This Summer Fruits White Chocolate Cheesecake is the perfect summer’s day cheesecake and is such a versatile recipe – you can swap the fruits to suit your favorite cheesecake flavors such as lemon, blueberry or strawberry, or anything you like!
In the brand new book Finch Bakery: Sweet Homemade Treats and Showstopper Celebration Cakes by Lauren and Rachel Finch, the beloved Lancashire, UK bakery shares 80 recipes for its most delectable and most beautiful sweet treats including cupcakes, scones, cookies, cake balls, cake jars, tray bakes, no-bake cakes and celebration cakes.
Recipes are designed to be standalone but some also work in a build-a-block way so you can make your own creation by swapping the sponge, filling, sauce or topping to satisfy your sweet tooth. With inventive creations and essential techniques, this is a whole new world of cake.
And with Lauren & Rachel’s insider tips, your baking will reach a colorful, scrumptious and stylish new level in no time.
Summer Fruits White Chocolate Cheesecake: Ingredients
Serves 8–10
- 400g (14oz) white chocolate
- 300g (1 1⁄4 cups) double cream
- 450g (1lb) full-fat cream cheese
- 100g (1⁄2 cup) caster sugar
- 100g (3⁄4 cup) frozen raspberries (optional)
- A dash of lemon juice
- 9–10 strawberries, halved lengthways for the strawberry edge
Base
- 300g (10oz) digestive biscuits (about 20 biscuits)
- 150g (1 stick plus 2 tbsp) unsalted butter
White chocolate ganache
- 60ml (4 tbsp) double cream
- 200g (7oz) white chocolate
Decoration
- Raspberries, strawberries and blueberries
- Freeze-dried raspberries
Equipment
- 20cm (8in) loose-bottomed round cake tin, lined
- Mixer or hand-held electric whisk
- Cake drum (optional)
- Piping bag and nozzle of choice
Summer Fruits White Chocolate Cheesecake: Method
1 Start by making the base. Blitz the biscuits in a food processor, leaving some pieces slightly larger. You can also put the biscuits into a sandwich bag and crush with a rolling pin.
2 Melt the butter and add to the biscuits, stirring until coated. Spoon the mixture evenly into the bottom of the lined tin and use the back of a spoon to press it down evenly right up to the edges of the tin. Place in the fridge to cool.
3 Make the WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE (method below) and spoon onto the base, spreading it evenly up to the edges.
4 Arrange the halved strawberries around the edge of the tin, cut-side outwards. Chill in the fridge until the ganache sets.
5 For the cheesecake, melt the white chocolate and leave to cool (but not set). In a mixer (or using a hand-held electric whisk), whip the cream until very stiff. Set aside. In another bowl, mix the cream cheese and caster sugar together until fluffy.
6 Add the whipped cream to the cheese and sugar, and fold together with a spatula. Slowly add the cooled white chocolate and mix together until just combined. Fold in the frozen raspberries with a spatula, if using. It should be wet yet stiff. Using a metal spoon, fill the tin with the mixture, making sure to press right up to the strawberries but not moving them. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
7 Slowly push the bottom of the tin up and remove the baking parchment. Place it on a plate or stick down with excess filling onto a cake drum, if using. Use a hot knife to smooth around the edges of the cheesecake, being careful with the strawberries.
8 Put any excess filling mixture into a piping bag fitted with your nozzle of choice. Pipe small whips around the edge and decorate with fresh fruit and freeze-dried raspberries.
WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE
Heat the cream in a small saucepan over a low heat until it steams and just starts to bubble. Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and pour the hot cream over. Leave the chocolate to melt and gently stir to combine.
Alternatively, put the chocolate and cream in a microwave-proof bowl and heat in 30-second intervals at full power until the chocolate has melted. Use a wooden spoon to mix the chocolate and the cream together.
Ganache should have a thick, silky consistency and can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 days or stored in the fridge for up to 1 month.
To whip it, bring it to room temperature and use the whisk attachment of a mixer (or a hand-held electric whisk) to whip for several minutes until loose and creamy. If the ganache is too stiff, whip in a splash of extra cream or milk, a little at a time. If the ganache is too runny, put it back in the fridge for a while before you whip it again.
Summer Fruits White Chocolate Cheesecake recipe extracted from Finch Bakery: Sweet Homemade Treats and Showstopper Celebration Cakes by Lauren and Rachel Finch (published by DK, £20). Photography by Jessica Griffiths.
