Japanese cherry blossom cheesecake

This cheesecake was inspired by my friend Justina who loves all things Japanese, particularly the cherry blossom season. The decoration is quick to prepare but looks so pretty and makes this a perfect springtime cheesecake.

FOR THE CAKE BASE

55 g/4 tablespoons butter, softened

55 g/¼ cup caster/white sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons matcha powder

1 generous tablespoon crème fraîche

55 g/scant ½ cup self-raising flour, sifted

FOR THE FILLING

4 sheets leaf gelatine

200 g/scant 1 cup cream cheese

250 g/generous 1 cup ricotta

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

100 g/½ cup caster/white sugar

150 ml/⅔ cup double/heavy cream

400 g/1½–2 cups cherry compôte

FOR THE DECORATION

30 g/1 oz. dark chocolate, melted sugar flowers

a 23-cm/9-inch round springform cake pan, greased and lined

a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle/tip

SERVES 12

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4.

For the cake base, whisk together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Add the egg and beat again. Dissolve the matcha powder in 1 tablespoon hot water and add to the cake mixture along with the crème fraîche. Sift the flour over the mixture and fold in so that everything is incorporated. Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan and bake in the preheated oven for 15–20 minutes until the cake is golden brown and springs back when pressed gently in the centre. Leave to cool in the pan.

For the filling, soak the gelatine leaves in water until they are soft.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the cream cheese, ricotta, vanilla and sugar together until light and creamy.

Put the cream in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water and heat gently. Squeeze the water out of the gelatine leaves and add them to the warm cream, stirring until dissolved. Pass the cream through a sieve/strainer to remove any undissolved gelatine pieces, then whisk into the cheese mixture.

Blitz the cherry compôte in a blender or food processor to make a smooth purée. Spread one third of the cherry purée over the cake base, leaving a small gap around the edge of the cake. Fold the remaining cherry purée into the cheesecake mixture, stopping before it is fully incorporated to make a pretty swirled pattern. Pour the cheesecake mixture over the base and smooth level, then leave to set in the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight.

To decorate, spoon the melted chocolate into the piping bag and pipe delicate chocolate branches on top of the cheesecake. Fix sugar flowers to the branches using a little extra chocolate so that they look like cherry blossom branches.