Today I'm bringing you a cake — or rather, a cheesecake — and an incredibly delicious one at that! The base is a classic cookie crust, with cocoa added for a richer flavor. On top of that sits a smooth, velvety cream layer made with cottage cheese or cream cheese. This time I used cottage cheese; I've also made it before with cream cheese — New York Cheesecake — and with cottage cheese here — Cottage Cheese Cheesecake. Cottage cheese makes a wonderful cheesecake too, especially when you use heavy cream in the filling instead of sour cream — I personally prefer it that way. Above the cheesecake layer comes the next component, which is bolder in flavor: a black currant purée folded into whipped cream. And to finish off this masterpiece, a deeply flavored, richly colored black currant jelly. The result is an absolutely stunning cheesecake — I couldn't stop admiring it. It looks so elegant, clean, and striking, and the flavor is every bit as impressive: incredibly complex, with each layer offering its own distinct texture. It's unbelievably delicious! I am beyond pleased with how it turned out!
Ingredients:
- Crust:
- 200 g shortbread cookies
- 80 g butter
- 20 g shredded coconut
- 1 tbsp cocoa (heaping)
- Filling:
- 500 g smooth, creamy cottage cheese (or cream cheese)
- 250 g heavy cream 30-33%
- 150 g sugar
- 15 g starch (I used cornstarch)
- 30 g shredded coconut
- 3 eggs
- Mousse:
- 500 g black currants (fresh or frozen)
- 300 g heavy cream 30-33%
- 120 g sugar
- 1 packet gelatin (10 g)
- Jelly Topping:
- 250 g black currants (fresh or frozen)
- 15 g sugar
- 1/2 packet gelatin (5 g)
How to cook cheesecake with black currant mousse
Melt the butter (I melt it in the microwave) and let it cool slightly. Pour the butter in and process everything together once more.
Pour the crumb mixture into the pan (my pan is 22 cm) and press it firmly and evenly across the bottom. Place the pan in an oven preheated to 160°C and bake for 10–15 minutes. Then let it cool completely.
Prepare the filling. Place the cottage cheese and heavy cream in a bowl and blend together thoroughly with an immersion blender until completely smooth. If your cottage cheese is not smooth, press it through a fine-mesh strainer first. The final mixture should have absolutely no lumps! If you're using cream cheese, simply soften it with a spatula or whisk — no blender needed. For best results, use ingredients at room temperature, as they'll combine much more easily.
Wrap the pan with the crust tightly in two or three layers of foil. Pour the filling into the pan. Place inside a larger pan (or a deep roasting pan) and pour hot water into the larger pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan. Bake in an oven preheated to 160°C (bottom heat only) for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, adjusting as needed for your oven. Leave the finished cheesecake to cool in the oven with the door slightly ajar.
This is what the top of a perfect cheesecake looks like — a completely smooth, even, and slightly creamy surface. That's exactly why we bake it in a water bath at a low temperature.
Make the mousse. Combine all the currants — 750 g total (500 g for the mousse and 250 g for the jelly) — in a bowl and blend with an immersion blender.
Press thoroughly through a strainer to remove the seeds and skins. The leftover pulp can be used to make a fruit drink. Divide the strained purée back into 2/3 for the mousse and 1/3 for the jelly.
Add the strained currant purée and whip together. Bloom the gelatin in 80 ml of water and let it sit for 10 minutes, or for the time specified on the package. Then heat it until hot so the gelatin fully dissolves. Let it cool. Pour the gelatin into the cream mixture in a thin stream directly onto the beaters while continuing to whip, then whip a little more.
Make the jelly topping. Bloom the gelatin in 50 ml of water and let it sit for 10 minutes, or for the time specified on the package. Then heat it until hot so the gelatin fully dissolves. Let it cool. Add the sugar to the remaining currant purée and stir well until the sugar dissolves, then pour in the gelatin and stir to combine. Pour the mixture over the mousse layer and refrigerate until fully set.
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