Creamy, light as a cloud Yogurt Cheesecake with a buttery graham cracker crust and crumbly topping
Preheat the oven to 350 ° F, and position the rack directly in the middle of the oven. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.
Start by making the crust and crumb topping. Add the graham crackers to a blender or food processor, pulse until they are fine crumbs. Pour the crumbs into a medium size bowl.
Then add melted butter, a pinch of kosher salt, and pinch of ground cinnamon. Press half of the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared springform pan, and bake them for 15 minutes until the crust smells nutty and is deeply golden brown. Reserve the rest of the crumbs for the topping, and set aside to cool.
Make the cheesecake filling. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large bowl and handheld mixer, combine the cream cheese and sugar. Beat until the cream cheese is lighter and fluffier, about 2 minutes. Then add the yogurt, eggs, vanilla extract, and kosher salt. The batter is going much thinner than a traditional cheesecake. Don't worry! This is exactly what makes the cake so light. Bake until the center is just a tiny bit wobbly, but set, about 45-50 minutes. Allow the cake to cool for at least 1 hour. If you put it in the fridge or freezer to speed things up, even better!
While the cake is cooling, make the sour cream topping. Start by whipping up heavy cream in the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add the granulated sugar, and the zest of a lemon. Beat until you've reached soft peaks. Turn off the mixer, and add the sour cream to the bowl. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the sour cream into the whipped cream by hand, being careful not to deflate the cream.
Lastly, add the reserved crumbs to the top. Chill the cake for at least 1 hour before serving it. At this point you can decorate the cake however you like, or enjoy just like this, because let me tell you, it's perfect!
It's very important to store this cake in an airtight container, or wrapped in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator. Before I serve this cake, I like to remove it from the fridge about 20 minutes prior, to take the chill off. I think you can taste the flavors even more when it's not quite so cold.
You can also freeze a portion or all of this cake. I would freeze only the crust and cheesecake layers, wrapped tightly in plastic once the cake has cooled completely. Then, when you're ready to serve, thaw it in the fridge, then add the sour cream layer, and the crumbly graham crackers crumbs on top.