When life hands you feta make a Feta Cheesecake! Feta would not be my first choice for a cheesecake but it surprised me at just how flavorful the cake was. The chocolate did help temper the stronger feta flavor.
I love feta cheese. It is such a flavorful cheese, and I use it on almost every salad I eat, but I was thinking of other applications, what could I do a little outside the box with this wonderful cheese? I kept going back to cheesecake, something kept pulling me towards the unlikely combination of feta and cream cheese, I saw a lot of savory types of feta cheesecakes but hadn’t seen any use as a sweet cheesecake…..sigh There must be a reason, but since I couldn’t think of one, I decided to give it a try.
I knew the cheesecake would not be as sweet as a new york style or even ricotta, the flavor of the feta was just a little too pronounced to let that happen. I knew my cheesecake would need a complement to the tang of the feta, and chocolate seemed to be the answer…….well chocolate is the answer to a lot of questions, but that’s another story! I reached for my semi-sweet chocolate and prepared a ganache for the topping, for the crust I used my favorite digestive biscuits, and threw in a good handful of salted pistachio’s just to add another element into this flavor feast.
The results were not quite as I had planned but all in all, it was a very interesting and tasty cheesecake, the feta lent an interesting element to the filling, and the chocolate complimented the cheese so very well. The crust was a little bit of a letdown but did add yet another dimension to the cake if I make this again my only change would be to sweeten the crust up a bit and instead of pistachios use an unsalted pecan.
All in all the experiment was a success and while it got mixed reviews even the doubters were impressed with the flavors. If you do try this cake, I think you will be pleasantly surprised, especially served with a good cup of coffee or espresso!
If you love cheesecakes your going to love these recipes:
- Authentic Ricotta Cheesecake
- Mascarpone Strawberry Cheesecake
- Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars with a toffee crust
- Blood Orange Ricotta Cheesecake
- Chocolate Cheesecake Bars with Pecan Shortbread Crust
Feta Cheesecake with a Rich Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
- 8 oz Feta Cheese
- 8 oz Cream Cheese
- ½ cup Heavy Cream
- 2 Large Eggs
- ¾ cup Sugar
- 2 tablespoon All Purpose Flour
- 1 tablespoon Lime Zest finely grated
- Juice of one lime
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 12 Digestive Biscuits
- ½ Cup Salted Pistachio’s (or pecans)
- 4 oz unsalted butter (melted)
- 8 oz semi sweet chocolate chopped
- 4 oz heavy cream
Instructions
- In a food processor add the digestive biscuits and pistachios and process into crumbs for crust
- add melted butter to crust mixture and form into crust in a tart pan, or cheesecake pan.
- Bake crust for 10 minutes at 350 degrees
- In the bowl of the food processor, add the feta and heavy cream and process, until it begins to get smooth.
- Add in Cream cheese and continue to process
- Add eggs, lime juice, vanilla and lime zest and process until blended.
- Add in flour and sugar and process until all is incorporated and mixture is smooth and creamy*
- Pour mixture into cooled tart shell and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, keep an eye on the cheesecake, do not let it get too dark or crack.
- While cheesecake is baking prepare the ganache.
- Over a pot of boiling water in a metal bowl add your chopped chocolate and heavy cream, stirring until all the chocolate is melted and is smooth.
- Allow chocolate to cool while cheesecake is cooling down.
- Pour ganache over the cheesecake, using an offset spatula to smooth it into place.
- Use a nice layer of chocolate, it should be about ¼ of an inch thick at the center.
- Place finished cake in refrigerator and allow to set for at least 4 hours or overnight.*
A says
This was the first cheesecake I’ve made, so I probably overcooked it as I got a few cracks, but it was still tasty and really, that’s the important thing. 🙂
I used the sweetened pecan version for the crust, which worked great.
Feedback I got was
1. delicious
2. maybe some more lime
3. maybe less chocolate ganache (I quite liked the layer as is, but I also see the point that it was a bit thick.)
Something for me to try testing when I make it again.
Thank you for the recipe!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the feta cheesecake and thanks for the feedback!
John C. says
Hi Chef,
(I didn’t see if you specified) Please, what type of feta you used, cow or sheep?
