DELUXE CRUSTLESS CHEESECAKE

Recipe: Carolie de Koster “Art of Cooking”
Photo: Elsabie Templeton
Ingredients are expensive but this is the best cheesecake I’ve ever eaten (or made). Perfect for dessert with whipped cream and fresh fruit or any variation of fruit sauce or coulis.

• 6 eggs separated
• 140 g/175 ml sugar (I use castor sugar)
• 500 g/500 ml creamed cottage cheese
• 250 g/250 ml low-fat cottage cheese
• 175 ml soured cream
• 55 g/100 ml cake flour
• 2,5 ml baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 25ml lemon juice
• 7,5ml vanilla essence
• Preheat oven to 200°C. Line the base of a 260-280mm springform cake tin (loose bottom tin) with baking paper and grease the paper and sides of the tin (I still shake out with flour afterwards and then put the greased paper on bottom).
• Beat the egg whites until stiff and set aside. Beat the egg yolks and sugar very well until thick and pale yellow. Beat together the cheese and sour cream and add to the egg yolk mixture and beat well (I do this in my mixing bowl with balloon whisk).
• Mix the flour, baking powder and salt, add to the cheese mixture and beat until blended and no lumps. Add the lemon juice, vanilla and egg whites and fold in lightly until evenly combined.
• Pour the mixture into the tin to make about ¾ full.
• Place the tin in pre-heated oven and turn down the heat to 150°C immediately. Bake for 1 hour until well risen, set and light gold in colour (in my gas oven I bake for another 20 min).
• Switch off the oven and allow the cake to cool in the oven for 1 hour.
• Loosen the sides carefully and refrigerate for at least an hour before removing the rim of the tin and transferring to a serving platter.
• Notes
• Storing: up to 1 week in fridge
• Freezing: freezes well, allow to thaw overnight in fridge or for several hours at room temperature.
• Enlarging: best of one cake at a time is made