Strawberry & Orange Cheesecake
Originally found in the BBC Good Food magazine and is a real showstopper. Too many Syns for me to make regularly though (33 per person)
Servings 8 people
Ingredients
- 75 g Butter
- 225 g Chocolate Digestives Crushed
- 4 Oranges
- 150 g Caster Sugar
- 225 g Strawberries
- 1 Lemon
- 675 g Soft Curd Cheese
- 3 Eggs Separated
- 25 g Powdered Gelatine
- 150 ml Double Cream
- 50 g Plain Chocolate
- 150 ml Double Cream
Instructions
- Grease and line the base and sides of a loose-bottomed 20cm round cake tin
- Make the base by melting the butter in a pan and stir in the crushed biscuits until evenly mixed then press the mixture firmly into the base of the tin and put in the fridge to chill for a few minutes.
- Pare the rind from one of the oranges and cut it into thin strips then cook in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain well on kitchen roll and then toss in one teaspoon of the caster sugar. Set aside for decoration later
- Finely grate the rind from two of the oranges and the lemon and squeeze the juice from the lemon and an orange. You will need five tablespoons in total.
- Cut the remaining orange into wedges then remove the peel and pith from three wedges and slice them. Place alternate orange and strawberry halves around the sides of the cake tin.
- Mix the soft curd cheese with the grated zest, remaining caster sugar and beaten egg yolks. Beat until smooth.
- Sprinkle the gelatine over the fruit juice and soak for one minute. Place over a bowl of hot water and stir until disolved. Cool slightly
- Whip one batch of the cream until it holds its shape. Whip the egg whites until stiff
- Using a metal spoon, stir the curd cheese mixture whilst pouring in the gelatine in a thin stream. Carefully fold in the whipped cream and the whipped egg whites then pour into the cake tin to set.
- To decorate, melt the chocolate in a bowl and dip each strawberry in the melted chocolate and allow to dry on greaseproof paper then cut in half
- Whip the remaining cream until it just holds its shape and spoon into a ring on the top of the set cheesecake.
- Finally, decorate with the orange wedges, halfed strawberries and the candied peel. Chill before serving
