Double Layer Butterfly Pea Cheesecake (Video)

This beautiful double layered cheesecake is naturally colored with butterfly pea powder and made with part Greek yogurt. It is creamy, irresistible, and so easy to make!

Growing up, I used to dislike cheesecake, but my tastes have evolved drastically and now cheesecake is to die for! I don’t make it often, but when I do, I devour it with my friends and family. A couple years ago, I started adding Greek yogurt into cheesecake batter for a lighter version of cheesecake. The outcome was delicious and creamy and no one could tell there was Greek yogurt added in the mix! It felt good to know that there wasn’t as much cream cheese as a typical cheesecake. This recipe and idea was adapted from Fit Mitten Kitchen. Try it and you won’t regret it!

This cheesecake is double layered with a butterfly pea powder and vanilla layer. There is no food coloring added as the butterfly pea powder is naturally blue itself. So the question is…

What is butterfly pea powder?

Butterfly pea powder is made from the blue, butterfly pea flower that is grown in South East Asia. It has an earthy taste like matcha green tea powder. It has been gaining popularity for its ability to turn purple when an acid is added and turn back to blue when something basic is added. I had way too much fun with my at-home science experiment watching the color changes! Because of the color-changing properties, it is commonly used in bars to make color-changing drinks. I first found out about this ingredient when I was scanning through the tea section at Whole Foods. The blue powder instantly caught my eye and I knew I had to buy it. Prices vary for the powder and good-quality options include Suncore Foods and Ancient Choice butterfly pea powders. The average price is $5/oz. It is a bit expensive, but a little goes a long way and I’ve been using my pack for a long time. For this recipe, the butterfly pea flavor is very light and primarily used for coloring. Use more powder for more flavor.

Cheesecake baking tips

In the past, no matter how badly I messed up my cheesecake, it still ended up tasting good so baking tips are mainly to help with the texture and physical appearance of the cake.

• To get a creamy cheesecake, make sure the cream the cream cheese thoroughly with an electric whisk to remove the lumps.
• It’s important to add lemon which helps the cream cheese mixture stiffen up. If you don’t have lemon, you may use vinegar. The acid also brings out the flavor of the other ingredients.
• Use a water bath to bake the cheesecake. This means placing the baking pan in a bath of boiling water while it bakes. This prevents the edges from cooking faster than the middle. To do so, wrap 2 sheets of foil around the base of the baking pan. Use enough foil to wrap the sides of the pan so water does not leak into the cheesecake.
• Be patient with cheesecake and don’t rush the process! There is a lot of waiting time but it’s all important.

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Double Layer Butterfly Pea Cheesecake

yield: 6 x 2 in. cheesecake

total cook time: 6 1/2 hrs.

Ingredients:

For crust:

• 65 g. or 3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
• 13 g. or 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 35 g. or 2 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

For filling:

• 285 g. or 1 c. + 3 tbsp. full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 50 g. or 1/4 c. granulated sugar
• 4 g. or 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 2 g. or 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 185 g. or 3/4 c. plain whole milk Greek yogurt
• 75 g. or 1 1/2 large egg.
• 4 g. or 1 1/2 tsp. butterfly pea powder (such as Suncore Foods and Ancient Choice powders)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. To make the crust, combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar together. Add in melted butter and stir until mixture is combined. Press the mixture onto the bottom of the pan and bake at 375 F for 10 min. Remove and allow to cool. Turn oven down to 325 F. Then wrap 2 layers of foil around the bottom of the baking pan.
3. In a medium bowl, add cream cheese and use an electric whisk to cream for 4 min or until lumps are removed.
4. Add in lemon juice, vanilla extract, and Greek yogurt and whisk until just combined. It is important not to over mix. Add the egg in and whisk until combined.
5. Remove about half of the batter and pour into another bowl on the side.
6. Add the butterfly pea powder to the remaining batter and whisk until the batter is completely blue.
7. Pour the blue batter into the pan over the crust. Shake the pan to smooth the batter out. Then add the plain batter over the top by using a ladle or piping tip. Don’t pour the plain batter directly over the blue batter since it will sink.
8. Place the cheesecake pan into a larger pan that is at least 1.5″ high and add boiling water to the larger pan to create a water bath. The water should be about 1 in. high and should not leak into the foil. Bake cheesecake for 55-60 min. at 325 F.
9. Once cheesecake is baked, crack the oven door a bit and allow cheesecake to cool in the oven for 1 hour. Remove cheesecake from the water bath and refrigerate for a least 5 hours.
10. Dust the cheesecake with some additional butterfly pea powder and enjoy!

*Nutrition facts are estimates.

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