Best Baked Durian Cheesecake Recipe

July is typically the hottest month of the year, for most in the northern hemisphere at least. In Southeast Asia, the thorniest. Dubbed the “King of fruits”, July is when roadside stalls and markets overflow with this majestic fruit.

With over 200 cultivars unique to only this part of the world, we Malaysians have found many ways to incorporate this fruit into everyday food. There is durian ice cream, puffs, tempoyak, and my personal favorite – durian cake. Durian cheesecake to be more precise.

It is a marriage of two of my post-meal biases. I love how the creamy, rich durian pairs magically with the tart, savory sweet of a cheesecake. The resulting smooth custardy texture go so well with that slight crunch from the crust. If there is someone in your circle that find durians repulsive, this is a brilliant way of easing them in. The aroma of the cream cheese offsets the pungent durian a fair bit. Plus, the looks are not as intimidating.

What cultivar of durians go well with cheesecake?

You can use any cultivar. I personally find D101, D13 or Red Prawn more suitable for the mass, especially children. These cultivars are sweeter, lighter, making it easier on the palate. For those hardcore durian aficionados, D24, Black Thorn or Musang King gives you more body, intense bittersweet flavor.

This durian cheesecake recipe is highly suitable for beginners. The durian basically carries this dessert. It is a rich flavor bomb on its own and does most of the flavor work for you. All you have to do is to get your hands on some good durians. You can use them fresh, or use frozen ones, just make sure to thaw them first. My favorite is the renowned Musang King, which is what I used in this recipe.

Dry oven will cause the cake to brown quickly and crack!

Now, the baking part is a very crucial process for this recipe to work. It is super important that you use the water bath baking method. A dry oven would cause your cheesecake to brown quickly, dry and crack. A water bath keeps the oven moist and distributes the heat evenly. The custard needs tender loving care and cooked slowly at a controlled temperature to give that smooth velvety top.

To start, you will need a springform or cake pan with removable bottom, and another pan that is bigger than that. Ensure to secure the bottom and sides of your cake pan with some aluminium foil. This is to prevent water from leaking into your cake, so double or triple down on the layers. The bigger pan will serve as the bath tub. Here I used my oven’s baking tray as the big pan.

When your oven has preheated, place the little pan (with cake batter in it of course) into the big pan and pour boiling water into big pan. Alternatively, the easier way is to fill up the baking tray with room temperature water, and preheat the oven as you go about preparing your cake batter. After the oven has preheated, you may then place the cake pan into the water bath to bake for the allotted time. It is a delicate, fragile dessert, so adhere strictly to the time and temperature.