My Favourite Cakes
This is one of the first cakes I ever made when I started blogging in 2013. During those days, I used to take a minimum of 60 photos, then I would wade through the whole batch and choose what a considered the best of the pile. I guess after a while I just got tired of the lengthy procedure and some recipes were never posted….sigh. Anyway I finally managed to chose a few photos and here I am, posting at last. I am actually thinking of baking this cake tomorrow because I can hardly remember how it tasted. I shall give you a feedback some time next week.
Fall, has finally begun. It’s rather hot today but when I think of the forthcoming winter I’d rather roast in the heat than have the unpredictable winter weather.
The cake looks really appetizing so I’m pretty sure it must have tasted really nice. I hope you’ll find time to try it. I wish you all the best.
Ingredients For the pastry
- 300g plain flour
- 150g butter or margarine
- 25g sugar
- grated rind of 1 orange
- 1 egg yolk
- 4-5 tablespoons orange juice (I used 4½ tablespoons)
Ingredients for Pastry
For the pastry: sieve the flour into a mixing bowl,
add sugar and orange rind and mix until well blended.
Rub in the fat until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the egg yolk and orange juice
and mix to form a smooth and pliable dough. Knead lightly on a floured surface then wrap and chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Roll out and use to completely line an 9½ inch (24cm) spring form tin. Leave in the fridge while preparing the filling. (Roll the pastry on parchment (greaseproof) paper, it’s much easier to handle that way)
Ingredients For the Filling
- 675g extra smooth ricotta cheese
- 150g caster sugar
- zest (rind) and juice of a medium orange ( navel orange yields 6-8 tablespoons orange juice)
- 3 eggs
- 250ml whipping cream (35% cream, heavy cream), whipped until soft peaks form
- 100g sultanas (Sultana or Thompson Raisins)
- 30g (3 level tablespoons) self-raiising flour (or add ¼ teaspoon baking to 30g all-purpose)
Ingredients for the filling (Oops! I forgot the flour).
For the filling: place the ricotta cheese into a mixing bowl, add the sugar and orange zest (rind) and,
beat until smooth.
Gradually beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition to ensure mixture remains smooth.
Fold in orange juice and whipped cream, in two batches
The mixture looks like this
Mix the sultanas with the flour, then fold into the mixture
Pour the mixture into the pastry-lined-tin (pan) then bake in the oven for 1½ hours or until the cheesecake is firm to the touch. Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in for 1 hour.
Remove from the oven, allow to cool then chill for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Ingredients For the Syrup
- 75g caster sugar
- 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) water
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (cornflour), blended with 1 tablespoon water
For the syrup: Dissolve the sugar in the water then, heat until boiling point and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the blended cornstarch and stir until smooth. Return to the heat and cook stirring until the mixture clears and thickens. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, completely.
Remove the cheesecake from the tin (pan), trim the top of the pastry if necessary, to form a neat edge. Arrange strawberries and blueberries on top and spoon the sugar syrup evenly on top. Leave for 2 hours to set. Serve with some cream, if you like.
I had one mega slice after dinner…
It looks nice….doesn’t it?
Sultana and Strawberry Cheesecake
Original Recipe from Women’s Own Desserts by Gina Steer
Preparation time: 30 minutes; Cooking Time: 1½ hours + 1 hour extra for cooling; Serves: 12-20 slices, depending on size
Ingredients For the pastry
- 300g plain flour
- 150g butter or margarine
- 25g sugar
- grated rind of 1 orange
- 1 egg yolk
- 4-5 tablespoons orange juice (I used 4½ tablespoons)
Ingredients For the filling
- 675g extra smooth ricotta cheese
- 150g caster sugar
- zest (rind) and juice of a large orange (yields 6-8 tablespoons orange juice)
- 3 eggs
- 250ml whipping cream (35% cream, heavy cream), whipped until soft peaks form
- 100g sultanas
- 30g (3 level tablespoons) self raising flour or add ¼ teaspoon baking powder to 30g all-purpose flour
Ingredients For the Syrup
- 75g caster sugar
- 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) water
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (cornflour), blended with 1 tablespoon water
Ingredient For Topping:
- 450g strawberries, thawed if frozen, cleaned, hulled and cut if fresh and some blueberries if you want a nice colour contrast.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 330°F (165°C), 10 minutes before baking the cheesecake. Lightly grease a 9½” (24cm) springform tin (pan).
- For the pastry: sieve the flour into a mixing bowl, add sugar and orange rind and mix until well blended. Rub in the fat until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the egg yolk and orange juice and mix to form a smooth and pliable dough. Knead lightly on a floured surface then wrap and chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Roll out and use to completely line an 9½” (24cm) spring form tin. Leave in the fridge while preparing the filling. (Roll the pastry on parchment (greaseproof) paper, it’s much easier to handle that way)
- For the filling: place the ricotta cheese in a mixing bowl. Add the sugar and the orange zest (rind) and beat until smooth. Gradually beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition to ensure mixture remains smooth. Fold in orange juice and the whipped cream (double cream) in two batches. Mix sultanas with the flour then fold into the mixture.
