The Best Strawberry Cheesecake

This is the cheesecake recipe I turn to when time is in short supply but I still want to make something delicious for the following day.  I started making this at 8 pm tonight,  less than an hour later,  it was ready to come out of the oven!

You can vary the recipe depending on what is in season (or which tinned fruit is languishing at the back of your cupboard).  I used rosewater as a flavouring but natural vanilla extract or lemon zest would be lovely too.

You will need :

8 digestive biscuits
50g melted butter
600g cream cheese (I use 300g full-fat and 300g light)
2tbsp plain flour
175g caster sugar
2 tbsp rosewater
2 eggs +1 yolk
142 ml sour cream
400g strawberries
1 tbsp icing sugar

Method :

Preheat the oven to 180C/ 160C fan/gas 4. Butter a 20 cm springform tin and line the base with baking paper.

In a food processor,  crush the biscuits into fine crumbs. Mix thoroughly with the melted butter and press into the base of the tin with your palm. Bake for 5 min.

Meanwhile, whisk the cream cheese, flour, sugar, rosewater, eggs, egg yolk and sour cream until well mixed and fluffy.

Wash half the strawberries,  hull and cut into quarters.

Pour the mixture delicately over the biscuit base, then scatter the strawberries over the top and push them down slightly. 

Bake for 40 min until set but still wobbly in the middle.

Cool in the oven with the door slightly ajar, then carefully ease out of the tin when cool and transfer to a serving plate. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Keep 3 or 4 strawberries to one side, and wash, hull and quarter the rest. Put in a small pan with the icing sugar and cook on a low heat for a few min until soft. Blend to a smooth purée.

Before serving, thinly slice the remaining strawberries, and arrange on each plate with a slice of cheesecake and a drizzle of strawberry purée.

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Raspberry and Rose Cheesecake Sandwich

I created this cake for a competition I entered. I had in mind a cross between a cheesecake and a Victoria sandwich, and I must admit I am rather happy with the result!

It took a little bit of work to get the texture right for the filling, as it needs to be dense enough to support the sponge on top and keep its shape, while still being creamy and light.

I am no cake decorator, hence the simple topping of fresh fruit with a dusting of icing sugar (almost anything looks fancier with icing sugar!).

I didn’t win the competition, by the way, and I realised that I am actually quite a bad sport: never mind the taking part, I really wanted to win! 🙂

You will need:

 For decorating:

About 150 g mixed raspberries and strawberries
Icing sugar
1 pink rose
1 egg white
2 tbsp granulated sugar

 

For the sponge:

4 eggs
225 g caster sugar
225 self-raising flour, sifted
2 tsp baking powder
225 g butter, at room temperature, diced
50 g raspberries

 

For the raspberry coulis:

50 g raspberries
2 tbsp icing sugar
3 tbsp rose water

 

For the cheesecake filling:

150 g double cream
50 g crème fraîche
250 g cream cheese
200 g cottage cheese
100 g caster sugar
30 ml rose water
8 g gelatine (leaves)

 

Method:

 The day before:

Gently peel the petals off the rose, rinse and pat dry with kitchen paper. Lightly wisk the egg white. Dip the petals in it one by one, shaking off any excess and arrange them on a tray lined with greaseproof paper. Sprinkle with the granulated sugar, and leave to dry for 24h.

 On the day; make the sponge.

Switch the oven on to 180⁰C/ fan 160⁰C/ gas 4. Grease and line 2 x 20 cm Ø sandwich tins.

Whisk the eggs, butter and sugar together until just combined, then fold in the flour and baking powder, being careful not to over mix. Finally, add the raspberries.

Divide the batter between the two prepared tins and bake for about 25 min, or until golden and springy in the middle, and the edges are coming away from the tin. Cool in the tins for 5 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

 Make the coulis:

In a small pan, put the raspberries, icing sugar and rose water and bring to the boil over a low heat, lightly crushing the raspberries with a spoon. Leave to simmer for about 5 mins or until slightly reduced and syrupy. Leave to cool.

 Make the filling:

Soak the gelatine leaves in a small bowl of cold water.

Mix the double cream and crème fraîche and whisk to stiff peaks.

In another bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, cottage cheese, sugar and rose water.

Squeeze the softened gelatine to release excess water. In a small pan, boil 1 tbsp water, add the gelatine and stir to melt, then pour straight away into the cream cheese mix and stir through. Gently combine the cream cheese mix with the whipped cream.

Mix 1 tbsp of the filling into the raspberry coulis, then pour the coulis into the filling, stirring once or twice to get a marble effect.

 Assemble the cake:

Place one of the cakes on a serving plate, and top with big dollops of the filling; keep going until the filling is all used up. Use a palette knife to straighten the edges and flatten the top, but don’t worry about being too tidy at this stage. Refrigerate for about an hour, then top with the other sponge and use the palette knife to neaten the filling up a bit. Chill for another hour.

Just before serving, top the cake with the raspberries and strawberries, dot with the candied rose petals, and sprinkle with icing sugar.

 

Mr Greedy Frog’s Birthday Cheesecake (Peach, Honey and Vanilla Cheesecake)

It is Mr Greedy Frog’s birthday. I asked him a few days ago if he had any request for his birthday cake, and the answer was immediate: Mr Greedy Frog wanted cheesecake.

To be honest, I don’t know why I bothered asking. Cheesecake is a favourite of his, he ALWAYS orders it if it is on the menu when we eat out, and when I bake one at home, it disappears faster than you can say “cream cheese”.

I fancied something summery, so opted for peaches, and I had some lovely orange blossom honey which I thought would taste great with the fruit. You can of course use almost any type of honey in this recipe, although I would probably avoid strong-flavoured ones like eucalyptus.

You will need:

For the cheesecake:
150 g biscuits (I used oaty ones, but you can use any plain biscuits you like)
70 g butter + extra for the tin
600 g cream cheese
170 ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp plain flour
150 g caster sugar
2 eggs + 1 yolk
1 peach
2 tbsp honey

For the peach glaze:
2 peaches
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Butter a 20 cm springform tin, line the bottom with baking paper, then butter again on top of the paper. Preheat the oven to 180 C/ fan 160 C/ gas 4.

In a food processor, blitz the biscuits to fine crumbs. Gently melt the butter over a low heat, and mix with the biscuit crumbs.

Press with your hand into the prepared tin to create a base. Refrigerate until your filling is ready.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and cream together. Sieve the flour over the mixture, and whisk it in. Then add the sugar, vanilla and eggs, beating thoroughly.

Peel the peach, then chop into small pieces. Don’t make the pieces too big or they will sink to the bottom of the cheesecake. Stir into the cream cheese mixture, along with the honey.

Pour into the tin, and bake for 30 to 40 min, or until set and golden on top but still wobbly in the centre. When done, turn the oven off, leave the oven door slightly ajar, and leave to cool completely.*

Make the glaze: peel and dice the 2 peaches, and cook on a low heat with the honey and vanilla. It is ready when the fruit is breaking down slightly and the juices are starting to reduce.

Pour the fruit and juices into a blender and pulse until smooth. Strain the purée to make sure it is nice and glossy, and reserve until the cheesecake has cooled down to room temperature.

Spread the glaze on top of the cheesecake, and refrigerate in the tin overnight.

When ready to serve, carefully remove from the tin and discard the baking paper.

*cooling the cheesecake in the oven prevents cracks from forming on the surface. I didn’t do it this time, because I needed to use the oven for something else; and lo and behold, a crack appeared…