Melomakarona cheesecake (Μελομακάρονα τσιζκέικ).
The great flavour of melomakarona and cheesecake combined in Mia Kouppa’s melo-cheesecake!
Greek-Canadian food bloggers Helen and Billie of Mia Kouppa, pride themselves on taking the guesswork out of Greek cooking and they’ve certainly done that with one of the most sought after festive recipes of 2021.
Almost every, if not most, Greek household cooked or bought a batch of the popular favourite traditional Greek treats Melomakarona for the festive season. It would be surprising if many or any are leftover after Christmas day but for those that overstocked this year, it’s good to know that they do keep for a long while and make a delicious go-to accompaniment with a Greek coffee or chamomile mountain tea.
MiaKouppa’s food bloggers suggest using remaining melomakarona to make their incredible cheesecake; the dessert that trended on Instagram is so good that if you don’t have any leftover melomakarona, you’ll end up baking a batch just for the cheesecake!
You asked for it and we delivered it! So without further ado, here is the recipe to the ‘Melomakarono Cheesecake’ everyone has been asking for.
Helpful hints
You will need about 8 – 10 melomakarona to make this cheesecake. The exact number will depend on the size of each cookie. The most important thing is to be sure that you can get 1 1/2 cups of melomakarona crumb. You can create this crumb by using a food processor or a high-speed blender. If you don’t have either a food processor or a blender, place your cookies in a strong Ziploc bag and smash them with a rolling pin or a can.
Despite what Theia Voula does when making her phenomenal cheesecake (featured under More Kouppes), it’s suggested that you use a more traditional approach to cheesecake baking here. This means that you should bake your cake in a springform pan placed in a water bath. If you have cursed cracked cheesecake tops in the past, the water bath is the answer to your cheesecake prayers. By baking your cake in the water you ensure a smooth surface, free of cracks, and a texture that is rich, creamy and simply dreamy.
Baking in a water bath however has its risks because springform pans are not seamless (that is, they come apart), there is the possibility of water leaking into your cake. You do not want this to happen. In order to prevent it, wrap your springform pan in at least 2 layers of aluminium foil. Try to arrange your foil in such a way that there is minimal risk of water getting to the pan through the base and ring junction.
When you prepare your cheesecake batter, beat all the ingredients well using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer if you have one. Otherwise, a handheld mixer will work. Although you are aiming for a smooth and uniform batter, you may find that small lumps of cream cheese just do not want to go away. Don’t worry about it; these small pieces of stubborn cream cheese will melt away as the cake bakes, and all will be well.
Baking cheesecake is a lesson in patience. Not only will your cheesecake bake for an hour, but it then needs to cool as it sits in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours/ Don’t be tempted to cut into your cake earlier than that; you may end up with a runny mess.
After your cheesecake has cooled for the requisite amount of time, the fun begins. You can see how Helen and Billie like to decorate their cheesecake in the photos, however, feel free to experiment to your own liking. Let your creativity run wild, the cake is your canvas! Mia Kouppa suggests that you stick to using honey, melomakarona and walnuts so that the flavours work. Try this, see how you like it (they promise, you’ll love it!) and then, the next time go wild!
Any leftover cheesecake will keep well in the refrigerator for several days. Be sure to cover it with some plastic wrap.
