Serves 12
Ingredients
For the base
30g unsalted butter
1 tbsp honey
200g digestive biscuits
For the cake
500g curd cheese or cream cheese
275ml soured cream
1-2 vanilla pods, seeds scraped out, or 2-3 tsp vanilla paste or extract
3 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
175g caster sugar
30g cornflour, sifted
To finish
3-4 tbsp soured cream, plain yoghurt or fromage frais
250g fresh strawberries, raspberries or blueberries
Equipment
23cm springform cake tin, sides well greased and base-lined with baking parchment
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. To make base, put butter and honey into a small saucepan and place over a gentle heat until butter has melted. Stir to combine. 2. Crush biscuits by either placing them in a large plastic bag and whacking them with a rolling pin, or whizzing in a food processor to crumbs. Mix with butter and honey until evenly combined.
3. Press crumb mixture into the prepared tin. Bake in oven for 10 mins, then remove. Turn oven setting down to 170°C/gas mark 3.
4. In a large mixing bowl, mix soft cheese, soured cream and vanilla seeds, paste or extract until well combined. In another large bowl, beat eggs, egg yolk and sugar using a hand-held electric whisk or balloon whisk, until fairly thick and creamy. Carefully fold into cheese mixture with cornflour.
Advertisement
5. Pour cheesecake mix on top of biscuit base and give tin a gentle shake to level it. Bake for about 1 hour until it is lightly golden and feels firm when gently touched; the centre may still be a little soft but will firm up as it cools.
6. Remove from oven and run a palette knife or spatula around inside edge of cake tin — this will help to prevent the top splitting as it cools. Leave the cheesecake in the tin until cold.
7. To serve, carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin and place on a plate. Spread the soured cream, yoghurt or fromage frais on the top and cover with berries.
This cheesecake improves after a day, keeps for up to five days in the fridge and freezes (without the topping and fruit) beautifully.
Recipe taken from Cakes — River Cottage Handbook No 8 by Pam Corbin with introduction by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, published by Bloomsbury on Monday, March 14 at £14.99. It is available for £13.49 at timesbooks.co.uk
Text © Pam Corbin 2011