A cheesecake was requested for a birthday. With limited time and presents prioritising, the cheesecake was pushed aside. Not forgotten, merely simmering under the surface waiting for the opportune moment. And when that moment arrived, my gosh was it cheesy.
Continuing on my ‘look how great cheese is’ theme, I present you with this cake made of cheese. Courtesy of Jamie Oliver. You can see the creaminess of the cheese (900g of it to be precise) and the deliciously buttery biscuit base, and wonder if it is possible to top such wonderment.
However, in my eagerness to create lasagna and cheesecake on the same night (yes, a night filled with cheese glory) I let the cheesecake bake a little too long and the top was overly browned. Fear not, (I feared massively) this had no effect on the taste and I was able to hide it with my blueberry sauciness. Like a pro.
New York Cheesecake
Quantities: Serves 10
Timings: 1 hour 15 mins (plus 3 hours chilling time or overnight)
Kitchen Stuff: Electric whisk, mixing bowls, 22cm – 24cm springform or loose base cake tin
Timings: 1 hour 15 mins (plus 3 hours chilling time or overnight)
Kitchen Stuff: Electric whisk, mixing bowls, 22cm – 24cm springform or loose base cake tin
Ingredients:
250g digestive biscuits, crushed
150g butter, melted
115g caster sugar
3 tablespoons cornflour
900g full-fat Philadelphia, at room temperature
2 large free-range eggs
115ml double cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon
400g blueberries
3 tablespoons caster sugar
Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC
1. GREASE: Grease your cake tin and line it with some baking paper.
2. BUTTERY BISCUIT BASE: Smash the digestives up in a bowl and mix in the melted butter until it looks like wet sand. Press into the base of the tin and cook for 10 minutes. Pop on a wire rack to cool.
3.BEAT IT CREAMY: Turn the oven up to 200°C. Sift the cornflour into a bowl and mix with the sugar. Add the cream cheese and beat with an electric whisk until creamy. Add the eggs and beat well. Gradually add the cream, beating until smooth, then beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
Try not to eat too much of it with your fingers.
4. CHEESY BAKE OFF: Tip the mixture into the tin, level the surface with a spatula and sit it on a baking sheet and place in the centre of the oven. Bake for 40–45 minutes until the top is browned and the filling set around the edges. Put a piece of foil over the top to stop it browning too much (like I didn’t).
5. CHILLIN: Let the cheesecake cool, then put in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight. Patience now.
6. BLUEBERRIES: When your cheesecake is ready to be demolished, put the blueberries in a pan, sprinkle over the sugar and add a splosh of water. Put on a low-medium heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Serve with a slice of cheesy goodness. Enjoy.
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