460mlchilled Heavy whipping cream / 2 cups approx.
25gramsmilk powder / ¼ cup approx.
50gramsconfectionary sugar/ ½ cup.
For beating cream cheese
16ozoriginal cream cheese at room temperature
1teaspoonlemon zestoptional*
25gramsconfectionary sugar/ ¼ cup.
Pinchof salt.
For folding in.
¼cuphomemade or store bought jam/preserves*
Purple food gel color*
For the graham crackers layer.
Graham crackers approx. 35 crackers used. *
¼cupchoice of jam
For garnish.
Mixed berries
Some reserve purple frosting.
Instructions
In a clean big bowl , using a whisk attachment whip heavy cream , sifted milk powder and confectionary sugar until medium stiff peaks. Do not over whip.
Set aside .
In another bowl , beat the cream cheese with sugar , lemon zest and salt until smooth and combined , for 1 minute approx. with a beater attachment or mash up with a spoon .
Now scoop approx ½ cup of whipped cream into cream cheese mixture bowl and fold it until combined.
Once combined add that mixture back to the whipping cream bowl and fold both the mixtures well until combined.
Imagine the cream is in 3 parts , now scoop out one part of the cream for fruit jam /purple layer .
Add in ¼ cup jam and fold it in until mixed well. The color deepens a bit later in the fridge. Add some purple or pink food color if desired.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes if it’s not pipe able before moving ahead.
Line a 9* 5 “ bread tin with plastic cling wrap vertically and horizontally with some overhang , pressing it well at the base.
Divide the prepared cream between two piping bags in 2:1 ratio white cream and purple cream respectively.
Evenly pipe the white layer first in the pan.
Spread some jam on graham crackers and sandwich them.
Now place the crackers gently on the white layer gently not pressing hard.
Fill in any gaps by breaking few crackers and adding.
Now pipe in the purple cream layer.
Repeat layering with the jam sandwiched graham crackers.
Now pipe the white layer again.
Finish off by adding one more jam sandwiched layer of graham crackers.
Tap the pan gently on to your work surface to get rid of any air bubbles.
Cover the top with plastic cling wrap or foil and place it back into the fridge for 8-10 hours.
If you want to enjoy it as an ice-cream cake , place it in the freezer after wrapping.
After it’s set , take it out of the fridge. Discard the top plastic wrap.
Loosen the sides of the cheesecake gently.
Place the serving dish on the top of the tin and invert the tin.
Pat and wiggle gently, it should come right off.
Now discard the remaining plastic wrap.
Garnish it with berries , remaining purple frosting if any .
Cut slices with a sharp knife.
Serve chilled .
Notes
Follow step by step image pictorial given above. Use cream with 36% or more fat content. Do not use skim or light cream cheese . As berries is in season, I have made jam at home . Use your favorite jam , not necessarily berries. Substitute lemon zest with 2 teaspoon lemon juice. Milk powder stabilizes cream amazingly well. Try substituting it with the same amount of cornstarch if unavailable. If berries are not in season, garnish with fresh fruits, fresh flowers or grated chocolate . Substitute graham crackers with any other available biscuits, doesn’t matter round or square. Break some biscuits, add and adjust the gaps if any . You can use single layer of crackers too. You may use handheld whisk , will take a bit longer to get the peaks. You may use back of a spoon to mix the cream cheese. This recipe can be halved or increased for a larger crowd. You can add chopped fruits or nuts between the layers. If using large pans , do not invert , simply cut squares. There is nothing right or wrong about making ice box cakes , they do not have to look perfect. Just layer and have fun with it.