Baked Matcha Cheesecake Bars

While it might appear so, baking with matcha is definitely not a phase. If I ever had a bakery, I think it would be primary made of treats made with lemon, tea and coffee. Mmm... 

Last weekend, I thought of taking a break from making a mess in the kitchen, but with two hours to kill before dinner, I could hardly bear the thought of sitting idle. I should probably learn to take a chill pill, but at least, my nerves beget something scrumptious. For more information about baking with matcha, check out my post on Matcha Brownies. 

Ingredients

• 75 g butter
• 1 ¾ cups digestive biscuits
• 260 g cream cheese (I used Philadelphia)
• 2 eggs
• 200 g double cream
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup matcha powder

Note: Before baking, fill the roasting pan with 1/2-1 inch of hot water and place it in the oven throughout the bake. Be careful or you might spill and give yourself first degree burns. 

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 200C.
2. Coat your baking pan with butter or line with parchment paper.
3. Crush up the cookies weither with brute force or the food processor.
4. In a bowl, combine cracker crumbs and melted butter.
5. Put 4. into your baking pan.
6. Heat the cream cheese in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
7. In a bowl, whip the cream cheese and sugar.
8. Add the eggs, one at a time and mix well. 
9. Add flour and matcha and mix well.
10. Add cream a third at a time and mix well.
11. Pour the mixture into the baking pan. 
12. Adjust the oven temperature to 175C and cook for about 25 minutes. Again, I find my oven to be hotter than average so I baked them at 160C.
13. Once the cheesecake is done in the oven, turn the oven off and open the door. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for about 1 hour, as sudden changes in temperature may cause cracking.
14. Best to chill over night before serving.