Baked ricotta & strawberry cheesecake
INGREDIENTS BASE
35g unsalted butter, melted 75g ground almonds
25g plain white flour
Pinch of salt
1½ tsp caster sugar
CHEESECAKE FILLING
250g ricotta cheese
340g light cream cheese
100g caster sugar
2 Tbsp cornflour
3 large eggs
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon 1 tsp vanilla extract
STRAWBERRY TOPPING
400g strawberries (fresh or frozen), hulled 2 tsp runny honey
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Preheat oven to 200°C. Use some of the melted butter to grease the sides of an 18cm springform cake tin.
2 For the Base, mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Tip into the cake tin and press down into an even layer. Bake for 6–8 minutes until golden, then remove from the oven and set aside.
3 Turn the oven down to 160°C.
4 For the Cheesecake Filling, sandwich the ricotta cheese between 4 layers of kitchen paper, patting it down to form a flat circle (this removes excess moisture from the cheese). Uncover and tip into a large bowl, then add the cream cheese and use a whisk to stir until smooth. Mix in the sugar and cornflour followed by the eggs, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla.
5 Pour the cheesecake filling over the baked crust and place the tin onto a baking tray. Bake for 50–60 minutes until the edges are set and the middle has a slight wobble. Carefully slide a knife around the outer edge of the baked cheesecake, then set aside to cool completely.
6 Meanwhile, make the Strawberry Topping. Tip 100g of the strawberries into a food processor with the honey and blitz until you have a smooth puree. Cut the remaining strawberries into quarters and place in a medium bowl. Add the strawberry puree and stir to coat.
7 Cut the cooled cheesecake into wedges and serve with the Strawberry Topping spooned over.
FEEL GOOD FACT
Ricotta is lower in salt than cream cheese, so swapping out some of the cream cheese for ricotta in a cheesecake can make it healthier (excess salt in the diet leads to high blood pressure).