Ricotta and mixed berry cheesecake

For the base
100 g butter
150 g plain biscuits
For the filling
3 gelatine leaves
2 tablespoons water
450 g ricotta
Grated zest of a lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
150 ml fresh cream
1 egg white
100 g sugar
For the topping
300 g frozen mixed berries
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornflour

I soak the gelatine in a bowl of cold water for about 10 minutes.

I melt the butter, line a springform tin with baking parchment and finely crush the biscuits.

I add the melted butter to the biscuits and mix well.

I put them in the tin and make an even layer, using a meat mallet to press them down firmly. My tin is 20 cm in diameter because my son likes a thick biscuit base and filling. For a thinner cake, use a larger tin.

I pass the ricotta through a sieve.

I add the sugar, grated lemon zest and lemon juice and mix well until smooth.

I add the liquid cream. I dissolve the gelatine, previously soaked and squeezed dry, in 2 tablespoons of water. You can dissolve it in a small saucepan over a very low heat, without boiling, or in the microwave.

Add it to the ricotta mixture in a thin stream while stirring continuously; otherwise, rubbery lumps will form that cannot be dissolved. Take care: this is perhaps the only difficult part of the cake.
Whisk the egg white until stiff.

Add it to the ricotta mixture, gently folding upwards from the bottom.

Spread the filling over the biscuit base, level it well, cover with foil and refrigerate for several hours.

Make the sauce by putting the berries and sugar in a small saucepan with two tablespoons of cornflour, which I dissolved in a couple of fingers’ depth of water.

Bring to the boil. Once it starts to thicken, remove from the heat, blend, then strain to remove the fruit seeds.

When almost cold, pour it over the cake, which will have set, and return it to the fridge.

This cake is best made the day before and left in the fridge overnight.