Cheesecake balls for Shavuot, parashah Yitro

In Yitro, we read about the receiving of the Torah, an event we celebrate every year on Shavuot while eating as many cheesecakes as we can. This recipe is bursting with the holiday’s joy but is too good to eat only once a year.

Makes: 12 to 18 depending on scooper’s size

INGREDIENTS

1.1kg cream cheese, at room temperature 400g sugar

55g plain flour

Pinch of salt

9 medium eggs

4 medium egg yolks

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp lemon juice

60ml double cream

125g unsalted butter

525g white chocolate chips Chocolate sprinkles (for decoration)

METHOD:

Preheat your oven to 160°C, grease or spray a 25cm cake tin and boil a pot of water.

Using an electric mixer, slowly beat the cream cheese, sugar, flour and salt together in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in the eggs and yolks, one at a time, mixing between each one. Then add the vanilla extract, lemon juice and cream. Pour batter into your greased cake tin.

Fill a roasting pan halfway with boiling water. Carefully put your cake tin into it, allowing the water to reach the middle of its sides, creating a water bath for your cheesecake. This will give it its dense consistency and delicious flavour. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the cheesecake becomes firm and turns golden brown around the edges.

Remove the cheesecake from both the oven and the roasting pan and allow it to reach room temperature. Then cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least four hours, or until it becomes cold and firm, before continuing.

When the cheesecake is chilled, cover two baking sheets with waxed paper. Scoop the cheesecake into balls with an ice-cream or melon scooper and place the balls on the waxed paper, leaving a little space between each one. Freeze the balls for an hour and a half until they become hard.

To make the coating, melt the butter and white chocolate together in a microwave or double boiler, stirring until smooth. Let cool until it reaches nearly room temperature.

Remove the cheesecake balls from the freezer and allow to warm up slightly — if they are too cold when you dip them in the coating, the chocolate will harden instantly and you will not get a smooth coating.

Using either a spoon or fork, dip the cheesecake balls into the white chocolate mixture to coat.

Before the chocolate hardens, decorate the balls with sprinkles and refrigerate on waxed paper-lined trays for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Your sous chefs will love beating together the ingredients for the cheesecake batter. Have them help you scoop the cheesecake balls and give them the important job of decorating them at the end.

Look out for more Shavuot cheese ideas throughout this supplement.