Strawberry jello cheese cake 草莓果凍乳酪蛋糕

Holidays are a great time for friends and families to get together. My sister-in-law and her family are moving away soon, so we try to spend as much time together as possible. However, we missed my brother-in-law. He is on the road of "pursuing happiness" -- the love of his life. As I was preparing this cake, I thought about him. Love doesn't come easy, especially true love. Once you've found it (or it's found you), don't ever let it go. Love needs to be cherished and nurtured so that it will grow and be fruitful. We all wish that he will find "the love of his life" soon as we were enjoying this great summer treat. It doesn't just look good, it tastes even better!

Ingredients and instructions (see Carol's blog): for a 6-inch springform pan

A. Almond cookie crust (bottom layer):

• Almond flour 30 g
• Cake flour 60 g
• Sugar 25 g
• Olive oil 30 g
• Finely chopped almond 30 g

1. Mix everything (except the chopped almond) in a big bowl. If hard to form a ball, add a little more olive oil, 1 Tbsp at a time.

2. Spread the dough evenly in the pan (a flat spoon can do a great job), and bake at 340F for 12-15 min.

B. Cream cheese (middle layer):

• Cream cheese 8 oz. (226 grams), softened
• Milk 120 g
• Sugar 35 g
• Gelatin powder 3 g
• Vanilla extract 1 tsp
• Mixed raisins 1/3 cup

1. Warm the milk (100 g), cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract on low heat and mix well. Remove from heat.

2. Use the rest of the milk (20 g) to bloom the gelatin.  Dissolve the gelatin powder in cold milk first. Let sit at room temperature for 3-5 minutes. Heat it in the microwave to dissolve the gelatin evenly. Add it to the cheese/milk mix.

3.  Pour it over the almond crust. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

C. Strawberry jello (top layer):

• White grape or apple juice 200 mL
• Unflavored gelatin powder 6 g 
• Strawberries, sliced

1. Heat the juice in microwave for 1 minute. (It should feel warm to the touch.)

2. Dissolve the gelatin powder in cold juice (40 mL). Let sit at room temperature for 3-5 minutes. Heat it in the microwave to dissolve the gelatin evenly. Add it to the warm juice.

3. Wait until it cools a little, pour it over the cream cheese layer.

4. Put the sliced strawberries in. They will float to the top. Refrigerate until firm (3-4 hours or overnight).

Before unmolding, dip knife in warm water and run knife around edge of gelatin to loosen. Wrap a hot dish towel around the springform pan for 10 seconds then gently remove the pan.

I also made another one for my friend who just found a great job in a 8-inch springform pan (x1.7 everything), and one more for my husband and me in a 5-inch pan (x0.7 everything). Who knows that you need good math to do baking!?