Today we celebrate Az’s World-Legalism Day. Aka her 21st birthday. And it ain’t a party unless there’s cake so here’s a roasted strawberry cheesecake dripping with matcha white chocolate for our resident princess.
If you’ve been following our blog for a while, you may recall us mentioning our ‘Castle Dinners’ on more than one occasion. It started off as a weekly dinner that Chew, myself, and my childhood best friend would get together for. We all moved out on our own and it got pretty lonely during the week so scheduled socializing was necessary. Our first meal was on a very hot September day and I had made a huge pot of very spicy chili (oops, too much chipotle). Poor planning on my part but nonetheless a historical moment. Historical because it led to many great conversations, more epic meals, and ultimately expanding our dinner party to include people who make up our current Castle Family. We call ourselves the Castle Family for the sole reason that Az named her apartment wifi ‘The Castle’. She’s our resident princess so that was nothing surprising.
Every Castle Dinner is like Thanksgiving for me. We get together with people we really click with and eat until we need to lay down. But the thing I’m forever grateful for is the fact that my two bestest friends have become best friends. I don’t know about you, but that definitely puts a giant grin on my face. In some ways, Chew and Az are completely opposite ends of the spectrum: one loves the outdoors and going on crazy adventures involving lots of physical activity while the other is perfectly happy spending the day indoors painting her nails and watching YouTube. But in other ways, they are strangely alike: their love for cookies ‘n cream, matcha, cheesecake and the TV shows they watch. I’m like the the mediator, neither one extreme nor the other. Funny how things work out.
It’s been 21 years since Her Royal Azness (don’t kill me k thx) was born and 20 years since we’ve been best friends. Thanks for only getting mad at me once for saving the imaginary unicorn without you, and not getting mad at me for blending smoothies at 7am in the morning, for letting us stuff you with veggies every week and making a mess in your apartment, for giving me life advice (thank God for the extra 7 months and 1 day of life experience you have), and for keeping our Disney spirit alive. Stay fabulous like the giraffe with the snapback and stay forever 21, or regress backwards if you so please. I love you more than Abe and you know it.
This cake is as Alyssa as you can get: pink, matcha, cheesecake, petite, and adorable. Thus it is fit for the princess in your life. Or anybody that love’s a real good cheesecake. Roasting the strawberries concentrates the flavour, brings out the sweetness, and allows you to add more berries without watering down the cake batter too much. Extra roasted strawberries are great on almond butter toast or in a yogurt parfait!
If you’re in need of a crazier, more epic birthday cake, maybe our Unicorn Poop double-decker cheesecake will interest you.
Thank you to the rest of our Castle fam for helping with the candles during the photo shoot! We took the photos on a hot day so the matcha chocolate wouldn’t stop melting on us. So in the recipe, I’ve suggested chilling the cake right after spooning on the chocolate. But Chew thinks the wrinkles are cute, so you do you.
- ROASTED STRAWBERRIES
- ½ lb. fresh strawberries, washed, dried, hulled, and cut into halves or quarters
- A splash of maple syrup
- About ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
- A pinch of sea salt
- CHEESECAKE
- ½ cup cookie crumbs (I used ladyfingers)
- 1 tbsp melted coconut oil
- 12 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup canned coconut milk
- ⅓ cup roasted strawberry puree (just blend roasted strawberries until smooth)
- MATCHA CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- ⅓ cup white chocolate melts
- 1 tbsp full fat canned coconut milk
- 1 to 2 tsp matcha powder
- ASSEMBLY
- Mini chocolate chips, fresh strawberries
- ROASTED STRAWBERRIES: Preheat an oven to 350°F and line a baking tray with aluminum foil and parchment paper for easy cleaning. Lightly spray parchment paper with cooking oil. Toss all strawberry ingredients together and spread out into a single layer on the prepared tray. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes.
- CHEESECAKE: Line the bottom and the sides of a 5.5-inch round cake pan with wax or parchment paper. Set aside.
- Combine the cookie crumbs and coconut oil together until a wet sand texture is achieved and then press this crust mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared cake pan. Freeze while you make the cheesecake batter.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese, honey, and vanilla extract until smooth, soft, and fluffy. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides periodically.
- Add the coconut milk and roasted strawberry puree and mix until smooth and fully incorporated.
- Pour the cheesecake batter on top of the crust and freeze for 4 hours, or overnight.
- After the cake solidifies, prepare the MATCHA CHOCOLATE GANACHE: Melt the white chocolate and coconut milk over a double boiler, or in the microwave using 20 second increments, until melted. If using a microwave, be sure to stir it after every increment. Whisk in the matcha powder until fully dissolved.
- ASSEMBLY: Thaw cake in the refrigerator for about 1 hour to make it easier to get out of the pan. Release the cake out of the pan and place it on a serving dish. Press mini chocolate chips into the sides of the cake to imitate strawberry seeds. Then spoon the matcha chocolate over the edge of the cheesecake and let it drip down the sides. If the chocolate is getting too melty, chill it in the freezer or fridge until the chocolate sets. Store cake in the freezer and move it to the refrigerator 2 hours before serving. Top with fresh strawberries right before serving.
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