Passover Cheesecake

Ok, first of all, the cake fell badly.  But it tastes amazing, so I'm posting it.  Now, the picture...

I have a lot of canned blueberry jam from last spring and a brick of cream cheese that expires in a month.  I'm also trying to buy as little chometz as possible so the Purim-to-Passover purge doesn't consist of all bizarre menus.  I'm actually doing very well.  Also, I wanted a baked dessert, despite pre-dieting before vacation next week.  I can finally chew without pain most of the time and I want to enjoy food.

A quick search of "Passover Cheesecake" found this one from Chabad.  I'm adding an almond crust, but it's still gluten-free and kitnyot-free.  I liked the idea of whipping the egg whites separately, like a soufflé.  It's still going to fall if you cool it too quickly, but the chiffon nature will keep it from turning into a brick when it does.

I made a 6" cake with a half recipe, and it really filled the springform.  I don't know how the original fit in a 9x13.  Plus, the photo was clearly from a round cake pan, probably a springform.  I'm going to assume that your standard 9" or 10" springform will be the best choice.

2 C ground almond meal
1/4 C butter, melted
1/8 tsp nutmeg
6 eggs, separated
1-1/4 C granulated sugar
*2 bricks cream cheese
1 C nonfat sour cream or nonfat Greek yogurt
*2 tsp lemon juice (because extracts are not KLP)
1 Tb potato starch

1.  Grease the pan with a little bit of butter.  The original recipe skips this step, and I think it's why my cake imploded.  If you have parchment paper, it wouldn't hurt to make a collar for the pan, like you were making a soufflé.  Separate the eggs now, so the whites can come up to room temperature by the time you need them.  Room temperature egg whites make better meringues.

2.  In a bowl, stir together almond meal, 1/4 C sugar, and the nutmeg.  Add melted butter and stir until everything is dampened into a paste.  Press onto springform to cover the bottom and as far up the sides as it can go.  Start preheating the oven to 350º, with the cake rack on the middle setting.  I recommend putting an empty cookie sheet on the rack below it in case the pan leaks butter.

3.  Beat together egg yolks and 1/2 C sugar until pale and fluffy.  Beat in yogurt, lemon juice, cream cheese, and potato starch until smooth.

4.  In a separate bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites to soft peaks.  Slowly add the remaining 1/2 C sugar and continue beating into a stiff and shiny meringue.  Fold whites into batter, then pour into pan.  Bake for 50 minutes, until center is set.  If not ready, check every 5 minutes.

5.  Turn off oven and keep the door shut.  Cool cake in oven like that for one hour.  Then crack the door open and cool for another hour.

6.  Once cake is close to room temperature, loosen the sides from the pan with a thin knife and pop the spring.  If you're lucky, most of the cake will stay intact.  It's pretty awesome-tasting just like that, or you can beat together a cup of yogurt with a tablespoon of sugar for topping, and/or top with fresh or cooked fruit.

I snacked on all the crumbly bits that fell off

Difficulty rating  :)