- Pour the mixture into the pastry-lined-tin then bake in the oven for1¼-1½ hours or until the cheesecake is firm to the touch. Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, allow to cool then chill for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. (overnight chilling is the best). (please not I baked mine for 1¼ hours then turned off the oven)
- For the syrup: Dissolve the sugar in the water, then heat to boiling point and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the blended cornstarch and stir until smooth. Return to the heat and cook stirring until the mixture clears and thickens. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- Remove the cheesecake from the tin (pan), trim the top of the pastry if necessary, to form a neat edge. Arrange strawberries and blueberries on top and spoon the sugar syrup evenly on top. Leave for 2 hours to set. Serve with some cream, if you like.
Points to note:
- I baked small cheese cakes for 1 hour, then removed them from the oven.
myfavouritepastime.com
My Favourite Pastime 
Wow ! What a beautiful DEEP cheese cake ! I’d love a slice of that Liz 😀 ❤
How many slices would you love, Ralph? Just let me know!
Liz
Sorry I am being such a bad commenter Liz. I have been so overwhelmed the last few weeks that I am taking a long break. Me bad !
Ah, the cake ! A conveyor belt will suffice.
Love your posts dear friend 😀 ❤
I have put three giant slices on the conveyer belt, Ralph. You have to grab them pretty fast or they will melt. I have been browsing your blog on and off so I know you are still alive, healthy and well, my friend. Take good care of yourself.
Liz
Really tasty ! Thanks for sending them and keeping an eye on me Liz 😀 ❤
Ha ha Ralph. I’m so glad you enjoyed them. Have a great weekend!
liz
I did. Thanks Liz. Have a great weekend too 😀 ❤
Thank you, Ralph.
Liz, I could almost taste that! I’ve hardly baked anything in weeks. It’s just been way too hot out here on the west coast since June, can you believe it? We are in drastic drought conditions. When it does rain a bit which isn’t often, it doesn’t penetrate the ground! However, now that autumn is here and things are beginning to cool off, I might get back to baking some things. This might be top of my list. Where on earth do you find these fantastic recipes? I would never have thought to add raisins!
Glad to hear from you, sad to hear about the lack of rain. What on earth is happening?? The Pope talked about climate change yesterday, at the white house. We should seriously consider climate change issues. Oh yes autumn is here, rather warm and lovely. I wish temperatures stay warm, forever, with some precipitation, of course. I got this from Woman’s Own…I have millions of cookery books on my shelf. They have to start seeing the light of the day. I’ve just baked a cottage loaf and kept on thinking about the way you slather butter on that fresh bread recipe of yours-LOL. Take care. I’ve cooked a lot this week. Now the posting bottleneck begins…best of wishes!
Liz
What gorgeous looking buns. Almost make me want to go haul out the flour! Maybe over the weekend. We are promised sunshine again. I love it! Wow, climate change is happening to us but many still bury their heads in the sand. I myself, for a long time thought it was just cyclic, but when I see photos of glaciers melting and oceans warming and great white sharks heading into our northern waters it worries me! Anyway, I just love the look of these buns and they seem easy so I might tackle them. I’m very much thinking I will also try that cheesecake with the sultanas! Maybe I will invite some friends to sample it! Have a great weekend Liz!
Hey Sandy,
Those buns tasted so good….I don’t know what to say. My daughter and I were fighting over the last lonely bun today…me, me, me! hilarious. The weather here is awesome, not too hot, not too cold We haven’t had much rain but I stopped worrying about my little lawn because I know grass will always grow green when it rains finally come. I have stopped comparing my lawn to the lusciously green ones on either side of my house (they water their lawns daily and I just don’t have the patience). I’d rather sit indoors, cook and sample, and listen to music.
I saw a documentary showing huge mounds of ice just falling in one big massive splash and my hear sunk. There was this polar bear that drowned because there was no floating ice to support him…I want to go to the mall and window shop. Have a good weekend!
Liz
I witnessed the “calving” as they call it of the glacier up the coast on the cruise I took to Alaska. The glacier if definitely dwindling. Global warming is upon us I’m afraid. We were on severe water restrictions here and couldn’t water lawns, wash cars, just do hand held hose watering of pots or whatever. We are still on restrictions because we have not had any appreciable rain! Evenings are cool so I’m gradually bringing plants and pillows and things indoors. I think I like autumn because it gives me opportunity to do some baking and soup making! Those buns!!!!!
How ironic. South Carolina is drowning in water and BC has severe water restrictions. I stopped watering my small patch of grass, so these days I don’t bother with water level restrictions. Are you going away this winter? Autumn is my “Bake time” I’ve really baked lots of bread, yet to be posted. Enjoy the rest of the week!
Liz
Indeed I am Liz, my eldest grandson and I are flying to Honolulu for a couple weeks and then on to Australia where we will stay on the coast of Queensland, then when he flies back home at months end I’ll be off to Adelaide to visit friends, and finally fly back to Kauai for another couple weeks with a friend who lost her husband last year, then back home early March. It’s a tough life! lol
Oh boy I love the way you travel towards the end of the year. it’s so awesome. One day, when all my kids finish school, I’ll be sailing in the same boat. I wish you all the best. I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time. Have a lovely Sunday!!
Liz
OH MY WORD !!!!! YUMMY!
Thanks!
liz