If you’re looking for your next summer party centrepiece, I highly recommend investing in a food magazine subscription. I’ve had a subscription to Good Food magazine for years now and to usher in the month of June I thought I’d tackle a cheesecake recipe that’s packed full of fresh fruit.
In the June edition of Good Food’s magazine you’ll find a Baked Strawberry Cheesecake that they describe as ‘next level’. I’ve only ever tried my hand once at baked cheesecakes before, attempting to replicate the indulgent burnt Basque cheesecake I ate at La Vina in San Sebastian. No cheesecake will ever be able to compete with La Vina.
But I’m no quitter. I’ll try anything once. I’m fairly adept at no-bake cheesecake since it’s one of my dad’s favourite desserts.
His choice of a mandarin cheesecake is perfect for those new to cooking, as it requires only a few skills. However, Good Food’s baked strawberry cheesecake would test my grit, will and patience.
Don’t be alarmed with the long list of ingredients — a fair few double up for different aspects of the dessert. Usually I’d advise adding extra butter for the base as the biscuits can still be quite dry after mixing, but this recipe gets it spot on.
Preparing the biscuit base is fairly straightforward, even though I don’t own the correct size loose bottom cake tin. This resulted in a lot of leftover filling, which is slightly annoying as I hate food waste.
The key is getting the filling cooked properly. Good Food’s recipe advises one hour and ten minutes to bake but the centre was too wobbly. I added an extra half an hour to the cooking time, eye-balling it to see if it was done.
Thankfully, half an hour extra was enough time, leaving a slight wobble in the middle. Now comes the long haul.
Leaving the cheesecake in the oven with the door ajar for one hour will help avoid any cracking in the filling. It’s a vital step, especially if you want to make sure your cheesecake doesn’t crumble when removed from the tin.
Once the first part of the long haul was complete, the cheesecake snuggled up in my fridge overnight, ensuring the filling set firmly. When ready to serve, halve the strawberries and leave to macerate with some more sugar.
This is the last part of the long slog, I promise. When the last hour was nearly over, I warmed the jam, any leftover strawberry juice and lemon juice.
The glaze gives the strawberries a glossy sheen, as well as a sweetness to cut through the creaminess of the filling. The cheesecake is packed full of sweetness — for some it may be overwhelming but it’s perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth.
Depending on how you enjoy your cheesecake, I’d recommend leaving the cheesecake to come to room temperature. It allows for an easier slice and a smoother bite.
This cheesecake is perfect to grace a summer dining table, a picnic or a weekend celebration. It exudes sunshine even on the dreariest of days. It’s certainly a next level summer showstopper, that’s for sure.
Baked Strawberry Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the base
- 120g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for the tin
- 300g digestive biscuits
- 25g golden caster sugar
For the filling
- 750g full-fat soft cheese
- 200g golden caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 200ml soured cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 lemon, zested
- 2 tbsp plain flour
For the topping
- 400g strawberries, halved
- 25g golden caster sugar
- 100g strawberry jam
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Method
Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Butter a 20cm springform cake tin and line the base with baking parchment. Blitz the biscuits to fine crumbs in a food processor, or put in a food bag and bash with a rolling pin. Tip into a bowl.
Stir in the butter and the sugar until the mixture resembles damp sand. Press the mixture firmly into the base of the tin, then use the back of a spoon or a glass to press the crumbs up the side in an even layer. Chill for 20 minutes to firm up.
Meanwhile, for the filling, beat the soft cheese and sugar together in a large bowl using an electric whisk until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each addition.
Whisk in the soured cream, vanilla and lemon zest, then sift in the flour and fold through until just combined. Scrape the filling over the biscuit base and smooth the surface using a spatula.
Put the cheesecake on a baking tray and bake for about one hour ten minutes, or until the centre is just set with a very slight wobble. Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake inside to cool with the oven door ajar for one hour. (This helps prevent cracking.) Once cooled, transfer to the fridge and chill for at least four hours, or overnight.
Meanwhile, for the topping, put the strawberries in a sieve set above a bowl, then scatter over the sugar and toss to combine. Leave the strawberries to macerate for about one hour.
Tip any strawberry juice from the bowl into a small pan with the jam and lemon juice, and warm over a low heat until the jam has melted and the mixture is glossy. Toss the strawberries through the jam mixture, then pile over the chilled cheesecake.
Will keep chilled for up to two days. Carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin, transfer to a serving plate and slice into wedges to serve.