Strawberry & raspberry amaretti cheesecake

Overhead view of strawberry and raspberry cheesecake with amaretti cookies

Side view of cheesecake on a coffee table with tea set

View of cheesecake on a coffee table at tea time

Is there such a thing as baking too many cheesecakes? Because, really, cheesecakes take time to master. And just when you think you've got it down, you mess one up because there is a "tour de main" or trick to making them and it's all about... jiggliness! It's mastering the right cooking time, because all our ovens are different, the right cream cheese, as they're different in every country, the right amount of setting ingredient (flour or cornstarch...), etc. I've made many versions because there are no-bake varieties (these are the most tricky in my opinion because of the gelatin or setting factor) or the oven-baked kinds (with or without a water bath). The following version is the most straightforward and fuss-less variety I've encountered, I made this cheesecake readily with ingredients I had at home.

Here is what I used :

Cookie crust : 150 g or 1 cup mix of butter cookies and amaretti, 30 g sugar, 50 g butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt

Pulse or grind cookies in blender until you get a fine loose powder. Add softened butter, sugar and salt and mix together well. With this mixture, line the bottom of a pan and at least 1" up along the side walls of the pan - I used a 7-8 inch springform. Bake for 10 minutes in a 350° / 180° C. If the crust has started to slide down, press it firmly up along the sides again, allow to cool and refrigerate about 15 minutes.

Take crushed cookie mixture and make thin layer in springform pan

Using a plunge mixer to make creamy filling

After baking, once cooled, add berries on top

For the batter :

400 g cream cheese (about 2 x 8 oz blocks of cream cheese)

120 g sour cream or crème fraiche

150 g granulated sugar

2 eggs
2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

For the topping : 8-10 strawberries, 4-6 raspberries, 1/4 cup quince or apricot jelly, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350° / 180° C. In a bowl, cream together cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, eggs, cornstarch. Add lemon juice, vanilla, salt. Pour into prepared crust and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the middle has almost risen and is slightly jiggly. Turn oven off and with leave the cheesecake in the oven another 15 minutes with the door ajar.

Allow to cool at least an hour or overnight. For the fruit topping, cut about 8-10 strawberries in half and place in a saucepan with 1/4 cup melted quince or apricot jelly and a squeeze of lemon juice. Simmer briefly in lowheat for about 2 minutes until all the fruit are soaked in the sauce. Take off from the heat and add a handful of raspberries. Allow to cool about 30 minutes. Spoon on top of cheesecake, and add a few amaretti cookies to decorate for good measure !