No-bake strawberry cheesecake

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Mix 200 g digestive biscuit crumbs with 90 g melted unsalted butter until the crumbs are evenly moist like wet sand, tip them into a parchment-lined springform pan and press down firmly. As the butter firms up in the cold, it binds the crumbs into a sturdy crust. The crust is right when it is flat and evenly thick and doesn't shed crumbs when pressed with a fingertip.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Put the pan with the crust in the refrigerator for about twenty minutes while you make the filling. A pre-chilled crust hardens and won't mix into the filling when you pour it on. The crust is ready when it feels hard and cold to the touch.

   Suggested time: about 20 minutes.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Sprinkle 8 g powdered gelatin evenly over 40 g cold water in a small bowl and leave it for about five minutes. Blooming lets every grain of gelatin absorb water, so it dissolves completely instead of forming chewy lumps. The gelatin is right when it has swollen into a spongy, translucent mass with no dry powder on top.

   Suggested time: about 5 minutes.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Beat 400 g softened cream cheese with 90 g powdered sugar until very smooth, then add 20 g lemon juice, 4 g vanilla extract and 150 g strawberry puree. The cream cheese must be at room temperature to blend with the strawberries without lumps. The mixture is right when it is an even pink and as smooth as yogurt.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Melt the gelatin in the microwave for about ten seconds or by setting the bowl in hot water, then stir two spoonfuls of the cheese mixture into the gelatin before pouring it all back into the bowl of filling. Loosening the gelatin with a little filling first keeps it from setting into strings when it meets the cool cheese. The mixture is right when it is evenly silky with no clear strands of gelatin.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Whip 250 g well-chilled whipping cream at medium speed for about three minutes. The cream only needs soft peaks so the filling stays smooth and easy to spread once it is folded in. It is right when it forms soft peaks whose tips droop over when you lift the beaters.

   Suggested time: about 3 minutes.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Fold the whipped cream gently into the strawberry cheese mixture in two additions, then pour the filling over the crust and smooth it with a spatula. Folding keeps the air in the cream so the filling is light yet sets firmly. The filling is right when no white streaks remain and the top is flat and smooth.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least six hours, ideally overnight. The gelatin needs a long enough chill to set firm enough for slicing. The cheesecake is right when the filling doesn't shift as you tilt the pan and feels springy to a light press.

   Suggested time: about 360 minutes.

   Mark step 8 as done

9. Step 9

   Halve 200 g fresh strawberries that have been washed and patted dry, arrange them over the whole top, then warm 50 g fruit jam until runny and brush it thinly over the berries. The thin layer of jam keeps the strawberries glossy and stops them from drying out. The cheesecake is right when the strawberries are evenly glazed and shiny with no jam pooling.

   Mark step 9 as done

10. Step 10

    Run a thin knife dipped in hot water around the inside of the pan, then release the clasp and lift off the ring. The warm knife melts the filling slightly along the sides so the cheesecake comes away cleanly. It is finished when the sides are straight and smooth with no tears.

    Mark step 10 as done