Preparation Steps for Strawberry Cheesecake

• In a bowl, place 1 whole egg, add 1 oz of sugar, and whisk with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes until light and frothy. Gradually add the sifted flour, folding it in gently with a spatula using upward motions.

• Pour the mixture into a baking pan lined with parchment paper. The pan should be at least 8 inches, but even a baking sheet will work. Pour the mixture in the center, and it will gradually spread to cover a surface of at least 7.5 inches in diameter, as we will need to cut it to fit an 18 cm ring mold.

  If the ring mold is 24 cm, double everything.

• Bake the sponge cake in a preheated static oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes, until firm and golden. Remove from oven and let cool.

• Soak the strawberries in water and baking soda. Leave them for 10 minutes, then rinse and dry.

• Prepare the strawberries for decoration. Cut 3.5 oz of strawberries in half, season them with 1 tablespoon of sugar and the juice of half a lemon, and let them macerate.

• Prepare the strawberries for the gelée. Remove the stems, chop them finely, and place them in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of sugar and the juice of half a lemon, let them sit for now.

• Soak 2 sheets of gelatin in cold water. If you prefer, you can use 3 if you feel unsure with just 2 (I used 2 and it was perfect, just be careful when removing from the ring).

• In a large bowl, place 5 oz of cream, or even 7 oz. Whip it until soft peaks form. Add the yogurt and powdered sugar, I used 1.75 oz for the already sweetened cream, if you use fresh cream, you might need a bit more, but always adjust to taste, for me it was perfect, not too sweet.

• Melt the well-squeezed soaked gelatin in 1.75 oz of milk, either in the microwave in a small bowl or in a small pot on the stove.

• Gently pour the melted gelatin into the cream and yogurt mixture and mix well with a spatula.

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• Using the springform pan, form a circle on the cooled sponge cake. Just place it on the sponge cake and press slightly. Use a knife to trim the excess parts, gently separate the sponge cake from the parchment paper, and place it in the ring mold, lined at the base with a sheet of parchment paper. Leave the paper nice and wide, and rectangular, so it will be easier to release the cheesecake from the mold and parchment paper later.

• Collect some strawberry juice from the strawberries we had macerating with sugar, first taking all from the halved strawberries, and soak the sponge cake. If it’s not enough, take a bit more from the strawberries chopped for the gelée, and you can also dilute with a little water to soak the sponge cake well, about 2-3 oz of liquid are needed. (I preferred the sponge cake base, which is more pleasant and lighter than the classic biscuit and butter base, but if you like, that works too, and in that case, don’t soak.)

• Now pour all the yogurt mixture over the soaked sponge cake base. Level with a spoon or spatula, place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, or in the fridge for 2 hours.

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• After about half an hour of resting in the freezer, proceed to prepare the strawberry gelée. Prepare it only at the last moment because it must be used while still warm, not cold, mind you, and not too hot either, otherwise you risk melting the yogurt base.

• Pour the chopped strawberry mixture into a small pot and cook over medium heat. When the strawberries are soft, blend everything to obtain a smooth cream. Keep the heat low.

• In a bowl, place 2 teaspoons of cornstarch, add a teaspoon of sugar, and gradually 1.75 oz of water to obtain a lump-free mixture, pour into the strawberry cream, and stir until thickened, cook for about a minute, a little less from the boil. Let cool slightly, then pour into the mold over the yogurt base, level well. Refrigerate until the gelée is fully set, at least 4 hours, I left it overnight.

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• Whip 3.5 oz of cold cream from the fridge to stiff peaks. With a piping bag with a wide star nozzle of 1 cm, form swirls around the entire circumference of the strawberry gelée. Also form a swirl in the center.

• Garnish with strawberries, arranging them in a circle around the cream swirls, then place a small strawberry in the center.

• Decorate with small swirls at the base as well. Add mint leaves, and if you have some edible flowers, I used violets I grew myself, without pesticides or harmful substances.

• After half an hour of resting in the fridge, our delicious strawberry cheesecake with sponge cake and yogurt cream is ready to enjoy, amazing, lighter, with a tasty strawberry gelée made without gelatin.

• If you want to prepare it without gelatin, you can use mascarpone instead of yogurt, or Greek yogurt which is firmer, and well-whipped cream. (In this case, I recommend acetate sheets for a perfect result, and to easily release the cheesecake from the mold).

  If you want to use a larger mold, you need to double the quantities, especially for the sponge cake, and use a larger mold. It keeps for 2-3 days in the fridge, but it can also be frozen, preferably without decorations, as strawberries aren’t optimal after thawing and release liquids.

  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Until next time.

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