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Method

Gelatin Mass

1. Add the powdered gelatin and water to a small bowl and stir together to combine. Set this aside in the fridge to bloom for 15 minutes. 

• 10g Powdered Gelatin (Platinum/Knox Bloom)
• 60g Cold Water

Mascarpone Cream

1. Into a tall measuring jug, add gelatin mass, white chocolate and mascarpone. Set this aside.

• 20g Gelatin Mass
• 30g White Chocolate
• 50g Mascarpone

2. Add 200g of the cream into a small saucepan and place it over a medium heat. Stir until the mixture is steaming then remove it from the heat and pour it into the measuring jug. 

• 200g Double/Heavy Cream

3. Allow it to sit for 2 minutes before blending until smooth. Add in the remaining 100g of cream and blend again.

• 100g Double/Heavy Cream

4. Pour the mixture onto a baking tray and cover the surface with clingfilm. Refrigerate it for a minimum of 3 hours. 

Genoise Sponge

1. Preheat the oven to 175C non-fan assisted (160C/320F fan assisted). Take a 39x27cm  baking tray, lightly grease it with butter and line it neatly with parchment paper.

2. For the sponge, add the eggs, sugar & lemon zest into a medium bowl and place it over a pan of gently simmering water. 

• 220g Whole Eggs
• 130g Caster/White Sugar
• Zest ¼ Lemon 

3. Using a hand whisk, whisk them together until they reach 40C/104F on a digital thermometer. 

4. Remove it from the heat and add the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment (or a medium bowl if using an electric hand whisk)

5. Whisk on a medium-high speed for 3-5 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and holds a ribbon when you drizzle it from the whisk.

6. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and sift over the flour and salt.. Fold this together, being as gentle as possible until there are no more lumps of flour. 

• 125g Plain/All-Purpose Flour
• Pinch of Salt

7. Take a small portion of the batter and add it into a bowl. Pour in the melted butter and fold this mixture together so there are no streaks of butter. 

• 30g Unsalted Butter, Melted

8. Add this back into the main bowl and fold it through to incorporate.

9. Pour the mixture onto the lined baking tray and spread it out evenly with an offset spatula.

10. Bake it in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove it and allow it to cool completely. 

Strawberry Cheesecake

1. Into a small saucepan, add the strawberry puree. Place the entire pan onto a tared scale and note the weight. 

• 230g Strawberry Puree

2. Place it over a medium low heat and stir it occasionally, until the puree has reduced by 85g (from 230g to 145g). You can do this by placing the pan back on the tared scale as you are cooking it to see how much the weight has reduced by. 

3. Remove it from the heat and stir in the gelatin mass until it has completely melted. Set the pan aside to cool, it needs to be around 40C/104F when we use it, or just above body temp.  

• 50g Gelatin Mass (or 2.5 gelatin leaves, any grade)

4. Into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl if using an electric hand mixer, add the cream cheese, invert sugar and caster/white sugar and beat for a minute until smooth.

• 125g Caster/White Sugar
• 550g Full Fat Cream Cheese
• 35g Invert Sugar/Trimoline

5. Add in the cooled strawberry mixture and beat again until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. 

6. Add the cream into the  bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl if using an electric hand whisk, and whisk to medium/soft peaks.

• 325g Double/Heavy Cream

7. Working quickly as the cheesecake mixture will be beginning to thicken as the gelatin activates, whisk in the first half of cream, then fold the remaining cream in with a spatula until smooth. Right at the end fold through a pinch of salt.

• Pinch of Salt
  

Assembly

1. Take a 18x6cm ring mold and cut a disc of the genoise sponge and lift it onto a baking tray lined with a silicon mat. 

2. Spread the strawberry jam across the sponge and place the rind mold around the outside.

• 1-2 Tbsp Strawberry Jam

3. Scoop the cheesecake mixture into the ring mold, pressing it in firmly with a spatula to remove any air pockets. Fill the ring mold right to the top then flatten it with a warm spatula so that it is flush with the ring mold. 

4. Place it into the freezer for 2 hours.

5. Just before it is chilled, cut a piece of acetate so that it is long enough to wrap around the outside of the cheesecake and about ½” taller.

6. Remove the chilled mascarpone cream from the fridge and add into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or a medium bowl if using an electric hand whisk). Whisk to a medium soft peak.

7. Lay the acetate flat on your work surface (it can help to oil the surface slightly so it sticks in place) and use a palette knife to spread the cream evenly across the acetate.

8. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer and gently heat the ring mold with a blow torch to remove it.

9. Carefully lift the acetate from the work surface and wrap the cream around the outside of the cheesecake. Once it is stuck on there you can’t really move it (!) so try and do this as carefully as possible the first time around.

10. This is where you have to get a little creative to create the ‘dents’ in the cream. I used a few skewers, rested against small cups to weigh down the outside edge of the acetate in different places, to create the indent. But feel free to use whatever you think might work! Your acetate might even be flexible enough that you can just press it into shape with your fingers.

11. Place it carefully back into the freezer for 30-60 minutes, just until the mascarpone cream has frozen and you can peel away the acetate cleanly without it ripping the cream.

12. Once it is ready, peel off the acetate and lift the cheesecake onto your serving plate.

13. Slice some strawberries and place them in the centre of the cheesecake. For evenly sized strawberries, first trim off the tops. Then place each strawberry between two pastry rods set to around 10–12mm high and carefully slice off the base. This creates strawberries with a flat top and bottom, all at a consistent height, so they sit neatly and evenly inside the cheesecake.

14. To make the strawberries glossy, you can brush them with a little bit of nappage or melted marmalade jam (with a splash of water).

15. Allow the cheesecake to defrost for around 30 minutes at room temperature before serving (you can check it has thawed by inserting a skewer into the centre and checking there is no resistance).