Strawberry Cheesecake
I love to make anything that looks like it could be sat in the window of a bakery. There's something so satisfying about pulling a dessert out of the fridge that makes people stop and stare before they've even had a bite. This cheesecake is one of those. It can be made in a simple, fuss-free way and it'll still taste absolutely incredible, but grab a piping bag and a fancy nozzle and suddenly you've got yourself a real showstopper. The kind of thing that looks like it took all day, but I promise you, it didn't.
Give it a go and do it your way. Pile on the fruit, scatter some edible flowers, tuck in a few mini madeleines or keep it clean and simple. However you finish it, the whole thing is pure delight.
Serves 10–12 | Chill: 2 hours minimum, overnight is best
The Base
250g biscuits of your choice (I use ginger nuts)
100g butter, melted
The Cheesecake Filling
500g cream cheese, at room temperature
250g double cream
200g white chocolate
250g fresh strawberries, diced into small cubes
The Decoration
250g fresh strawberries
Mini madeleines (recipe here) or use extra fruit, edible flowers, whatever you love
Method
Blitz your biscuits in a food processor until they resemble fine breadcrumbs. With the processor running, slowly pour in the melted butter and pulse until combined.
Press the mixture into your tin push it up the sides to about 1cm thick, then press the remainder firmly into the base. Chill for 1 hour.
Melt the white chocolate in the microwave in 30-second blasts, stirring between each, until just melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
Whisk the double cream to soft peaks and set aside. Using the same beaters, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy.
With the beaters running on low, slowly pour the slightly cooled melted chocolate into the cream cheese and mix until combined. Gently fold in the whipped double cream.
Divide the mixture evenly in half. Fold the diced strawberries into one half, this is your filling. Keep the other half plain for piping the decoration.
Spoon the strawberry cream cheese mixture onto the chilled base and level out with a palette knife. Chill until ready to decorate, minimum 2 hours, overnight is best.
Fit a piping bag with an extra-large basket weave nozzle and fill with the reserved plain cream cheese. Pipe across just over half the top of the cheesecake, leave a gap, then pipe a little more on the other side of the gap.
Quarter the decoration strawberries and tuck them into the gap, standing upright on their cut edges.
Finish with mini madeleines, extra fruit, edible flowers, go wild, it's your cheesecake!
Elliot’s Tips
Don't skip the overnight chill. Two hours will get you there, but an overnight set gives you a much cleaner slice and a firmer texture, worth the wait if you're making it for guests or a special occasion.
White chocolate is your sweetener. There's no added sugar in this filling, so the white chocolate is doing all that work. Don't be tempted to swap it for milk or dark, it'll throw the balance of the whole cheesecake off.
Room temperature cream cheese is non-negotiable. Cold cream cheese straight from the fridge will leave you with a lumpy filling that won't come together smoothly. Take it out at least 30 minutes before you start.