This traditional baked cheesecake is topped with layers of strawberries thinly sliced and fanned out from the centre. Dollops of cream and a light dusting of icing sugar top it all off.

Ingredients

• Base
• ½ cup self raising flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 50 grams softened butter
• ¼ cup caster sugar
• 1 egg
• Filling
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 4 eggs, separated
• 500 grams ricotta cheese
• ½ cup flour
• ½ cup sour cream
• grated rind of 1 lemon
• Topping
• 1 punnet strawberries

Method

1. Base
2. Put the flour, baking powder, butter, sugar and egg in a food processor and process until well blended. Alternatively you can put all the ingredients into a bowl and beat together well.
3. Spread over the base of a well greased and lined 20cm loose-bottom cake tin.
4. Filling
5. Beat the sugar and egg yolks together in a clean bowl until thick and light.
6. Beat the cheese lightly, then beat into the egg mixture and mix together well.
7. Sift the flour and fold into the cheese with the sour cream and lemon rind.
8. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until they are stiff but not dry. Fold the egg whites into the cheese mixture. Pour the filling into the prepared cake tin.
9. Bake at 170ºC for 1 hour or until the cake is firm to the touch. Turn off the oven and leave until completely cold.
10. Topping
11. Wipe the strawberries with a damp cloth and remove their calyx. Slice them into thin slices. Carefully remove the cheesecake from the cake tin and transfer it to a serving plate. Decorate with the slices of strawberry and serve with dollops of whipped cream.

Cooks Tips

- Using a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin makes a deep cheesecake. You can also make it in a 23cm cake tin, but bake it for only 50 minutes. The cheesecake will not be quite so deep.