Did you know there’s actual historical proof that everyone loves cheesecake? The earliest known mention of the treat dates back to the 5th century BC in ancient Greece, and when the Romans invaded Greece in the 1st century BC, a mutual love for cheesecake was just one of the things they conquered. The first anglicized version of cheesecake appeared in an English cookbook near the end of the 14th century, but a dessert form of cheesecake didn’t appear until the 18th century when the Europeans began to sweeten it up. Finally the cheesecake we know and love evolved into the decadent dessert it is today in the late 19th century when the Americans began adding unripened cheese, which made the cake heavier and creamier. And there you have it: the history of a dessert loved the entire world over.
Cheesecake Decorating Tips
Ingredients
- 16 oz cream cheese
- 1.75 oz powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 sheets gelatin, soaked and slightly warmed
- 10 fl oz whipped cream
- 1 shortcrust pastry
Instructions
- Stir the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon juice together with a whisk. Stir in the liquid gelatin and then stir in the whipped cream. Note: Make sure all non-dry ingredients are the same temperature before starting the recipe.
- Once you have achieved a uniform cream, pour it over the shortcrust pastry base in a springform pan and refrigerate.
- Pour the strawberry jelly in a decorating bottle and start squirting small blobs on the surface of the cake, working your way out from the center. Make the blobs bigger and bigger as you move towards the outer edge of the cake. Then use a shish kebab skewer to pull a continuous line through each blob, also working your way from the center to the outer edge. This will give the red jam blobs a heart shape.
- Place the dark chocolate in a decorating bottle and squeeze fine lines over the entire cake surface. Then rotate the cake 90 degrees and repeat, so you get a grid pattern. Place the fresh fruit on the edge of the cake for a real showstopper.
- Pour the pink jello over the entire cake. Gently push in the rose petals and then pour the rest of the jello over the petals so that they are completely covered. Let the jello completely set before serving.
- Create a mandala pattern on the cake surface using a ruler and wooden skewer. You can follow the design in the video, or feel free to use whichever design you like. Fill in the lines with strawberry jam. Add raspberry jam polka dots to make a catchy design.
- First pour the caramel in wide strips over the cake. Gently drag the blade of a knife through the caramel, thus creating an arrow pattern on the cake surface.
VIDEO
It’s always nice to have a go-to pretty cake design when you’re in a pinch or get a last-minute party invite. These creations are perfect showstoppers, but the topping is the real icing on the cake.