White chocolate cheesecake

This was our family favorite, even before the girls were born. Then they joined the club, and although I love this cake all year around, my favorite version is still with either strawberries or raspberries. The acidity of those two berries compliment the sweetness of the white chocolate better than anything else. 

Ingredients

For the base:
380 g cookies – butter and oat
100 g butter, melted

for the filling:
250 ml whipping cream
200 g white chocolate
900 g cream cheese, room temperature
45 g cornstarch
250 g golden caster sugar
pinch of sea salt
1 vanilla pod, seeds only
7 medium eggs

top:
180 g cream cheese
200 g whipping cream
pinch of sea salt
1 tsp golden caster sugar

Prepare

Heat the oven to 200° from the top and bottom. Place the rack one level below centre. Line the bottom of a 23-25 cm diameter cake pan with parchment paper. Heat the cream until it starts to boil. Take off the heat and add chocolate, wait for a minute, and then stir so it is like thick sauce.

Prepare the base. Butter the sides of the pan. Process cookies quite finely and place in a bowl. Add the butter and mix. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan, making it about 5mm thick. Put in the oven for 15 minutes and then remove. 

Lower the oven temperature to 140°. 

Prepare the filling. In a mixing bowl, place 1/3 of the cream cheese, about 50 g sugar, and cornstarch. Beat on medium speed with the paddle attachment, but if you don’t have one, then use the whisk balloon, and whisk for about 2 minutes, occasionally scraping down the sides until the mixture is creamy. Continuing beating and gradually add another 1/3 of the cream cheese, incorporating well. Repeat with the last 1/3. When all the cream cheese has been added, add the remaining sugar in two parts. Then, while the mixer is running, add vanilla and salt. Slowly mix everything in, scraping down the sides. Increase the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, beating each one in well and scraping down the sides. While the mixer is on low speed, add the white chocolate cream, and mix everything well on low speed, just until fully incorporated.

Pour over the cookie base, place in the middle of the oven, and bake for approximately 1 h 15 minutes. Don't open before the 45 minutes, and only then try to shake the pan just a bit. If the mixture is set on the sides and jiggles just a tiny bit in the centre, it is ready. If it moves a lot, then bake for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature (completely), cover with cling film, and refrigerate for 12 hours.

Take the cake out of the fridge. For the top layer, mix the cream cheese with a mixer in a bowl until it is creamy. Add cream, salt and sugar and mix until smooth. Spread on the cake in an even layer leaving 1 cm from the sides. 

Decorate with seasonal berries. 

Recipe and pictures: Signe Meirane
Camera: Sony Alpha 7s