"Grated" Strawberry Cheesecake

Name: "Grated" Strawberry Cheesecake
Ingredients: 160 g flour; 120 g butter; 50 g powdered sugar; 30 g cornstarch; 1 tsp vanilla sugar; 0.5 tsp baking powder; 250 g cream cheese; 250 g cottage cheese (9% fat); 200 g heavy cream (33% fat); 120 g sugar; 15 g cornstarch; 3 eggs; zest of one lemon; 1.5 tbsp lemon juice; 400 g strawberries (or other berries); 1 tbsp starch

For my recent birthday, I decided to make something with strawberries. I wanted to make a mousse cake, but since the party was planned outdoors and that kind of cake isn't exactly easy to transport, I had to adjust my plans)). In the end, I made a cheesecake — also with strawberries. It's not your typical cheesecake: instead of a crushed cookie base, I used a pastry dough for both the bottom and the top, grated on a box grater, following the same principle as a classic grated pie — like this one: Grated Pie with Meringue and Berries. For the cheesecake filling, I used equal parts cream cheese and cottage cheese — it turned out incredibly delicious, with a flavor that's both creamy and a little tangy at the same time! The strawberries complemented it beautifully, but if you don't have strawberries, feel free to use any berries or pieces of fruit — it'll be just as tasty!

Ingredients:

Dough:
160 g flour
120 g butter
50 g powdered sugar
30 g cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla sugar
0.5 tsp baking powder
Filling:
250 g cream cheese
250 g cottage cheese (9% fat)
200 g heavy cream (33% fat)
120 g sugar
15 g cornstarch
3 eggs
zest of one lemon
1.5 tbsp lemon juice
Also:
400 g strawberries (or other berries)
1 tbsp starch

How to cook "grated" strawberry cheesecake

Add the flour, starch, powdered sugar, and baking powder to a food processor, then add the softened butter cut into cubes.

Pulse in the food processor until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. You can also do this by hand — just rub the flour and butter together with your fingertips, or chop them together on a cutting board with a knife.

Add 1–2 tablespoons of ice water and pulse again until the dough just comes together.

Then bring the dough together by hand into a ball. Divide it into two portions: 2/3 and 1/3.

Press the larger portion of dough into the prepared pan. I used a 20 cm ring mold. Chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.

Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C (350°F) for about 15–20 minutes.

Make the filling. Place all the filling ingredients except the lemon zest into a bowl and blend thoroughly with an immersion blender. This step is especially important if you're using cottage cheese — the mixture needs to be completely smooth! If you're using cream cheese only, a blender isn't strictly necessary; you can simply mix everything together.

Stir in the lemon zest, then gently mix to release any air bubbles — you don't want air in a cheesecake batter. The finished mixture should have no lumps of cottage cheese and should be completely smooth (except for the zest)!

Pour the filling into the pan over the baked crust.

Wash and thoroughly dry the strawberries, then toss them in the starch. Arrange them on top of the cheese filling.

Grate the remaining dough on a coarse box grater over the top of the strawberries.

Bake in an oven preheated to 160°C (320°F) for about 50–60 minutes. The cheesecake is done when the center still has a slight jiggle. Let it cool completely, then refrigerate for at least a couple of hours — any cheesecake tastes better after chilling!