Receta Baking | White Chocolate Cheesecake with balsamic strawberry topping #VDay #sodelicious #glutenfree
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”
Charles M. Schulz
White Chocolate Cheesecake with balsamic strawberry topping, music to this bakers ears. I’m not one for cheesy baking on V Day; possibly the last one who’ll bake for the day. Yet, I am a sucker for good recipes that catch my eye, and this one certainly did. A white chocolate cheesecake with ingredients as many as the fingers on my hand would tempt any baker or cheesecake lover. It certainly tempted me!
The minute I saw BetterButters fun video, part of their V Day series, to get men into the kitchen to bake something simple for their loved ones, they had me in the loop. If the first frame lists 5 simple ingredients, 4 of which are already there, then what’s to stop this rabid baker? Not much!! All it took was a trip to the local grocery store, grab some cream cheese, also some thyme that happened to be there, and I was set. I always have strawberries at home since they are so much in season these days.
It’s a simple recipe, S I M P L E. Make sure you see the video twice. First to enjoy the ease, and next, if you are like me, to jot down the steps. Else grab someone a willing soul, asking them to play the video as you go along. One thing I always do is follow the main recipe as is the first time. This was super fun, and I am going to bake this again soon. You know the other thing what I loved about the recipe? The natural quintessential cheesecake sink in the centre that holds the delicious filling.
A few things I might change. Maybe make the white chocolate cheesecake with quark the next time around. I am not a huge fan of Britannia Cream Cheese as the slight saltiness creeps through and takes away somewhat the joy and beauty of white chocolate. Talking about white chocolate, make sure you use good quality white chocolate. With as little as 5 ingredients in the cheesecake, each one counts in the end.
Recipe: White Chocolate Cheesecake
Summary: White Chocolate Cheesecake with balsamic strawberry topping is a great recipe for beginners, for bakers, for cheesecake lovers and especially for people like me who need a springboard for creativity. You could even do a light jelly topping that Better Butter did, but try this recipe you must! Makes a 7″ cheesecake
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- White Chocolate Cheesecake
- 200g white chocolate, melted {I used white baking chocolate}
- 200g Cream Cheese {Britannia}
- 4 egg, separated
- pinch of salt
- 1 vanilla bean, scraped
- 1/2 tsp strawberry extract
- Topping
- 150g strawberries, quartered
- 40g brown sugar
- 1-2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 vanilla bean shell
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Garnish
- Fresh strawberries, thyme
Method:
White Chocolate Cheesecake
Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a 7″ dessert ring or a loose bottomed baking tin.
Place egg whites with a pinch of salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until stiff peaks form
In the meantime, place the melted white chocolate, egg yolks and cream cheese in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Add vanilla and strawberry extract and whisk again.
Add 1-2 tbsp of the beaten whites to loosen the mixture, then gently fold the rest in. I turned the chocolate mix into the bowl of the KitchenAid stand mixer as it is a large very convenient bowl to mix in.
Transfer batter to prepared tin and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 150C and bake for a further15 minutes. Fina;y reduce the temperature to 120C and bake for another 15-20 minutes.
Allow to cool completely in tin, then chill for a few hours or overnight. Gently demold and place on serving platter.
Top with strawberry topping, and scatter fresh thyme over.
Topping
Place all ingredients in a heavy bottom non-reactive saucepan. Simmer gently until thick and jam like. Taste and adjust sweetness if required. Cool. {Can be made a day or so in advance}
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Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India