In summer, cheesecakes and chilled cakes are highly appreciated desserts because they allow us to serve delicious sweets without turning on the oven and using the many types of enticing and tasty fruit that the season offers, just like in the recipe for chilled melon and Greek yogurt cake. Similar in appearance to a cheesecake, the chilled melon cake actually has a much lighter cream, both nutritionally and in texture, because it is made with 2% Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese. Rich in protein and low in sugar compared to classic whole yogurt, Greek yogurt lets you serve a satisfying dessert without overdoing it with fats and calories, especially since you can add very little sugar to the cream; thanks to its firm consistency, it allows you to reduce the amount of gelatin needed to hold the dessert together compared to what you would use with regular yogurt, resulting in a much creamier texture. To prepare the melon topping for the chilled cake, simply blend the melon pulp with a little sugar – if the melon is sweet and ripe, just one tablespoon is enough – and add some gelatin dissolved in a little water. The chilled melon and Greek yogurt cake is a simple and impressive summer dessert that will win you over at the first bite!
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 8 Hours
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 8 People
- Cooking methods: No Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer
- Energy 249.41 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 35.21 (g) of which sugars 20.73 (g)
- Proteins 10.06 (g)
- Fat 8.59 (g) of which saturated 4.23 (g)of which unsaturated 2.32 (g)
- Fibers 1.26 (g)
- Sodium 148.75 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 186 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for a 20 cm Diameter Melon Cheesecake
If you are celiac, in addition to using gluten-free cookies for the base, remember to check that the gelatin also has the label “gluten-free”.
- 4.25 oz dry biscuits (for me gluten-free)
- 2.12 oz butter
- 1 pinch salt
- 1.54 lbs 2% fat Greek yogurt
- 0.42 cup milk
- 0.35 oz gelatin
- 1.41 oz sugar
- A few drops vanilla essence
- 10.58 oz cantaloupe melon (pulp only + as needed for decoration)
- 0.21 cup water
- 0.71 oz sugar
- 0.21 oz gelatin
- A few leaves mint
Tools
- 1 Small pot
- 1 Mixer
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Springform pan 20 cm diameter
- Parchment paper
- 1 Melon baller for decoration
How to Prepare the Melon and Yogurt Cheesecake
To prepare the chilled melon and Greek yogurt cake, start by preparing the classic cheesecake base: put the dry biscuits in a mixer together with a pinch of salt (1). Blend carefully until you obtain a very fine mixture (2). Add the butter after melting it in the microwave or over low heat in a small pot (3).
Mix well with a spoon to obtain a mixture similar to wet sand (4). Line a 20 cm diameter springform pan with parchment paper (5). If you don’t have a 20 cm pan, check out this guide to help you recalculate the doses according to the size of your pan. Pour the biscuits and form an even layer, pressing it well with the back of a spoon (6). Place the pan in the coldest part of the refrigerator while you prepare the cream.
While the base firms up in the refrigerator, prepare the yogurt cream. Soak 10 g of gelatin in cold water for 10 minutes. In a small pot, heat 100 ml of milk over low heat without boiling it. Remove it from the heat and add the gelatin sheets one at a time (7), after squeezing them well. Mix thoroughly to dissolve it completely (8) and let it cool. Put the Greek yogurt, sugar, and vanilla essence in a bowl (9).
Mix thoroughly with a spoon until you get a homogeneous and rather thick cream (10). If you use Greek yogurt, to preserve its creaminess, it’s better to mix the cream with a spoon rather than using electric beaters. When the milk with the dissolved gelatin has cooled, add it to the cream (11), mixing immediately with a spoon.
Incorporate the milk into the yogurt thoroughly to ensure the gelatin is evenly distributed throughout the cream (12). Pour the cream over the cake base, leveling it carefully (13). Place the dessert in the refrigerator to let the cream set for at least 2 hours.
When the melon cheesecake cream has set, you can prepare the topping (if you pour it while the cream is still fluid, the two mixtures may blend). Soak 6 g of gelatin in cold water for 10 minutes. Heat 50 ml of water in a small pot without boiling it (14). Turn off the heat and add the gelatin sheets one at a time, after squeezing them, and stir thoroughly to dissolve the gelatin (15). Let it cool. Cut a melon in half and remove the seeds. If you have a melon baller, you can use it to make balls for decoration (16). Set them aside.
Remove the skin and weigh 300 g of pulp. Cut it into cubes and put it in a mixer with 20 g of sugar (17). The amount of sugar can be increased or decreased as desired, depending on the sweetness of the melon. Blend until you get a liquid mixture (18). Pour in the water in which you dissolved the gelatin (19).
Mix carefully to blend everything well (20), then pour the melon jelly over the cheesecake (21). Place the dessert in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours until the melon jelly has solidified. Only at this point, decorate the dessert with the melon balls (which would otherwise sink) and with mint leaves (22).
If you don’t have a melon baller, you can decorate the cheesecake with thinly sliced melon arranged in a circular pattern or in your preferred design. Serve the chilled melon and yogurt cake as a dessert after a meal or for a different snack.
Storage
You can store the chilled melon cake in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days.
Tips and Variations
If you don’t like melon jelly, you can decorate the dessert simply with melon slices cut a few minutes before serving. If you have specific dietary needs, you can also use fat-free Greek yogurt with 0% fat for the cream and completely eliminate the sugar.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I use regular yogurt instead of Greek yogurt?
Yes, if you want to use regular yogurt instead of Greek yogurt, increase the amount of gelatin to be used for the cream to 12 g.