Chef Dennis Littley says
I use sheep milk feta as it is the traditional milk used for that type of cheese, but you can use which ever type you enjoy eating.
Beverly says
I have made this for 3 years and it is a favourite for me and my work colleagues. They ask for it! Wonderful! I add a touch more lime juice sometimes as it is so delicious, rich and moreish, you only need a slither. The only trouble is, you will return for another bit and another bit and another bit…last a good 7 days too! (That’s if there is any left at the end of the first day of course!)
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks for letting me know you’ve been enjoying my Feta Cheesecake Beverly. It’s one of the most interesting cheesecakes I’ve ever made.
Beverly says
Hi, I have made this cheesecake many times as a treat at work, I get asked by my colleagues to make it, rich and decadent and we love it! I never liked feta but this is fabulous! I add more lime to the mix and it really works a treat! Thank you, forever fan!
Chef Dennis Littley says
hi Beverly
thanks for leaving the great review and I’m thrilled that you’ve been making my feta cheesecake! It’s not one of my more popular posts but I do think it’s an awesome cheesecake!
Linda says
I made this, and it was to die for. Where do the pistachios go?
Chef Dennis Littley says
the pistachios were in the crust. Not a biggie to leave them out, just trying to make it different
Johanna says
I made this for a luncheon and it was a big hit. I saved a piece for my boyfriend. He even liked it. He went on and on about how good it was. He dislikes feta cheese very much. He never guessed.
Chef Dennis Littley says
thanks for letting me know Johanna and happy to hear that you enjoyed the cheesecake!
thoma says
Hi
A hiatus of four-five months and instead of disappearing am back. I had to trawl you in google…your site has a complete revamp! cool and so neat.
I haven’t logged in to foodbuzz in tha past six months and I dont know if they’ve whisked me away! Am scared to look up. The option of not having a delete all button after filtering the friends request quite bogs me down.
So how you been and your four ams? Read the post from top to bottom. Houz your health and houz your lady?
Can you believe it, I haven’t tasted feta! So can’t really say how much you’ve pushed the bar on this…
Tiffany says
Chef, this cheesecake left me speechless! And as always, thanks for the help!
Kelly Senyei says
I absolutely love the idea of swapping in a variety of cheeses in classic cheesecake. Ricotta used to be my go-to favorite, but I think this one just might oust it from the top spot. Thanks so much for sharing!
Nicole @ Bake Me Blush says
A feta cheesecake definitely sounds interesting and it’s something I’ve never seen before. It looks amazing and I love your gorgeous presentation. Also, thank you very much for the helpful tips on the social media and food porn sites. They were extremely helpful to me.
Julia @ DimpleArts says
Great Social Media advice. Knapkins is a great site. Christine is very nice and contacted me herself (made me feel kinda special) 🙂 I’ll check out some of the other ones you mentioned.
Chef D says
Isn’t it great when someone who runs a site personally reaches out to you! Christine is a gem!
Cinna B. says
I have so much feta in the fridge that’s been there for days, and I finally know what to do with it now!
I’ve thought about pursuing a culinary career. I think the thought lasted… a few seconds. Number one reason?
I’m a night owl – 4 am? Definitely can’t do it! Much respect for you.
Chef D says
Thank you, let me know if you make it!
Apron Appeal says
I have a stumbled upon account and have no IDEA how to use it. I’ve been asking around and no one’s been able to tell me. Thanks for the jumping off point.
Gera@Sweets Foods Blog says
Dennis my stomach is growling, immediately after seeing this scrumptious cheesecake!
You know I’m dessert-crazy 🙂 Kudos for that recipe!
Totally with you about social media presence – everywhere if it is possible but managing the time wisely.
Klout is more a ranking automatic system that allow persons to see how influencer are over others, depending of the social sites that they interact.
Sorry to hear about the rejections on those photo-sites (usual in my case too), so I stopped and started using other social sites (really social) because the other food-pic-sites are just places to put photos, not social.
Foodies enjoy a lot Stumbleupon, so the traffic and persons you can contact there, is much better 🙂
Talking about SU, stumbled!
Cheers,
Gera