Tofu Boba Milk Tea Basque Cheesecake with Brown Sugar Mochi Crust

The title is long, the message is clear. As a proud Asian American, I have many fond memories of drinking copious amounts of boba throughout the years. Growing up this cherished drink was called bubble tea, but nonetheless it is an incredible combination of drink and chewy snack that served as the perfect middle ground to tie yourself over until dinner.

This recipe was developed as part of a game of “Kitchen Telephone” where I was tasked with taking ingredients from the person before and transforming it into a dish of my own. I selected the ingredients brown sugar, soy sauce, and cream cheese as inspirations for this dish, which sent me down a rabbit hole of trying to turn a brown sugar boba into a fully formed dessert.

Should you make this?

This is one of my over-engineered desserts. It’s not a casual bake, and uses far too many ingredients, but its by far one of the more unique creations I’ve tasted in a while. The tofu flavor is quite prominent and cuts the overall richness of the cheesecake, while still having the flavor of a cream top tea drink. The mochi bottom doesn’t add crunch like a traditional crust, but gives it a bit more bite and depth making this a truly decadent dessert course, or in my case, a worthy replacement for my boba sweet treat

Ingredients

Butter Mochi Crust

• 113 g mochiko (about 1 cup)

• 100 g dark brown sugar (about ½ cup)

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 150 g milk (⅔ cup)

• ¼ tsp vanilla extract (optional)

• 28 g unsalted butter, melted (2 tbsp)

Milk Tea

• 18 g black tea (9 bags)

• 150 g milk (about ½ cup)

Cheesecake Filling

• 567 g block cream cheese, room temperature (2.5 blocks, )

• 454 g silken tofu (16 oz)

• 200 g turbinado sugar (1 cup)

• 3 large eggs, room temperature

• 30 g all-purpose flour (¼ cup)

• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

• 1 tsp Soy Sauce (optional)

Assembly

• 150–200 g cooked boba pearls (about 1 cup)

• 50 g turbinado sugar (¼ cup)

Instructions

Butter Mochi Crust

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line an 8-inch cake pan or springform pan with parchment paper, letting the paper extend above the rim.

2. Whisk together the mochiko, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder.

3. Stir in the milk, vanilla, and melted butter until the batter is smooth and no dry pockets remain.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes, until the surface is set but still pale. Let cool slightly while you prepare the filling.

Milk Tea

1. Heat the milk until steaming but not boiling.

2. Add in the black tea, and cover the pan with lid or plastic wrap to steep.

3. Let the tea steep for 10 minutes before straining, and let cool completely before adding it to the cheesecake batter.

Cheesecake Filling

1. Blend the cream cheese and silken tofu in a food processor until completely smooth, scraping down the sides so the batter blends evenly.

2. Add the turbinado sugar and pulse just until combined.

3. Blend in the cooled milk tea, vanilla, and soy sauce if using

4. Add the eggs one at a time, pulsing briefly after each addition.

5. Add the flour and pulse just until incorporated. Try not to overmix at this stage.

Assemble & Bake

1. Pour the cheesecake batter over the par-baked mochi crust.

2. Tap the pan against the counter 8-10 times to remove any air bubbles from the surface of the batter.

3. Bake at 425°F (220°C) for about 40 minutes, until deeply browned with a wobbly center. It may looked overcooked at this point

4. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, before slicing.

5. Cook boba pearls according to package directions. Once cooled, mix in sugar to dissolve and season the pearls.

6. Slice the cheesecake with a clean and sharp knife, and garnish with additional boba pearls on top. Enjoy!