Steps

1. Lightly grease a 15cm cake pan with vegetable oil. Line the bottom with a round piece of parchment paper and the sides with long strips of parchment paper.
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2. Set a sieve over a bowl and line it with kitchen paper. Add 250g of plain yogurt and cover with more kitchen paper. Place a weight on top to strain for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
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3. Place 30g of unsalted butter in a microwave-safe container and melt in the microwave on 600W for 30 seconds.
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4. Place 60g of crackers (approx. 18 crackers) in a ziplock bag and crush them finely with a rolling pin or similar tool. This finely crushed texture leads to a beautiful finish and a more stable base.
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5. Add the melted butter to the crushed crackers and mix until well combined.
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6. Pour the cracker mixture into the prepared cake pan. Use a rubber spatula to press it evenly onto the bottom. Chill in the refrigerator. Pressing the base firmly will make it less likely to crumble.
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7. Place 200g of cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave on 600W for 30 seconds until softened. If using room temperature cream cheese, this step can be skipped. If it's still hard, heat for an additional 10 seconds at a time.
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8. Use a rubber spatula to cream the softened cream cheese until smooth.
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9. Add 70g of granulated sugar to the cream cheese and mix well with a whisk.
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10. Crack in 1 egg and mix thoroughly.
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11. Add 1 tbsp of lemon juice and mix well. Adding ingredients one by one and mixing well after each addition prevents uneven mixing.
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12. Take 100g of the strained yogurt, mix it until smooth, then add it to the batter and mix well. If you have strained it too much, you can adjust the consistency by adding about 1 tsp of regular yogurt.
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13. Add 100ml of heavy cream and mix well.
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14. Sift in 2 tbsp of cake flour and mix gently, taking care to prevent the flour from scattering, until everything is well combined.
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15. Strain the batter through a fine-mesh sieve. While not strictly necessary, this step will result in a smoother texture.
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16. Prepare the chilled cake pan by double-wrapping the bottom with aluminum foil for a water bath bake. When using a springform pan for a water bath bake, securely cover the bottom with aluminum foil to prevent water from entering.
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17. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the surface with a spatula and tap the pan on the counter 2-3 times to release any large air bubbles.
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18. Line a heatproof baking pan with several layers of paper towels and place the cake pan on top. Pour about 1-2 cm of hot water into the baking pan from the bottom of the cake pan. If you don't have a suitable baking pan, you can place hot water in heatproof ramekins and set them on either side of the cake pan.
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19. Bake in a preheated oven at 160°C (320°F) for 50 minutes. If it starts to brown too quickly, cover with aluminum foil.
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20. Once baked, remove from the oven and discard the aluminum foil from the bottom of the pan.
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21. Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool. Cover with parchment paper to prevent drying as it cools.
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22. Once cooled to room temperature, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least half a day (minimum 5 hours). Chilling for this duration will result in a dense, rich, and delicious cheesecake.
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23. Place a tall glass upside down and rest the cake pan on top, then press down on the sides to release the cake. Remove the parchment paper from the bottom.
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24. Transfer the cheesecake to a serving plate, peel off the parchment paper from the sides, and it's ready to serve.
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