Today, we’ll make a no-bake cheesecake with durian, a wonderful exotic fruit known as the “king of fruits” in Thailand. If you like the uniquely sweet and aromatic taste of durians, this durian cream cake will become your new favourite dessert!
Durians are large, thorn-covered fruits with a creamy, yellow flesh. Native to Southeast Asia, they’re used to make jam, ice cream, cakes and other desserts — and they’re perfect for a tropical cheesecake!
Well-known for its strong smell, durian has an intense, unusual flavour that combines sweet and savoury notes. And when fully ripe, its flesh is so creamy it feels almost like a custard.
Durian tastes like ripe bananas and almonds mixed with cream cheese and chives. So unique and yet incredibly good, it adds lots of flavour to this cheesecake!
To make the cheesecake, you’ll need about one or two durian segments, depending on the size of the fruit.
We recommend choosing the softest fruit chunks when you buy them at your local Asian food market. Ripe durian will be sweet, creamy, and fruity, and you’ll get the best results.
Because durian puree is super creamy, we used it to replace cream cheese in the cheesecake mix. We also swapped the classic whipped cream with silken tofu and thickened it with a little agar powder.
The result is a dairy-free, low-fat, and fully vegan durian cheesecake. And if you use sugar-free erythritol instead of caster sugar, the durian cake will also be low in sugars. Awesome!
Now, time to gather the ingredients and make this wonderful durian cheesecake together!
And if you liked this recipe, we think you’ll love these durian oatmeal cookies and Hong Kong-style durian pancakes too!