Corpus Christi always has something special about it. A long June day, a calmer rhythm, more time for family, and that pleasant lack of rush that is so often missing in everyday life.
It was on such a Thursday morning that the story of our cheesecake began.
A few steps from the terrace stands our strawberry tower. It doesn't take up much space, but every June it becomes the center of small family events. It's there that for many weeks, fruits ripen, attracting the two most important heroes of this story - Mieszko and Maksymilian.
On that Thursday morning, they appeared before breakfast, armed with small bowls and enormous amounts of enthusiasm, and began their search for the reddest, most fragrant, and, of course, "the biggest in the world" strawberries.
As is usually the case, some of the harvest went into the bowl, and some was consumed during the picking.
And it's hard to complain about that.
Because is there anything that tastes more like summer than a strawberry picked straight from the bush and eaten in the morning sun?
Kitchen full of aromas
When the garden mission is over, my wife takes over.
The kitchen slowly fills with the scent of fresh strawberries, vanilla, and delicate cream cheese. Ingredients appear on the counter that will soon transform into one of our favorite summer desserts.
At the very end comes the moment the children are probably most looking forward to - the jelly. It's what turns homemade cheesecake into a true summer dessert. The shimmering, intensely red layer covering the fruit makes even adults peek into the fridge more often than they should.
Looking at the finished cake, we often hear a question from friends:
- What's the recipe?
Today, I decided to persuade my wife to share her tried-and-true recipe for strawberry cheesecake. This is the cheesecake that has been on our table for years when strawberry season begins, and it was the one that accompanied us during that June afternoon.
My wife's strawberry cheesecake
This is not a recipe from a trendy patisserie or a dessert prepared for special occasions. It's simply my wife's family cheesecake - one that we've been making for years during strawberry season when the garden starts to give us its first fruits.
Ingredients
For the cheesecake:
- 1 kg of cheesecake curd cheese from a bucket
- 150 g of 30% or 36% cream
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 packet vanilla sugar
- 2 tablespoons food gelatin
- 1/2 cup milk
- about 100 g of sponge fingers
For the topping:
- 600 g fresh strawberries
- 1 strawberry jelly sachet
Preparation
Prepare the jelly according to the instructions on the package, using about 50 ml less water than recommended by the manufacturer. Pour it into a bowl and set aside to cool.
Wash the strawberries thoroughly, dry them, and remove the stems.
Line a 24 cm diameter springform pan with baking paper and arrange a layer of sponge fingers on the bottom.
Boil the milk, remove from heat, and add the gelatin. Mix thoroughly until completely dissolved.
In a large bowl, combine the cheesecake curd, cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla sugar.
To temper the gelatin, add a few tablespoons of the cheese mixture to it and mix thoroughly. Then gradually add more portions of the cheese. After combining the ingredients, pour everything into the remaining cheese mixture and mix thoroughly.
Cut two-thirds of the strawberries in half and gently fold them into the cheese mixture. Spread it over the prepared sponge finger base and smooth the surface.
Refrigerate the cheesecake for about 30 minutes.
After this time, decorate it with the remaining strawberries and carefully pour the cooled jelly over it.
Refrigerate until fully set.
The hardest part of the entire recipe is not preparing the cheese mixture or arranging the strawberries. The biggest challenge is patiently waiting for the jelly to set.
Especially if there are children in the house.
Waiting
Anyone who has ever prepared cheesecake with jelly knows perfectly well that this is the moment that tests patience the most.
In our house, the refrigerator is opened much more often than necessary during this time.
- Can we have it now?
- Just a moment.
- How about now?
- Not yet.
- How about now?
And so on, approximately every ten minutes.
The reward tastes best... in a hammock
A few hours later, however, the reward comes.
The coffee is brewed. The cheesecake is perfectly chilled. The children run out into the garden.
And then comes the moment we love the most.
Not at the table.
Not in front of the TV.
Not on the go between other duties.
Only in a hammock.
The children take their favorite spots. Someone gently pushes the hammock with their foot. Birdsong fills the air, and the June sun pleasantly warms the garden. The first slices of cheesecake appear on the plates, and conversations flow at their calm pace.
Suddenly, it turns out that no one is in a hurry.
And it is then that an ordinary afternoon becomes one of those memories that stay with us for years.
That's what HamakiJa is all about
When we created HamakiJa, we weren't just thinking about hammocks.
We dreamed of creating a space for such moments - simple, family-oriented, and genuine.
Because for us, a hammock was never just a product.
It's a meeting place.
It's a place for conversations.
It's a place for shared laughter.
It's a place where ordinary moments have the chance to become the most beautiful memories.
In a world that constantly pushes us to speed up, we increasingly appreciate such small family rituals. Picking fruit from your own garden. Cooking together in the kitchen. A lesson in patience while waiting for the jelly to set. And then an hour spent together, without rushing and without looking at the clock.
Perhaps that's why the idea of slow living is so close to our hearts.
It's not about doing less.
It's about experiencing more.
And if you can experience the taste of early summer, sitting in a hammock with a slice of homemade cheesecake, a cup of coffee, and loved ones nearby, it's hard to imagine a better end to the day.
When the sun began to set behind the trees that Thursday evening, and Mieszko and Maksymilian were finishing their garden adventures, I thought that it was for days like these that we love June the most.
For strawberries from our own garden.
For homemade cheesecake.
For children's laughter.
For calm moments spent together.
And for the hammock, which sometimes becomes the best place in the world.
Because some stories really do lead straight from the bush to the hammock.
🌴 Find more inspiration for family relaxation at HamakiJa.pl