There are days for lighter, healthier desserts and then there are days when you have to go ALL OUT and make the most spectacular treat you can think of. This glorious white chocolate and gin-laced Eton Mess Cheesecake falls firmly in the latter camp!
In case you didn’t already know how to make Eton Mess, which was invented at Eton College in the late 19th Century and is traditionally served at the annual cricket match between Eton and Harrow School, all you have to do is mix fresh berries (traditionally strawberries or raspberries) with whipped cream and pieces of meringue.
The result is a luscious, creamy mix, from which each spoonful has that moreish, sweet crunch of meringue, a juicy burst of fresh berries, and a delectably decadent helping of cream. You can find a delicious Gin & Popcorn Eton Mess recipe here!
This fantastic baking recipe captures everything that we love about Eton Mess and applies it to a cheesecake.
The core of this easy cheesecake recipe is a light raspberry and white chocolate cheesecake filling that is gloriously chocolaty and berry-licious.
We have then added peaks of fluffy lemon cream, all dotted with crunchy meringue clouds and juicy raspberries, which not only taste divine but provide a jewel-like hit of ruby red to the wonderfully messy cheesecake decoration.
The cheesecake is then finished with ribbons of a gin-spiked raspberry coulis and melted white chocolate.
All atop a wonderfully biscuity, crumbly base, this is one indescribably good pud! Give it a go…
Eton Mess Cheesecake
Recipe adapted from Olive magazine
To make the cheesecake:
200g Digestive biscuits (crushed)
75g butter (melted)
300g white chocolate
284ml double cream
250g soft cheese (full-fat, such as Philadelphia)
250g mascarpone cheese
200g raspberries (fresh, if possible)
To make the gin and raspberry coulis:
200g fresh raspberries
100ml gin (we recommend a raspberry-flavoured gin like Manchester Gin Raspberry Infused)
4tbsp caster sugar
To decorate:
300ml double cream
1tsp lemon extract or 2 tsp lemon zest
1 pack of meringue nests
200g fresh raspberries
100g white chocolate, melted
Mix the crushed biscuits with melted butter and tip the mixture into a lined 20cm springform cake tin, smoothing down and pressing into the edges with the back of a spoon. Pop it in the fridge to set it while you make the filling.
Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil, then place a heatproof bowl on top with the white chocolate. Stir until melted.
Beat the cream cheese and mascarpone in a bowl until combined, then add the cream and beat until thick and fluffy. Stir in the melted white chocolate.
Scatter a third of the raspberries onto the biscuit base and cover with a third of the creamy white chocolate filling and repeat twice more until your pan is filled.
Level and smooth the top, and place covered in the fridge to chill for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight.
Once the cheesecake has set, make the raspberry ripple gin coulis by adding the berries and gin to a saucepan. Add the sugar and set over low heat, stirring gently, until the raspberries begin to break up and the sugar has fully dissolved.
Remove from the heat and place the mixture into a food processor and blitz until smooth. Push the raspberry mixture through a sieve and then set aside to cool.
Beat together the cream and lemon extract until stiff peaks occur.
Melt the white chocolate in the microwave at 10-second intervals, stirring every time. (White chocolate is notorious for stiffening easily - be sure not to accidentally add any moisture from wet bowls or utensils.)
To assemble, spoon the cream in mounds over the top of the cheesecake. Drizzle half the coulis across the cheesecake, then scatter meringue and raspberries across the top, piling up as high as you wish.
Add the rest of the coulis and finish off with the white chocolate drizzled over the top.
After more delicious ginny bakes? Why not try..
plus all of your
plus all of your
plus all of your