I am a big fan of cheesecake especially baked, but my friend Sam served this recipe at her son’s communion recently and I was very impressed. She did a blueberry version but I have tweaked it because strawberry season is upon us and it works very well with her basic recipe. This can be made on the same day without having to chill it overnight as you would for baked cheesecakes. Thank you Sam!

Ingredients

280 grams/ 10 ounces digestive biscuits crushed

140 grams / 5 ounces butter melted

450 grams /1 lb cream cheese

140grams / 5 ounces caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grated rind and juice of one lemon

440 millilitres cream whipped

200 gram strawberries hulled and chopped

To decorate

400 grams strawberries hulled and chopped

Juice of half lemon

2 tablespoons icing sugar sifted

 

Method

Melt the butter and stir in the crushed biscuits. Press the mixture into the base of an 8 inch spring form tin which you have greased with spray oil or butter. Place in the fridge to set. My friend Sandra told me if you turn the base of the tin upside down it’s much easier to slide the finished cheesecake onto a serving plate. Believe me it works every time! Make your base gluten free by using s GF digestive biscuit as your base you wouldn’t even know the difference!

Whip the cream and set aside

Mix the cream cheese with the sugar, lemon rind and juice in the bowl of your mixer and fold in the whipped cream with the mixer on a slow speed. Fold in the strawberries by hand and spoon the mixture into your prepared tin. Chill for at least three hours or overnight.

When set remove from the fridge and place 200 grams strawberries on top. Blitz the remaining 200 grams strawberries to a smooth sauce in your blender and stir in the lemon juice and icing sugar. Don’t be tempted not to sift the icing sugar as it will clump when it hits the blitzed berries and you will end up with a lumpy sauce. You can serve the sauce on the side or pour it over the top of the berries, but I found that the sauce dripped down the side of the cheesecake onto the plate and beyond! So now I drizzle it on a slice of cheesecake just before serving! Enjoy!