Strawberry Cheesecake

  Hello everybody!

  After a very long break, I'm doing baking again! This is a baking classic! It's strawberry cheesecake! It's a fun and easy bake so let's get straight into it...

  Serves: 12

  Prep time: 30 minutes

  Difficulty: easy

  Ingredients: 

  250g digestive biscuits

  100g butter, melted

  1 vanilla pod or 1-2 tsps vanilla essence

  600g soft cheese (eg Philadelphia)

  100g icing sugar

  284ml pot double cream

  For the topping:

  400g punnet strawberry, halved

  25g icing sugar

  

  Method:

  

  ▪️ EQUIPMENT: 23cm loose-bottomed tin, baking parchment, plastic food bag, rolling pin, large bowl, dessert spoon, chopping board, kitchen knife, electric mixer, spatula, serving plate, blender or food processor, sieve

  ▪️ Make the base: Butter and line a 23cm loose-bottomed tin with baking parchment. Put 250g digestive biscuits, in a plastic food bag and crush to crumbs using a rolling pin. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl, then pour over 100g melted butter. Mix thoroughly until the crumbs are completely coated. Tip them into the prepared tin and press firmly down into the base to create an even layer. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour to set firmly.

  ▪️ If using a vanilla pod, remove the vanilla seeds from 1 pod: Slice the vanilla pod in the half lengthways, leaving the tip intact, so that the two halves are still joined. Holding onto the tip of the pod, scrape out of the seeds using the back of a kitchen knife.

  ▪️ Make the filling: Place 600g soft cheese, 100g icing sugar and the vanilla seeds or vanilla essence in a bowl, then beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Tip in 284ml pot double cream and continue beating until the mixture is completely combined. Now spoon the cream mixture onto the biscuit base, working from the edges inwards and making sure that there are no air bubbles. Smooth the top of the cheesecake down with the back of a dessert spoon or spatula. Leave to set in the fridge overnight or for at least 6 hours.

▪️ Un-moulding and topping: bring the cheesecake to room temperature, about 30 mins before serving. To un-mould, place the base on top of a can, then gradually pull the sides of the tin down. Slip the cake onto a serving plate, removing the lining paper and base. Purée half the 400g punnet strawberries in a blender or food processor with 25g icing sugar and 1 tsp water, then sieve. Pile the remaining strawberries onto the cake, then pour over purée.

  That's all for this week! The finished product was absolutely amazing! And the method was so simple! I really enjoyed making it and eating it! I had missed doing my baking for a few weeks so this was a great summer recipe to come back with! If you happen to bake this please send me photos on Instagram (@ISayBell_blog) I hope you enjoyed! See you next week for another blog post! Love you all!

  Byyeee!!!!