New York Cheesecake

I have had the strongest craving for a good slice of cheesecake lately, so I did what any baker would do … I baked a cheesecake.

If you’re in the mood for some luscious, creamy vanilla cheesecake with a tangy berry coulis, then be my guest. Come on, let’s make a cheesecake!

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Ingredients & Method

• For the crumble base:
• 220g digestive/butter biscuits
• 3-4 tbs melted caster sugar
• 75g butter (melted)
• For the cheesecake filling:
• 450g cream cheese
• 110g caster sugar
• 2 eggs + 1 yolk
• 50ml double/heavy cream
• 30g sour cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2-3 tbs cornstarch
• For the mixed-berry coulis:
• Handful of mixed berries (fresh or frozen)
• approx. 25g caster sugar
• approx. 50ml water

1. Preheat your oven to 170 C / 350 F / Gas 4. Grease an 8-inch (1.75 inch depth) loose-bottomed cake tin with sunflower oil or similar (but not olive oil obviously). Use the cake tin to trace a circle of greaseproof paper and stick this inside your tin to line the bottom. Set aside while the oven preheats and you get on with making the crumble base.
2. For the crumble base: Put your biscuits into a freezer bag, tie to secure and grab anything heavy to bash the living daylights out of them – my weapon of choice is a hammer or rolling pin. Once they’re all crushed up, pour them into a mixing bowl and add your 3-4 tbs of sugar (I won’t judge if you add four). We’re all friends here.
3. Melt your butter if you haven’t done so already and add it to the biscuit crumbs, and mix mix mix!
4. Once everything is well combined and your biscuit mix is all nice and buttery (if it’s too dry, add more melted butter), dispense it into your prepared tin. Grab a tablespoon and pat the crumbs around the side of the tin and on the bottom of it. Now all you have to do is bake your crumb base in the oven for about 7-8 minutes. Take it out of the oven and allow to cool for about an hour.
5. For the filling: Preheat your oven to 160 C / 325 F / Gas 4. Line the underside and sides of your cheesecake tin with thick foil – this will stop any water coming into your cheesecake so do a good job of it please. Boil the kettle with enough water to line the bottom of an oven tray.
6. Cream the cream cheese and sugar together. Then beat the eggs and yolk lightly together in a jug and gradually pour into your cream cheese mixture, mixing well after each addition. Once the eggs are thoroughly mixed in, add your sour cream, double/heavy cream, vanilla extract and cornstarch. Mix until everything is well combined.
7. Put your cheesecake tin (with the cooled biscuit base) into a larger, deep oven tray. Pour the boiled water from your kettle around the tin carefully until you’ve got a couple of centimetres of water (depth-wise obv) surrounding your tin. Pour your cheesecake batter into the tin and carefully put the tray in the oven. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until firm with a slight wobble in the middle. Turn off the oven and leave your cheesecake in the oven to cool for another 45 minutes. You can also crack the door open with a wooden spoon or open the oven door entirely to speed up the cooling process.
8. Next, take your cheesecake out of the oven and leave to cool on the side until room temperature. Chill in the fridge for at least two hours.
9. For the mixed-berry coulis: Put a handful of your favourite berries into a saucepan along with the sugar and water. Heat gently until the sugar starts to dissolve into the water. Increase the heat until bubbling slightly and then reduce to a low heat. Allow the berries to cook out and the liquid has thickened to a syrupy consistency. Take off the heat and pass through a sieve into a separate bowl, squashing all of the berries down to get the most out of them.
10. Allow the sieved syrup to cool to at least room temperature before you have cheesecake. Speaking of which, I recommend taking your cheesecake out of the fridge twenty minutes or so before serving. Warm the biggest, sharpest knife you have under some warm water, dry it, and slice up your cheesecake, wiping with ktichen paper after each slice. Place one slice of cheesecake on a plate and spoon over your berry coulis. Enjoy!