Cheesecake has only become popular in Italy over the last few decades, so this is a new-generation recipe. As a newcomer, there is no Italian word for it, so the English ‘cheesecake’ has been adopted. A few years back, I created this no-bake recipe for Shavuot, when Jews traditionally eat dairy, hence have cheesy desserts of all kinds!
I wanted to combine this tradition with the novelty of using Italian ingredients, such as Amaretti biscuits and mascarpone cheese. It quickly became a family favourite, and a classic for Shavuot and the summer months that follow. The flavours are rich and fresh at the same time. I really like the raspberries on top, but you can replace them with mixed fresh berries or conserve, if you prefer, or use both!
Ingredients
- 80 g Amaretti biscuits (3oz)
- 80 g digestive biscuits or graham crackers (3oz)
- 80 g soft butter (6 tbsp)
- 250 g mascarpone cheese (1 cup)
- 200 g cream cheese (7oz)
- 80 g icing sugar (⅔ cup)
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
- 100 ml whipping or double cream (¼ cup + 3 tbsp)
- 225 raspberries (1½–2 cups)
- mint leaves and icing sugar to decorate
Nutritional Facts
Instructions
- Line a 20cm (8in) springform oven tin with baking parchment.
- Crumble the biscuits in a food processor. Add the butter and blitz until the mixture clumps together. Press the biscuit mixture evenly in a single layer into the tin and put it in the fridge while preparing the cheese mixture.
- Whisk the mascarpone, cream cheese, icing sugar, zest, vanilla extract and salt. Lightly whip the double cream and fold it into the cheese mixture. Pour the filling onto the biscuit base and spread it evenly with a spatula.
- Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours before serving. Just before serving, scatter plenty of raspberries over the top of the cake and scatter over a few mint leaves. Sift over a little icing sugar. Serve chilled.
Excerpted from The Ultimate Cheesecake Cookbook by Michael Leventhal. All proceeds go to Chai Cancer Care.
Picture by Anthony Collard
VERY GOOD.
Looks delicious Yum😊🩷🩷🩷
Raspberries are frequently infested with insects and according to the majority of mainstream kashrus rabbonim extremely difficult to check and clean. As far as I know they aren't even available whole frozen with a Hechsher. There may be some leniency if they're purchased for puree or already pureed, but this recipe calls for one to two cups of whole raspberries with no indication that raspberries need to be checked... It's a shame that Aish would set up such a nichshol for a kosher recipe...
One can easily substitute the raspberries for other toppings, such as canned cherry or blueberry pie filling. It has a very similar look and is delicious.
I agree. So why present it with the raspberries in the first place? The point of getting recipes from a site like aish.com is that I shouldn't have to make substitutes for the sake of kashrus...
CB Spira, What is wrong with you? Stop. If this is ALL you have to complain about, consider yourself fortunate. I can’t wait to make this cheesecake recipe WITH the FRESH raspberries! Thank you for sharing it!