Cream tea cheesecake recipe

Simon Rimmer's pretty cake celebrates the British summer with strawberries, cream and shortbread

Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS

For the base

• 150g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 30g butter
• 30g caster sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• Approx. 90ml milk

For the filling

• 600g cream cheese
• 200g ricotta
• 150g caster sugar
• Seeds from 1 vanilla pod
• 6 eggs
• 100g clotted cream
• 200g strawberry jam

For the strawberry sauce

• 100g caster sugar
• 150g strawberries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. For the base, sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then stir in the sugar. Mix in the egg and add enough milk for the dough to come together.
2. Roll the dough out to 1cm thickness, then cut it to fit a 22.5cm springform cake tin. If you find the base too thick, roll it out a little thinner. Prick the dough well and blind bake for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine the cream cheese, ricotta, sugar, vanilla, eggs and clotted cream in a food processor until smooth. (Don’t worry if the mix looks a little wet, the 6 eggs will set it in the oven.)
4. Turn the oven down to 175°C/gas mark 4. Spread the jam over the cooked base, leaving about an inch all the way around the edge, then pour the cheese mixture gently over the top. If possible, spread the cheese mix from the outside inwards, so you don’t spread out the jam. Bake for 1 hour.
5. To make the sauce, gently warm the sugar and 100ml water in a pan. Once the sugar has dissolved, cook for a few minutes more then add the strawberries and stir until soft. Allow the sauce to cool then pass through a fine sieve to remove all the seeds.
6. Serve a good wedge of the cake with the strawberry compote and more clotted cream.

Source: channel4