Those Swirled Strawberry Lime Cheesecake
Macarons I made on my birthday we’re the best!
Strawberry lime Curd with a dollop of cheesecake in the center.
Making the swirl in the Macarons is much easier than you would think. You don’t have to make 2 different batters. The swirl comes from extra food gel.
First tint the meringue fushia. If you don’t have fushia colored food gel, use any shade of pink.
After the macaronage and the batter is ready to go, dip a toothpick into the fushia food gel and draw a line onto of side of the piping bag with the piping tip already placed in. Then, full the bag as normal with the Macaron batter and pipe them onto the baking sheet. The swirl will automatically go onto each piped Macaron.
After they bake add a ring of the strawberry lime curd, then a no-bake cheesecake mixer in the middle.
So good! You will definitely love these!
Ingredients
Macarons
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup almond flour
• 3 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• pinch of salt
• Fushia or pink food gel
Strawberry Puree
• 1 cup strawberries, hulled and chopped
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
Filling
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/2 cup strawberry puree
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp heavy cream
• 1 tbsp lime zest
Cheesecake Filling:
1 8oz cream cheese, softened
3 tbsp sugar
1-2 tbsps of heavy cream
Mix together and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Instructions
Strawberry Puree
1. Add chopped strawberries, and sugar in a pot and cook until slightly softened. Puree and strain. Cool completely.
Strawberry Lemon Curd
1. In a medium heatproof bowl, place eggs, sugar, lime zest, lime juice, strawberry puree, and heavy cream and whisk to combine. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (bain-marie). Cook on moderate heat, whisking constantly, until mixture becomes thick, about 10-15 minutes. It should coat the back of a wooden spoon and leave a clear pass if you run your finger through it. The curd will thicken more once cooled.
Remove from heat and immediately strain mixture through a sieve. Add butter, and whisk until completely melted and incorporated, and mixture is smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator overnight.
Macarons
1. Sift confectioners’ sugar and almond flour together, discarding any bits of almond flour that are too large to pass through the strainer.
In a large bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt on high speed until foamy, then with the mixer running, slowly add the sugar. When the mixture reaches soft peaks, add vanilla and color. Continue whipping just until mixture forms stiff peaks.
Gently pour the almond mixture over the whipped egg whites so they don’t deflate. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the almond flour mixture into the egg whites until the mixture holds a 10 count, meaning when batter falls from the spatula to the bowl it takes about 10 seconds until it fully blends into the rest of the bowl in the batter. This way, the almond mixture is fully hydrated but egg whites still retain some air. The mixture is thick enough to pipe without running everywhere, but the peak at the top of each piped cookie will fall on its own, making a perfectly smooth cookie. This takes about 45 turns, but depending on how aggressively you fold, it can be more or less.
In a decorating pastry bag with a 1A tip, use a toothpick dipped into the fushia food gel to draw a line onto one side of the bag. Transfer to batter to the bag. Pipe 1 inch rounds of batter onto the parchment lined pans, spacing at least 1 inch apart. Tap the pans hard on the countertop 4-5 times to release trapped air, and then let sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until the unbaked macaron form a skin and do not stick to your finger when touched. Allowing the macaron to crust over is what leads to their signature “feet,” the holey ring that arises during baking at the base of each cookie.
Pre-hear oven to 300 degrees. Bake for 14 minutes on a shelf in the center of the oven, one pan at a time. When underbaked, the centers can be wet. When overbaked, they start to brown slightly and become very crunchy instead of crisp on the top with a softer interior.
Cool the macaron completely on a cooling grid. Pipe a ring of the strawberry lime filling on one half of the Macaron. Pipe a dollop of the cheesecake filling in the center. Sandwich with a son’s Macaron. Makes 36 to 48 sandwiched cookies
