Elderflower and Strawberry 🍓 Cheesecake

Elder flower from the Elder tree which also gives us Elder berries later on in the year. Sambucus meaning a “gift from the gods”. ☀️

Elderflower is amazing and has so many health benefits it is a diuretic, laxative, antispetic, antiviral and also has anti-inflammatory properties. 🌸

The flowers are known for their high antioxidant content and Vitamin C which is great for boosting your immune system.The Elderflower also helps with fighting flu and respiratory problems. 😀

Elderflower contain tannins that help to dry up runny eyes and runny noses. So it is great for reducing inflammation and irritation.

Elderflowers have relaxing properties. It can help to soothe nerves and anxiety and may assist in reducing symptoms of depression.

An all around amazing plant that has been used worldwide for centuries. It is so versatile too.

Cheesecake is one of the amazing recipes you can make. First of all you need to make an elderflower syrup. This is the key ingredient to all the recipes. Once you have this secret ingredient you are well on your way to making all sorts of amazing elderflower treats.

To make elderflower syrup you need to collect around 20 elderflower heads when the sun is shining. Make sure they are all fully open too. Don’t forget to forage sustainably, only taking 10-20 percent from a bush. If there isn’t much in a particular tree then find another. Feel free to check out my you tube video on how to identify elderflower too.

Once you have collected your elderflower, leave them outside for a while do all the bugs can crawl off.
Next you need to take off all the tiny elderflowers from the stalks. You can’t eat the stalk as kid as they are poisonous, just the flowers I have found the best way to do this is to use a fork.

Add all your flowers to 400 ml of water with some sliced orange 🍊 or you can use lemon 🍋.

Bring to the boil and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Then leave it overnight or at least 5 hours to infuse.

Once the infusion has taken place strain off the flowers and oranges using a muslin cloth or a tea towel. Remembering to keep all your lovely elderflower juice. Add 250g of sugar to the elderflower juice and heat up in a pan. Heat until a syrup like consistency. Stir regularly making sure it doesn’t over boil. When you have the desired consistency then pour it into a glass bottle and let it cool. Dong forget to label and date it.

to make elderflower cheesecake you will need-

250g of digestive biscuits

125g of butter

300g of cream cheese

284ml of double cream

at least 250g of icing sugar. More if needed for the correct consistency

4 tablespoons of elderflower syrup

200g strawberries

100g sugar

teaspoon of vanilla bean paste. Optional.

elderflower to decorate

Method.

For the base: butter a 20cm cake tin, preferably one where you can take off the bottom/ sides.

2.Mix together the biscuit crumbs and melted butter. Press firmly into the base of the tin and chill in the fridge while you make the filling.

3.For the filling: blend the cream cheese, vanilla and icing sugar in a food processor and mix well. Add more icing sugar if it isn’t thick enough.

4.Slowly add the whipping cream and elderflower syrup until smooth and thick.

5.Spoon onto the base and smooth the top. Chill for at least 3 hours until set.

6.For the topping: combine the sugar, 2 tablespoons of elderflower syrup and most of the chopped strawberries to a pan (save some for decorating). Heat until a jam like consistency. See my jam revise for more details.

7. Set aside to cool.

8.Pour on top of the base and chill for at least 4 hours until set.