Strawberry Couscous Cheesecake
Servings: 12 servings
Tools you'll need:
- 23cm / 9inch springform pan
A no-bake strawberry couscous cheesecake, delicious, easy to make and perfect for when friends or family are coming around to visit.
INGREDIENTS LIST
Biscuit base
- 200 g digestive biscuits
- 100 g butter
Cheesecake filling
- 100 g white chocolate (chopped)
- 200 g double or heavy cream
- 80 g water (boiled)
- 80 g couscous
- 400 g full-fat cream cheese
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract or 1/2 tsp of vanilla paste
- 2.5 tbsp caster sugar
- 200 g fresh strawberries (halved, see notes)
- 100 g fresh strawberries (diced, optional see notes)
Decoration
- 450 g fresh strawberries (see notes )
Preparation
- Line a 23cm (10inch) springform pan with baking/parchment paper. To stop the cake from getting stuck around the edge and clingfilm or acetate around the edge.
- Biscuit base: Melt the butter over a low heat.
- Crush the biscuits using a bag and rolling pin or food processor.
- Add the melted butter to the crushed biscuits and pour into the lined baking pan.
- Evenly spread the biscuit crumbs around the bottom of the pan. Then using a drinking glass with a flat bottom, press down to compact the crumbs to make a nice base for your cake.Place in the fridge to set while you make the filling.
- Cheese filling: In a small heatproof bowl add the chopped white chocolate and half the cream. Set the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water to create a double boiler. Stir occasionally until all the chocolate is melted. Remove the bowl from the heat and set it aside.
- Couscous: Boil the water and pour over the couscous in a small bowl. Stir and place a lid or plate over the top of the bowl to allow the couscous to steam.
- Cream cheese: In a medium bowl whip the remaining cream until the whisk leaves a trail behind it. Add the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla and mix until well smooth and incorporated.
- Check the couscous is cooked and use a fork to loosen it up. Add it to the cream cheese filling along with the white chocolate and cream mixture. Stir to incorporate.
- Strawberry edging: Now you can either make the cake as I have with the strawberries around the middle or simple dice and add them to the cheese filling.If you are going to make the cake as I have with the strawberries in the middle, cut the tops of the strawberries then cut them in half and place them neatly around the biscuit base.
- Pour half the filling into the middle of the pan and using the back of a spoon spread it around and between the strawberries.
- Add 100 g of diced strawberries to the remaining filling and then add this to the centre of the cake, evening it out. (Leave this out if you diced all the strawberries for the centre.)
- Place in the refrigerator while you prepare the strawberries for decoration.
- Decide if you want to use strawberries sliced or in halves and place them in a circular pattern around the outside first and then working in towards the centre.Finally, I added 3 whole strawberries in the middle to complete the decoration.
Notes & Tips
Filling
Instead of halving the strawberries around the middle of the cake, an easier option is to dice the strawberries and mix them into the filling.
Decoration
I made this cake with lots of strawberries cut in half from the garden. If you don't have so many you can slice the strawberries instead to make them go further.
