Strawberry Cheese Cake

Strawberry Cheese cake-A no bake easy to make cheese cake.A crunchy biscuit base,topped with a smooth ,creamy vanilla flavoured mascarpone cheese and cream topping.Garnished with seasonal fresh strawberries in a sweet strawberry puree.

Ingredients:

For the base:

250g digestive biscuits

100g butter melted

1 vanilla pod

600g soft cheese (mascarpone)

100g icing sugar

280 ml pot double cream

For the topping:
400g punnet strawberries halved
25 g icing sugar

Method:

Make the base:

1.Butter and line a 23cm loose-bottomed tin with baking parchment.

2.Put the biscuits in a plastic food bag and crush to crumbs using a rolling pin.

3.Transfer the crumbs to a bowl, then pour over the melted butter.

4.Mix thoroughly until the crumbs are completely coated. Transfer them into the prepared tin and press firmly down into the base to create an even layer.

5.Chill in the fridge for 1 hour to set firmly.

6.Slice the vanilla pod in half lengthways, leaving the tip intact, so that the two halves are still joined. Holding onto the tip of the pod, scrape out the seeds using the back of a kitchen knife.Keep aside

Make the filling:

1.Place the soft cheese, icing sugar and vanilla seeds in a bowl, then beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

2.Pour in 2/3 of the cream(leave remainder for serving) and continue beating until the mixture is completely combined.

3.Now spoon the cream mixture onto the biscuit base, working from the edges inwards and making sure that there are no air bubbles.

4.Smooth the top of the cheesecake down with the back of a dessert spoon or spatula.

5.Leave to set in the fridge overnight.

Un-moulding and topping:

1.Bring the cheesecake to room temperature, about 30 mins before serving.

2.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.

The Topping:

1.Puree half the strawberries in a blender or food processor with 25g icing sugar and 1tablespoon water, then sieve to remove seeds.

2.Arrange the remaining strawberries onto the cake, then pour over strawberry puree.

Serve with Vanilla icecream or just cream.

NB Any seasonal fruit can be substituted in place of strawberries. ie mangoes, peaches, raspberries,blueberries.