I had an abundance of leftover matcha shortbread from a previous recipe, and while snacking on those is nice, I wanted to challenge myself to make another recipe entirely using the shortbread crumbs as a crust! I figured, why not blitz the shortbread into a fine crumb, then fold melted matcha white chocolate through that, and create sort of like a chocolate bark situation. This could be used as a base for a plethora of desserts, but I was fascinated by the idea of doing a swirled no-bake cheesecake, so I figured, why not go that route? Since the shortbread was already decidedly matcha flavored, I was going along with that, and landed on a matcha flavored no-bake cheesecake. However, to make this a little more fun and special, I rippled the matcha cheesecake with a regular cheesecake batter, just to create a gorgeous matcha latte aesthetic, while also garnishing the top of the cheesecake with some tempered white and matcha chocolate curls for a gorgeous finish. I will definitely say that this recipe was no too shabby, given that the entire recipe centered around using up leftover shortbreads.

For this recipe, the crust needs to be started on first. It has to be baked off as shortbread dough, ground into a fine powder, and then mixed with chocolate and then pressed into the bottom of a ring mold before you can even start the rest of the dessert. The cheesecake filling, even though it is swirled, is pretty easy to make – just make sure to make one large batch of regular cheesecake batter, then flavor part of it with the matcha. So long as you batch then flavor, you are saving a ton of time, compared to making first the matcha, then the plain batters. Since the no-bake cheesecake does use gelatin, just know that it will take a lot longer to set than if it used agar, but the texture will be soft, silky, and melt in the mouth. With the decorations, fortunately, white chocolate is far easier to temper since it is basically all cocoa butter, and that solidifies faster than cocoa butter that is mixed with other things, i.e. all the other kinds of chocolate. I just love the combination of bitter, grassy matcha against buttery sweet white chocolate, since the two really make one of my absolute favorite flavor pairings!

For the matcha crust:
2oz white chocolate(can sub this and the matcha powder with matcha chocolate)
1/2 tsp ceremonial matcha powder
1/3 cup finely ground shortbread cookies
a pinch of salt

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate. Stir into that the matcha and the cookie crumbs. Pour the crumble into a lined 6-inch ring mold that is placed on an easily transferrable surface. Freeze your crust solid, at least 20 minutes.

For the cheesecake filling:
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 tsps gelatin powder + 2 tbsp cold water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
a pinch of salt
8oz cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ceremonial matcha powder

In a pot, heat up the milk, gelatin, sugar, and salt, bringing everything up to a simmer. In another bowl, start by whipping the cream cheese until softened, then slowly stream the milk into the cream cheese, whisking until everything is combined into a loose mixture. Add to that the vanilla first. Then remove about 1/4 of the mixture. With the remaining 3/4, whisk in the matcha powder.

For garnish:
1/4 cup white chocolate
1/4 tsp matcha powder

Over a double boiler, melt 3/4 of the white chocolate completely. Take the white chocolate off heat and stir in the remaining white chocolate. Spread half of the white chocolate onto acetate, using either a fork or a ribbed comb to form thin lines of the chocolate. Carefully bend the acetate so that the chocolate will form a curved shape as it sets. Add matcha into the remaining melted chocolate and repeat the previous step. Refrigerate the chocolate curls for 15 minutes before unmolding.

For assembly:
Pour the matcha cheesecake mixture onto the crust first, then swirl into that the vanilla mixture. Freeze the cheesecake for at least 1 hour before attempting to unmold it. Garnish with the white chocolate garnishes to finish.