Harumi, The Strawberry Pocky Cheesecake
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 1.25 hours
- 190g/6.71ozs. cream cheese, cubed
- 150ml/5flozs. milk
- 35g/1.2ozs. butter, cubed
- 90g/3.18ozs. plain flour
- 30g/1oz. cornflour (or fine cornstarch)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 5 eggs, separated
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 115g/4ozs. caster or superfine sugar (add 175g/6ozs. sugar if you want a sweeter cake)
- 500ml/17.66ozs. cream plus 150ml/5flozs. extra
- 4 tablespoons vanilla sugar (or regular caster/superfine sugar will do)
- A drop of pink food colouring
- 4 tablespoons cold water
- 3 teaspoons gelatine powder
- 1/2 cup strawberry jam
- 3 x 250g/8.83oz punnets strawberries
- 7 boxes of Strawberry Pocky
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 130C/266F. Line the base and sides of a 20cm/8inch springform pan. Then wrap the outside with two layers of tin foil. Over a double boiler melt the cream cheese, milk and the butter. When melted cool completely. Whisk in the two flours, salt, lemon juice and egg yolks.
Step 2 - Add the egg whites and cream of tartar to a very clean mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip on high speed until it becomes foamy and then on the highest speed add the sugar in in a stream and whisk until you get soft peaks.
Step 3 - Add a third of the whites into the cream cheese mixture and combine folding gently. Add the remaining whites in two lots and stir until there are no streaks remaining. Scoop into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes until set in the centre and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool completely in the tin. You can wrap these in cling film and store in the fridge overnight if you need to.
I ended up making two cheesecakes (the recipe above is for one) but the one on the left was baked without the two layers of foil outside while the one on the right was *
Step 4 - Line a surface with cling film. Slice the cake in half horizontally and place each half on the plastic film. Then using the same tin you baked it in, line the base and sides making sure the sides go up high (as shown). The cheesecake does shrink a little so I used a Bake Snake to fill in the sides. Place one half of the cheesecake in the bottom.
Step 5 - Place the water in a microwave proof bowl and sprinkle the gelatine powder over the surface. Stir to remove the lumps and then microwave for 1 or 2 10 second bursts on 100% power until it has become liquid. Cool but do not allow to set. Chop up one punnet of strawberries into cubes.
Step 6 - Whip the cream, vanilla sugar and pink colouring until fluffy and drizzle in the cooled gelatine liquid. Add the strawberry jam spreading it out all over the cake and then add the entire cream mix into the tin on top of the jam. Smooth down with an angled spatula and place the other cheesecake half on top. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours until set. I set this overnight.
Step 7 - Unclip the side and remove all of the paper. Place onto a serving plate. Whip the 150ml/5fl ozs. cream until stiff peaks and spread on the outside and top of the cake. Measure your Pocky. I cut off the ends of them without the chocolate, you can leave it on. It's up to you. Stick them to the side of the cake. Then top with strawberries!