Apple Greek Yogurt Cheesecake

Currently I'm at that stage where I've got 10 million apples lying around and nothing to do with them.

Basically, in an attempt to use them before they all turn to mush, I've been throwing them into pretty much everything I make.

Dinners, desserts, snacks, you name it.  Unfortunately, only a small handful of those experiments actually work out into something worth sharing.  This cheesecake, however, is probably worth every single failure.  It is so good.

I'm actually not really a fan of classic cheesecake.  It's a bit too heavy for me.  I know there are some hardcore cheesecake lovers out there, though, so I decided to try my hand at making something similar.

My main goal was to create something that would satisfy both me, and everyone who enjoys cheesecake, and I really think I did it.

This version of a cheesecake, made with greek yogurt and apple, is very light, but also has the rich and creamy taste that is associated with the classic dessert.  There's just a hint of sweetness from the apples and honey, and a touch of tangy from all the greek yogurt.  If you don't like your cheesecake tangy, feel free to add more honey before baking.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, there's another unusual ingredient in this dessert that helps to add creaminess and good texture.  Scroll down to find out what it is!

Apple Greek Yogurt Cheesecake

• 1 1/2 cups greek yogurt (I used 0%, but for an even creamier version use 2%)
• 9 tbsp mori-nu tofu (1/2 cup + 1 tbsp)
• 1 cup chopped apples
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp honey, or more to taste
• optional: 1 prepared pie crust

Preheat oven to 350F.  Combine all ingredients (not pie crust, if using) in food processor and blend until smooth.  Taste to check sweetness, and add more honey (or other sweetener) if desired.  Once flavor is just how you want it, pour mixture into parchment paper lined circular pan or pie crust.  Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, then turn oven off, but don't remove cheesecake.  Let cake sit in oven for at least 1 hour before taking out, and moving, uncovered, to fridge.  Allow cheesecake to firm up even more by leaving in fridge overnight (or for at least 8 hours).  By the next day, you're ready to serve... for breakfast or dessert!

As you can see from the pictures, I chose to leave my cheesecake crustless.  This was mostly because I didn't have a pie crust on hand and was too lazy to make one.

Next time I make this (and there will most definitely be a next time) I think I'll give a graham cracker crust a try.  I think the added crunch + flavor would be really nice.

However, whether or not you use a crust is completely up to you.  The one thing I can say is that if you chose no crust, then you're definitely not missing out on the awesome-ness of the recipe, because that's what I did when I made it.

So, without further ado.... Enjoy!

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Lemon Blueberry Scones