Peach Melba no-bake cheesecake

This peach Melba no-bake cheesecake continues my delicious summer series of Melba-inspired desserts (you may already know my Melba Pavlova). It features a light sponge finger base, a creamy cheesecake filling flavoured with sweet roasted peaches, and a beautiful topping of peach jelly with fresh peaches and raspberries. It’s the perfect dessert for hot summer days.

Ingredients for the sponge finger base:

• 100 g sponge fingers

Line the base of a 25 cm springform tin with baking paper. Arrange the sponge fingers over the base, trimming them as necessary to fit snugly.

Ingredients for the peach cheesecake filling:

• 500 g ripe peaches
• 2 tablespoons honey
• freshly squeezed juice of ½ lemon
• 1 sachet peach jelly crystals (to make 500 ml)
• 2 teaspoons (6 g) powdered gelatine
• 30 ml cold water
• 250 g mascarpone, chilled
• 250 ml double cream, chilled
• icing sugar, to taste (optional)

Halve and stone the peaches. Arrange them cut side up on a baking tray lined with baking paper and drizzle with the honey. Bake at 180°C for about 30 minutes, or until the peaches are soft (the exact baking time will depend on how ripe they are). Leave to cool, then blend into a smooth purée and press through a fine sieve. Stir in the lemon juice and set aside.

Sprinkle the gelatine over the cold water, stir, and leave to bloom for 10 minutes.

Dissolve the peach jelly crystals and the bloomed gelatine in 150 ml boiling water, stirring until completely dissolved. Leave to cool completely to room temperature, making sure the mixture is smooth and free from any lumps. If necessary, warm it gently again to dissolve any remaining gelatine, but do not let it boil.

Place the mascarpone into the bowl of a mixer and beat briefly until smooth. Add the peach purée and mix until combined. Pour in the cooled jelly mixture and mix again. In a separate bowl, whip the double cream until stiff peaks form, then gently fold it into the cheesecake mixture. Taste the filling. If the peaches are not particularly sweet, add a little sifted icing sugar to taste and fold it in gently. (Alternatively, you can sweeten the peaches before making the purée.)  Immediately pour the filling over the sponge finger base. Refrigerate until completely set.

Ingredients for the topping:

• 1 sachet peach jelly crystals (to make 500 ml)
• 3 ripe peaches, sliced into crescents
• 200 g fresh raspberries

Dissolve the peach jelly crystals in 350 ml boiling water and leave to cool completely. Arrange the peach slices and raspberries over the set cheesecake. Carefully pour over the cooled jelly and refrigerate until fully set.

Store the cheesecake in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!