This is a special Mother’s Day recipe from Chef Cyril, whom I urged on to create for YOU, Franklin Public Library patrons, for Mother’s Day (the French Mother’s Day will be on June 7th this year). So, you are the first ones to be able to see and try this recipe! In French, Cyril called it a Cheese Royal Cake, however, a Royal Cake is something entirely different in American Cuisine. So, I came up with ‘Strawberry Bavaroyal Cheesecake’, which is very much Cyril-style in my opinion! This cake is a combination between a Cheesecake and a Bavarois, and does not need to be oven baked. The result, a layering of several textures, is stunning.
This cake is very easy to make – don’t get frightened by the long list of ingredients and steps!
Read the whole recipe carefully first.
Make sure each element cools down and sets properly.
You can make, the cheesecake base (crust, strawberry sauce and the ‘Bavaroyal Cream’) ahead of time and freeze it. Keep the remaining strawberry sauce in the fridge. You’ll only have to make the strawberry and the lemon jellies on Mother’s Day (or the day you plan to serve the Bavaroyal Cheesecake).
No time to prepare ahead? Make the cheesecake base in the morning, and the jellies in the afternoon, 3 hours before serving.
Quantities serve 4, with a 6-inch round cheesecake/cake pan.
Ingredients (for a 6-inch cake pan):
Convert ingredients here: https://www.thecalculatorsite.com/cooking/cups-grams.php
Crust
120g shortbread cookies or sugar cookies (or graham crackers if that’s what you prefer! We don’t use them in France)
40g melted butter
Zest of 1/2 lime
Strawberry sauce
250g strawberries
40g sugar
15g lemon juice
‘Bavaroyal’ sauce
200g cream cheese
90g creme fraiche
30g sugar
30g milk
6g gelatin sheet (or powder if you prefer)
80g strawberry sauce
200ml heavy whipping cream
15 g sugar (no mistake here, read the whole recipe first and you’ll see)
Zest of 1/2 lime
Strawberry jelly
150g strawberry sauce
35g water
5g gelatin sheet (or powder if you prefer)
Lemon jelly
200g water
10g lemon juice
40g sugar
7g gelatin sheet (or powder if you prefer)
15/ 20 small or medium-sized strawberries for decorating and 1 lime
FIRST PART
Make the strawberry sauce.
This sauce will be used to make the ‘Bavaroyal’ cream and the strawberry jelly.
Cut the strawberries in 4, put them in a saucepan. Add sugar and lemon juice. Stir. Bring gently to a boil without ceasing to stir. Take the pan off the gas as soon as it starts boiling. Blend the mixture and strain to get rid of the strawberry seeds. Set aside.
Make the crust.
Crush the cookies to crumbs. Transfer to a bowl, then pour over 40g melted butter and the zest of ½ lime.
Line a 6-inch cheesecake pan with baking parchment, bottom and side – make sure the paper goes higher than the pan by at least 2 inches.
Pour cookie batter into the prepared cheesecake pan and press firmly down into the base to create an even layer. Chill in the fridge.
Prepare the ‘Bavaroyal’ cream.
Place the cream cheese and creme fraiche in a bowl. Beat.
Add sugar and the zest of ½ lime. Blend well.
Heat milk until lukewarm. Dissolve gelatin in 1 tbsp of cold water, then pour them in the milk. Add to the cream mixture and beat.
Take 80g of the strawberry sauce and add to the mixture. Stir well.
Whip the heavy whipping cream until firm, with 15g of sugar. Add delicately to the mixture.
Spoon mixture onto the crust, until the top is smooth with no bubbles. Set in freezer for 2 hours.
This first part can be made ahead of time (eg. one day before or more). Freeze the ‘Bavaroyal Cheesecake’ and set the remaining strawberry sauce in the refrigerator. You’ll only have to prepare the two jellies on the day you will serve this dessert.
Otherwise, make it in the morning and the jellies in the afternoon (3 hours before serving).
SECOND PART
Strawberry jelly.
Weigh 150g of the strawberry sauce (made earlier). Warm up 35g of water until lukewarm and add the dissolved gelatin (dissolved in cold water as previously). Mix into strawberry sauce and pour on the frozen cheesecake.
Place in refrigerator.
Lemon jelly.
Dissolve gelatin in 1 tbsp of cold water. Bring 200g water, lemon juice and sugar to a boil. When it boils, take off the gas. Stir in the gelatin and let cool (don’t put in the fridge).
Decorate the cheesecake.
Cut part of the strawberries in 2. (Evaluate the quantity to go around the cake).
Remove the Bavaroyal Cheesecake from refrigerator.
Set the strawberries around on the strawberry jelly, larger part of each strawberry on the jelly and cut, flat part against the pan. Once this ‘crown’ ready, fill up with all the other uncut strawberries, larger part on the jelly.
Sprinkle lime zest on top.
Slowly pour the lemon jelly on top until it tops the strawberries’ tops. Cool in refrigerator. As soon as the jelly is set, take the cheesecake out of the pan (it’s easier to do so when the crust is still slightly frozen), get rid of parchment paper and let completely thaw in the fridge before serving.
OOOH LA LA!!! Royal!
