheesecake filling since I knew that we had to use whipped cream cheese (the tubs, NOT the bricks) so that it would be easy to mix.
The first time I prepared this cake, last year Pesach, I admit that I used a round springform pan and made it super fancy. It was a huge hit. The results were a tall, New York-style cheesecake and everyone wanted a piece the morning after the seder with their coffee.
When I shared my idea with the team, this year, they all immediately discarded the springform pan. “It needs to be a BCP-easy type of recipe” and “I’m not buying a pan just for this.”
And I admit that they were right. There is no reason to get all fancy, the cake is delicious in any shape. But, if you want, just know that it would work in a springform pan too.
First, prepare the cookie dough for the Pesach Chocolate Chip Squares just like we did in this post. You’re making them anyway, may as well make another batch for your cheesecake.
Mix right in the pan.
While that’s baking, mix the three cheesecake ingredients. It’s important for them to be room temperature as it’s harder to mix hard, cold cream cheese with just a whisk.
You can do it, no mixer required.
Pour the cheesecake mixture over the cooled crust. Do you see how our crust looks more golden than usual?
I overbaked it on purpose, so that it doesn’t get soggy under the cheesecake filling. It’s good for it to be a little drier than usual.
Finally, I added a sour cream topping (my favorite part!) and it balances out the sweetness of the crust well.
Don’t worry about it being sour. In your mouth, it all makes sense.
At the photoshoot, we all had a taste of this cake, and decided that this will be the Pesach version of Chocolate Chips Cheesecake Squares. We think you will love this as much as you loved those.
This cake can be baked in a toaster oven too.
9×13 Pesach Cheesecake with Sour Cream Topping
Ingredients
Crust: (This crust is one recipe of Pesach Chocolate Chip Squares)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2¼ cups almond flour
- 1 cup chocolate chips (or equivalent chopped chocolate)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder (optional)
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup oil
Filling:
- 2 (8 oz) containers whipped cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
Topping:
- 1 (16 oz) container sour cream
- 1 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Prepare the Pesach Chocolate Chip Squares cookie dough, mixing together dry ingredients, then adding wet ingredients. Bake for 35-40 minutes. You want to over bake it a bit (the original recipe bakes for 25-35 minutes), as the drier it is the less soggy it will become once the cheesecake is on top of it. Let cool.
- Prepare the cheesecake mixture: in a bowl, combine room temperature cream cheese, sugar, and eggs. Use a whisk and mix until combined and not lumpy anymore. A few lumps are ok though.
- Pour over the cooled cake and return to the oven for 45-50 minutes, until it seems set.
- Let cool for a bit, and while it cools, prepare the topping: In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream with 1 tablespoon sugar. Pour over the cheesecake. Smooth by using an offset spatula or spoon. Cheesecake does not need to be completely cooled, 10-15 minutes is enough. Return to oven and bake an additional 15-18 minutes.
- Let cool and refrigerate. Cut into the cake only when chilled. Keep cake refrigerated.
Would it work without baking powder? We don’t use on pesach
wondering the same.
Hi! we also dont use baking powder on pesach. I skipped it and it worked just fine!
Can I make this in advance and freeze?
Absolutely! Cheese cakes freeze really well. Just make sure to label it “broccoli quiche…” 😉
Can I bake this in a 9 inch store bought Graham cracker crust? Would I need to half the cheesecake mixture?
Anyone think this can be made in a Betty Crocker?
Sounds intriguing! let us know if you do try
Did anyone try this in the betty?
Can the chocolate chips be skipped?
yes absolutely
Can I do half the crust on bottom and half crumbled on top?
Never tried. Let us know if you do
The website is not letting me share any posts through email if I try to
Send it it doesn’t go. Is there anyone that can help me with this? It refers to all the posts it does not let me forward anything.
You must be referring to the app. This fix on the app is coming next week
Looks yum!!! What about skipping the sour cream? Should the sugar in the crust be cut so it’s less swet?
Not necessarily. The sour cream can be skipped, of course.
Can I use this with Israeli cream cheese- quark cheese style?
it would need a whole different recipe. Quark is softer and less dense than cream cheese.
How long can it stay in the fridge for ?
Is there a nut-free flour this would work this? (Potato starch..?)
Is there any other crust I could make that does not contain almond flour?
Any cake that is on the drier side can technically work as a base
I grew up on cheesecake every Pesach! You can also just leave out the crust and make the cheesecake without it to avoid any ‘pesachdik’ taste.
How long can it stay in the fridge for?
I was also wondering if there’s a good way to sub for almond flour in all the Pesach recipes. Due to my daughter’s allergies, I can hardly use any Pesach recipes for baked goods.
We also have a nut allergy in the family, so we usually use potato flour only besides for if a recipe calls for both potato and almond flour, we use tapioca starch instead of the almond flour. But I always put 1/4 cup less than the original almond flour amount needed because tapioca is a dryer starch.
You can omit the crust and eat it like cheese snack (individual small round tins). Baking time will need to be adjusted.
How long would I bake this for if I want to bake it in 2 round pans instead of a 9×13?
I have the same question. I would like to make it in two square pans
Can crushing baby fingers work as a crust?
Just made this using around 20 lady fingers and about 1/4 c oil for the crust. I made 2 round pans. Baked it on 350 for 7 minutes. I baked the cheesecakes after for 23 min. Tastes yum!
This was delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
I made this yesterday!! lovely recipe. I made a crust from the Gluten Free Chocolate Chunk Cookies for Pesach recipe since I already made the cookies. Baked the crust before. I cut the recipe in half and I used an Israeli brand of cream cheese – it tasted great and the texture was amazing. I skipped the sour cream. I eyeballed the baking time and left the cake to cool in the turned off oven for a bit. Winner recipe here. Thank you.
Would make it without the crust next time. Filling was delicious!
Can I bake this in a 9 inch store bought Graham cracker crust? Would I need to half the cheesecake mixture?
what do i subsitute in recipe to make it a all yr round cake
I made this last year as the recipe says but the crust ended up too hard to cut. So this year I crumbled a few chocolate chip bars which I had just baked, put them on the bottom of a 9″ round pan, poured the whole cheesecake mixture on top, and baked (I skipped the topping). It froze great and tastes wonderful. Highly recommend this variation.