Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cheesecake
The Nitty Gritty:
Smoother than silk, with crunchy almond crust- Level: 2
- Prep Time: 1 hour plus baking time
- Yields: 12 slices
- Tags: dessert
This cake is served at French Broad Chocolate Lounge in Asheville, NC, made with love by owners Jael and Dan Rattigan, who advise:
The best time of year to enjoy this cake is when strawberries are in season, so it can be garnished with fresh berries. However, you’ll see that the puree is made from frozen berries (because the freezing and subsequent thawing releases the juice from the berry’s cells, which were ruptured in the freezing process).
The Rattigans also note that one should choose ingredients with the same care and attention you would use to pick a babysitter for your kid. Dessert is serious business! We use all-organic dairy, free-range local eggs, organic sugar, and a highly aromatic vanilla extract.”
The ganache topping uses only 4oz. of chocolate, so get a couple of bars of something you would enjoy nibbling, preferably with a fruit-forward bouquet to complement your berries.
Jael and Dan, thank you for sharing this with HG readers!
Ingredients:
- 10 oz. frozen strawberries
- 5 Tbsp. sugar
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- 2 cups raw almonds
- 2 oz. unsalted butter, softened
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- 1 lb. cream cheese, at room temperature
- 7 ½ oz. sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 12 oz. sour cream, at room temperature
- 4 oz. chocolate, 50-55% cacao recommended, chopped finely
- 4 ½ oz. heavy cream
- ½ large egg, obtained by beating 1, weighing, and using half
- The cheesecake, ready to bake in its bain marie
Instructions:
For the strawberry puree:
- In a small sieve, thaw strawberries over a small saucepan and strain out the juice completely by pressing down on the strawberries with a spatula. (Reserve pulp -- it should be about 5 oz.) Simmer the juice over medium-high heat and reduce to a third of original volume, about 2oz.
- Add 2 Tbsp. sugar to reduction and stir to dissolve. Place juice, pulp, and lemon juice in food processor and blend. Set aside to cool.
For the almond crust:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Pulverize almonds, 3 Tbsp. sugar, and 1/4 tsp. salt in food processor until crumbly. Add butter and pulse to combine.
- Press into bottom and sides of 9” springform pan (2.5” tall)
- Bake 15-20 minutes, or until deep golden brown. Set aside to cool while you make the cheesecake.
For the cheesecake:
- Beat cream cheese and 7.5 ounces sugar until very smooth (about 3 minutes) in a stand mixer at medium speed using the whisk attachment.
- Add eggs, one at a time, scraping bowl and beating after each just until smooth. Add vanilla & 1/4 tsp. salt and beat until incorporated.
- Beat in sour cream, then 2/3 cup of the cooled strawberry puree.
- Wrap the springform pan with a double layer of aluminum foil. Pour batter into crust and place pan in a bain marie (hot water bath, see photo above).
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Bake 45-55 minutes, until set.
With about 5 minutes to go before the cheesecake is done, make ganache topping:
* Boil cream. Pour over chocolate and let sit a minute. Whisk gently until chocolate is melted and smooth. Gently whisk in egg.
* Spread over hot cheesecake (careful, and don’t pour it all in one place as cheesecake is fragile). Make pretty the top by swirling with knife or spatula.
* Bake 12-15 more minutes until ganache is set along the sides. Remove cake from oven and place on a cooling rack, with a large mixing bowl over the pan. (This allows it to cool slowly.) When it reaches room temp, refrigerate. Chill 8 hours before unmolding.
* To unmold, run a thin blade knife around the cake pan sides. remove springform. Gently slide cake onto serving plate. Cut cake with knife run under hot water, then dried.
Comments
By Alison L. McConnell
Alison L. McConnell is the HG’s editor and publisher. She also runs The Humble Gourmand’s catering and prepared food business, which serves as a conduit between Chesapeake Bay watershed farmers and butchers, artisan/small-batch producers up and down the East Coast, and hungry clients in the Washington area.
A native of New Jersey and upstate New York, Alison attended Bowdoin College in Maine and the London School of Economics before settling in Washington in 2004. She studied the culinary arts at L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, MD. She abides by a long-standing family motto: McConnells always finish their desserts.
About The Humble Gourmand
The Humble Gourmand is published the first Friday of each month, edited by Alison L. McConnell, a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and writer. It is designed to offer straightforward lessons and advice to aspiring cooks, oenophiles, and all other eaters and drinkers.
The Humble Gourmand encourages users to comment on any and all of its features, but reserves the right to remove any material deemed inappropriate.
Kelley
July 7 7:03 p.m. 1kyaa~! this cheesecake looks really good. especially the chocolate ganache. I just bought springform pans, so hopefully I'll get to try this recipe next time strawberries come into season!
By the way, I really like your blog layout :] The picture at the top is making me so hungry.
Karen
July 8 5:21 a.m. 2Alison, this recipe looks mouthwatering :D and your I absolutely identify with your family motto, mine is a family of dessert lovers.
Alison
July 14 9:24 a.m. 3Thanks ladies. Let me know if you make the cake and what you think -- it is almost like cheesecake mousse, and the strawberry flavor is so natural and lovely. I wish I had a piece right now.