This is not my first attempt at baking a cheesecake, in fact I’ve done it so many times, it’s quite a walk in the park for me. IF there’s one thing you should know when baking a cheesecake, is to not OVER bake it. As long as the filling ain’t jiggly, it’s done! If you see a crack in your cheesecake, don’t fret, try again till you get it rite. This is however my first shot at having durian in my cheesecake. I’ve never thought the nasty fruit could complement the creaminess of the cheese but after hearing so much about it and tasting Secret Recipe’s Durian Cheesecake at FIL’s birthday, I decided to give it a try. Turned out pretty tasty. Give it a try!

Step 1 – The biscuit base

1. Line the base of a 9” springform pan
2. 40 pcs or more, marie biscuit crumbs, depending on the thickness of the crust you’re looking for
3. Melt a knob of butter enough to combine the biscuit crumbs together
4. With a spoon, compact the crumbs to the sides of the pan and the base
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 150 ° Celsius for 10 mins
6. Remove to cool then using aluminum foil, wrap the base of the springform pan to avoid water seeping through during the steam bake process

Step 2 – The cheese filling ingredients

• 500 g cream cheese at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup of milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 200 g durian flesh, mashed with a fork
• 3 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup of sugar

1. Beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl 2 – 3 times during the process to ensure there are no lumps
2. Add sugar and continue beating for a further 5 mins
3. Add in egg yolks and flour and beat until combined
4. Pour in the milk and vanilla extract and beat on low speed until the mixture has come together into a smooth batter
5. Finally add in the durian flesh, and mix till combined, set aside
6. In a separate clean and dry bowl, whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar + sugar until stiff.
7. Fold egg whites into the cheese mixture and using a spatula, careful not to deflate the egg whites
8. Pour batter into the biscuit base
9. Steam bake for 30 minutes at 150 ° Celsius
10. Leave to cool before chilling in the fridge overnight before serving
11. Warning, makes everything in your fridge smells funky!