Strawberry Cheesecake

I was so smittened by Rei's elegant strawberry cheesecake... and had wanted to have my copy-cat version. I scouted for the best strawberries and cream cheese. After having all the ingredients ready, I sat on the whole thing until the punnet of strawberries threaten to rot and mould... then I get down to the project...

BUT, after all the grand plans and ambitions I never get down to do the nice decor like hers. *tsk* Let's just call mine a "no-frill" version. :-)



I used another recipe which I have from the BlueKey Flour becos I do not have whipped cream which is required in Rei's recipe. Also since my cream cheese comes in 200g-tub, I apportioned all the ingredients accordingly.

Sweet Pastry Base
Blue Key Superfine Superwhite flour 200g
Butter100g
Eggs 24g ( ½ egg)
Icing sugar 50g ( ¼ cup)

1. Beat the butter with sugar and eggs until light and fluffy.
2. Sift the flour and gradually add to the butter mixture.
3. Mix together until a dough is formed. Wrap the dough in a plastic bag. Let it rest in the refrigerator for ½ hour.
4. Preheat oven to 200C. Roll out the dough flat between 2 pcs of greaseproof paper to a diameter of 22cm.
5. Deposit the rolled out pastry on a greased tray and bake for 10-15min. After baking, cool pastry on a wire rack.
6. Trim the pastry to fit the base of a 8” (20cm) springform or a baking pan.
   

Cheese Filling
Powder Gelatine 9.6g (I used 5 leaves)
Hot Water 80g
Castor Sugar 2 tbsp
Cream Cheese 200g
Evaporated Milk 48g
Vanilla essence 2 g (½ tsp)
Diced Strawberry 80g
Juice 48g (or water)

1. Cream the sugar, cream cheese, evap. Milk, peach syrup and vanilla essence until smooth.
2. Dissolve the gelatine in hot water and add to the cheese mixture. Mix well.
3. Arrange diced strawberry evenly on top of the pastry base. Pour in cheese to cover the fruits. Allow the cake to set in the fridge.
4. Prepare the jelly topping by boiling 35g of jelly powder with 160g of water. Allow it to cool slightly before pouring on top of the set cheesecake.
5. Place cheesecake back into the fridge to allow it to set.

My Adaptations:

• Pastry Base - I always keep some cookie dough in the freezer. So I used the sugar cookie dough instead making from scratch again. But if you are using this recipe here, you may omit the egg. My sugar cookie dough is eggless.
  
• Juice - I puree some strawberries, then top up the amount with ready-to-drink Ribena cranberry juice which is sweet yet not overly sweet. A little sourish, something that I enjoy.


• Sugar - I used 2 tbsp only. Just the right level of sweetness that I like.


• Springform pan - I do not have the proper springform pan, so I use whatever I have... that's why my cake is so shoooort!

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See this lazy baker didn't do a proper pastry base by pressing it down tightly and evenly... What you reap is what you get!


In the end I am too shy to bring the awful looking cheesecake to office. I kept at home had the whole thing to myself! How not to get fat agh?