Baked cheesecake

Serves 10-12

This is a great basic recipe for a baked cheesecake and feel free to innovate with flavours – add some orange zest, or swirl through some melted chocolate or coffee syrup, top with baked whisky-soaked figs or berries – the options are endless and a cheesecake is always a crowdpleaser.

It’s best to make this cheesecake the day before you intend to serve it to allow it to settle.

Base:

180g biscuits  - I use superwine but gingernuts, digestives etc all work too

¼ cup hazelnuts

1 Tb caster sugar

80g unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

250g cream cheese, room temperature

250g mascarpone

120g sour cream

½ cup coconut sugar (or use ¾ cup caster cugar)

1 tbsp cornflour

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs, separated

50mls pouring cream

Pinch salt

1. Preheat oven to 150 C. Line the bottom of a round 23cm springform cake tin with baking paper.
2. Make the base: crush biscuits and hazelnuts to a fine crumb in a food processor. Add  sugar and melted butter and mix thoroughly.  Tip out into the lined tin and press evenly into the base. Chill whilst you make the filling.
3. In a large bowl (or bowl of your cake mixer), beat cream cheese until smooth. Add mascarpone, sour cream, sugar, cornflour and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add in egg yolks, cream and pinch of salt and beat until smooth.
4. In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks and fold this gently into the cream mix. Pour mixture gently on top of the chilled base, smooth the top.
5. Bake for 1.5 hours until the top is golden brown and the very centre is only slightly jiggly. Turn the oven off, crack the door open a touch and leave cheesecake to stand in the oven for 2 hours. Take out and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight before serving.
6. To serve, run a knife around the edge of the tin before removing the ring, then carefully transfer cheesecake from the baking paper to a serving plate or board.