Lingonberry and orange cheesecake

Surprisingly light but still indulgent, this pretty, Swedish cheesecake with a gingersnap crust makes a moreish pud to impress guests in party mood. 200g pepparkakor (Swedish gingersnap/ Kafferep at Ikea, or ginger biscuits), blitzed to a fine crumb 100g unsalted butter, melted 150g lingonberry or cranberry preserve 2 tsp cornflour, dissolved in 4 tsp water 4 gelatine leaves 300ml double cream 100g icing sugar 300g cream cheese, at room temperature Zest and juice of 1 large orange

1 Line the base of a 24cm loose-bottomed cake tin with baking parchment, then, in a bowl, mix the cookie crumbs and melted butter until well combined. Pack the mixture firmly into the tin, spreading out with the back of a spoon so that it’s evenly distributed and coming slightly up the sides of the tin. Chill until needed.

2 Place the preserve in a small bowl and mix with a few tbsp of water to loosen. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a saucepan, making sure to get as much liquid out as possible. Add the dissolved cornflour to the pan and gently heat to a thick but still drizzle-able coulis. Cool completely.

3 Meanwhile, soak the gelatine leaves in a small bowl of water for 5 mins until soft and jelly-like. Pour the cream into a pan and bring to a simmer, then immediately remove from the heat. Squeeze any excess water out of the gelatine leaves and add to the warm cream, stirring until dissolved. Allow to cool slightly.

4 Beat the icing sugar into the cream cheese along with the orange zest and juice. Add the cooled cream with 3 tbsp of the berry coulis and beat until smooth. Pour the cream cheese mixture onto the cookie base.

5 Now it’s time to decorate – and for a steady hand!* Starting in the centre of the cake, use a pipette or dropper to dot tiny circles of coulis in a spiral pattern all the way around the cake, letting the dots get bigger as you work your way round. Finally, starting in the middle again, use a cocktail stick to pull through the dots in a continuous circling motion – try not to lift your hand at all if you can help it. You should end up with a spiral of hearts.

6 Cover the tin with clingfilm (be careful not to touch the top of the cake and smudge your fine handiwork). Chill for six hours, or overnight, until the cake is set. Recipe from Lagom: The Swedish Art of Eating Harmoniously by Steffi Knowles-Dellner (Quadrille). Photography: Yuki Sugiura.