Cherry cheesecake slices
German-style cherry cheesecake slices with an almond shortcrust base, cherry-Amaretto compote, sponge layers and a cheesecake mousse, decorated with cherry jelly cubes and whipped cream.
Ingredients
| 75 g | soft butter — shortcrust |
| 50 г | sugar |
| 15 г | ground almonds |
| 30 г | beaten egg |
| 1 | pinch of salt |
| 125 г | type 550 flour |
| 350 g | cherries (fresh or frozen), finely puréed — cherry compote |
| 140 g | jelly sugar 1:3 |
| 1 ½ | gelatine leaves |
| 2 супени лъжици | Amaretto (alternatively bitter almond flavouring) |
| 4 | egg whites — sponge |
| 1 | pinch of salt |
| 80 г | sugar |
| 4 | egg yolks |
| 100 г | flour |
| 40 г | ground almonds |
| 40 г | melted butter |
| 60 ml | Amaretto (also available non-alcoholic) — structure |
| 230 г | cream cheese — Cheesecake mousse |
| 60 г | sugar |
| 1 | fine zest of 1 organic lemon |
| ½ | juice of ½ organic lemon |
| 2 | egg yolks |
| 2½ | gelatine leaves |
| 220 г | whipped cream |
| 100 ml | pure cherry juice or syrup — jelly cubes |
| 2 | gelatine leaves |
| 150 г | whipped cream — finishing |
| 1 екв. | vanilla sugar |
| — | jelly cubes (see above) |
| — | gold leaf ¹ |
Instructions
Makes about 10-12 slices.
Mould used: square cake ring 20 × 20 * — As an alternative, a round cake of about 22 cm can also be made according to this recipe.
Shortcrust
Mix the butter and sugar. Then add the remaining ingredients and quickly work the dough. Shape the dough into a brick and wrap in foil for 1-2 hours in the fridge. Meanwhile, prepare the cherry compote and the sponge.
Cherry compote
Purée the cherries very finely. Soak the gelatine. Prepare the cherry purée with the jelly sugar according to the instructions on the packet (usually 3-4 minutes). Put the compote in a bowl, dissolve the gelatine in it and season with Amaretto. Chill in the fridge and, while the sponge is being prepared, always stir occasionally.
Sponge
Heat the oven to 190 degrees top/bottom heat. Separate the eggs and melt the butter. Beat the egg whites with the salt, letting the sugar trickle in, until a stiff meringue forms. Carefully stir in the yolks. Sift the flour and fold in together with the almonds. Meanwhile mix 1-2 tablespoons of the batter with the melted butter and pull it under the batter.
Divide the batter and spread the two halves ½ cm thick onto a baking tray lined with baking paper or preferably a silicone mat. Bake each for about 10 minutes. Let cool and then cut out two squares using the square cake ring.
Structure
Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it out 3 mm thick. Place the dough on baking paper or Airmat * and press the square cake ring into the dough. Remove the protruding pieces of dough at the edge. (From this you can bake a few biscuits.) Bake in a hot oven for about 15 minutes at 190 degrees and let cool. At this stage I recommend lining the edges of the mould with cake border film ¹. Then the ring can be lifted off better later.
Spread the pastry base with a thin layer of the cherry compote and place the first sponge square with the baked skin facing down. Brush the sponge with Amaretto. Then add 350 g cherry compote onto the sponge, smooth it out and place the second sponge square on top and soak it with Amaretto. Put the mould in the fridge and prepare the cream.
Cheesecake mousse (adapted from Nina Métayer)
Soak the gelatine. Beat the yolks and 30 grams of sugar in a bowl. Heat half of the cream cheese with lemon juice in a small saucepan, then add to the egg yolk while stirring. Pour the mass back into the pan and bring to 82 degrees over medium heat, stirring until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the squeezed gelatine. Stir the second half of the cream cheese with the remaining sugar and lemon juice and gradually stir in the warmed cream. Put in the fridge and stir occasionally until the cheesecake cream has cooled to about 20 degrees. Then whip the whipped cream and fold it under the cream.
Take the mould with the prepared pastry layer out of the fridge, apply the cheesecake mousse and smooth it out. Best covered overnight in the fridge to set completely.
Jelly cubes (for decoration)
Soak the gelatine. Heat the juice/syrup and dissolve the gelatine in it. In a container lined with film (about 8 x 14 cm), fill in a 1 cm high level of liquid and let it set in the fridge.
Finishing
Take the cake tin out of the fridge and remove it. If necessary, remove the foil and cut the edges straight. Halve the cake and then cut into even slices with a large sharp knife. Clean the knife before each cut! Whip the cream with vanilla sugar until stiff and pipe small dots on the slices. Using a sharp knife, cut the cherry jelly into small, even cubes and distribute them among the cream dots. Decorate with gold. — Even without cream decoration, decorated only with jelly cubes, the slices look very good.
The slices keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. After that, the garnish should be applied immediately before serving.