Jump to recipe

Passion Fruit Cheesecake

Passion Fruit Cheesecake

I couldn’t imagine our world would get any crazier last time I posted on here, and yet here we are in the midst of so much social/political unrest and (still) smack dab in the middle of a pandemic. I think the US is going through a really hard reckoning, but I hope that we can all grow through this. I hope we can all recognize that not everyone is treated equally here; that white supremacy is still a problem; that centuries of enslavement and systemic racism don’t magically disappear; that most importantly, we find a way to create a more equal society. It feels a bit strange to talk about this here, on a personal baking blog, but it also feels wrong not to mention all that’s going on right now.

On a personal level, while all this has been happening Mike and I decided to move out of our place, so thats partially why I haven’t posted in a bit. We’ve finally settled in a bit where we’re staying now, and I had a chance last weekend to try out a dessert I’ve had in mind for a while - passion fruit cheesecake.

I love passion fruit and passion fruit desserts, and this cheesecake did not disappoint. I paired it with a chocolatey crust and some chocolate flakes on top as well which worked out nicely. If you’re wondering where to find passion fruit puree, I can usually find them in the freezer section of Mexican or South American grocers. Adding the pulp of a fresh fruit in the decoration is mostly for the look - the seeds help make the cake look the part of a passion fruit cheesecake, but they are expensive and can be harder to find (I found some in Whole Foods). Feel free to leave it out, and fear not - the cake will still be delicious. In fact, you can play around with the decoration to your liking: pour ganache over it for more chocolate, replace the chocolate flakes and fruit with some toasted coconut, use different fruit to decorate, etc.

Due to the move, I couldn’t find my camera (luckily its been located since) after I made this cake, so only got a couple of photos on my phone. Hopefully all its passion fruit glory still shines through! 

Hope you enjoy this cake, stay safe, and stay kind.

  • 8
  • 30 minutes
  • 1 hour

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1.5 packages of chocolate graham crackers out of a 14.4oz box (3 packages in a box, so half the box)
  • 4-5 tbsp butter

Filling

  • 2 bricks (1 pound) cream cheese, softened
  • 2 cups ricotta
  • 1 cup passion fruit puree
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • Lemon zest

Decoration (optional)

  • 1 cup puree
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 passion fruit (for seeds)
  • Sugar to taste
  • Fresh berries
  • whipped cream (1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, 2 tbsp sugar)
  • 1-2 squares dark chocolate, for chocolate flakes

Directions

  1. Prepare cheesecake or springform pan by spraying with nonstick spray. This recipe is for 11 x 2.5 inch pan, but you can use a smaller diameter to make a taller cheesecake.
  2. Preheat oven to 325F.
  3. Crush graham crackers using a food processor, blender, or by hand.
  4. Add 4-5 tbsp butter, until cracker crumbs are a bit mushy.
  5. Press evenly into bottom of pan.
  6. Bake for 10 minutes.
  7. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and ricotta until smooth.
  8. Add sugar and lemon zest, beat together.
  9. Add passion fruit puree.
  10. Finally, add eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition and making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl in between additions.
  11. Pour filling onto crust.
  12. Bake for about an hour, until edges are set and center is still jiggly. Depending on the size of your pan this might differ slightly, so I recommend checking on your cheesecake starting around 50 minutes.
  13. Let cheesecake cool for a couple of hours on the counter top, then refrigerate for at least a few hours before serving, preferably overnight.

Decoration (optional, see post for other suggestions)

  1. Reserve a few tbsp of puree, then heat remaining puree as well as the pulp and seeds of one passion fruit in a small pot. You can give it a taste - if you prefer it a little sweeter, add 1-2 tbsp sugar.
  2. Mix the reserved puree with a tbsp of corn starch. 
  3. When the puree in the pot starts bubbling, add the cornstarch mixture while whisking the heating puree. The whole mix should thicken in less than 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
  4. Let the glaze cool for a few minutes, then pour over cheesecake.
  5. Pipe whipped cream and arrange fresh berries around cheesecake
  6. Grate dark chocolate over top.

Looking for something else?

Check out more recipes here!