Very Berry Crinkle Cake

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. If using strawberries, remove the green tops and halve them. In a medium bowl, add the berries, lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar. Mix with a spoon until combined and set aside to macerate.
3. Make the cheesecake filling: In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, lemon juice, cream cheese and egg (if using). Using an electric mixer, or a hand whisk, mix everything for 2 to 3 minutes until combined. The mixture will have a light texture and a pale yellow color (if using the egg).
4. Add the cheesecake filling to a piping bag. Add all the jam to another piping bag.
5. Have a 12-inch cast iron skillet on your work surface, or another pan of similar size.
6. Open the pack of phyllo and pull out a phyllo pastry sheet at a time, while rolling back the remaining phyllo sheets to prevent them from drying.
7. Going lengthwise, pipe a line of the cheesecake filling next to a line of jam in the center of the pastry. Fold the pastry in half to seal the cheesecake filling and jam inside. Roll the filling towards the end of the pastry to form a long tube. The pastry is very delicate, don’t worry if it breaks as you roll. Check out the step by step tutorial at the beginning of this recipe for more details on how to assemble the very berry crinkle cake.
8. Lift up the long tube of stuffed phyllo pastry and place it in the skillet, rolling it into a spiral as you go.
9. Repeat the process with the remaining phyllo pastry and filling. If you run out of fillings on the last pastry sheets, place the sheets in the pan, next to the filled ones.
10. Brush the pastry with the butter all over its surface.
11. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out about 2/3 of the macerated berries and pile them in between the spiral nooks and crannies. Reserve the remaining berries for later.
12. Bake the pastry for 45 to 60 minutes, until most of the berry juices have been absorbed and the pastry has a golden brown top.
13. Remove the skillet from the oven and top with the remaining berries and vanilla ice cream scoops on top. Serve right away.