New York Vanilla Cheesecake

I absolutely love cheesecake, the different textures and flavours are fab! I always thought it would be difficult to get right but I found this recipe and it is really simple to make. Everyone who tried it loved it and wanted seconds...so there's confirmation if needed!

Ingredients:

250 g digestive biscuits, crushed
150 g unsalted butter, melted
115 g caster sugar
3 tablespoons cornflour
900 g full-fat Philadelphia, at room temperature
2 large free-range eggs
115 ml double cream
1 vanilla pod, seeds
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 Orange
Icing Sugar for dusting

For the blackberries to serve with:

400 g blackberries
3 tablespoons caster sugar

What to do:

Grease and line a 24cm spring-form cake tin and preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.

Take the biscuits and place in a bowl, now break them up by using the end of a rolling pin  and break up into small crumbs. In a pan place the butter and melt, then mix the butter and biscuit crumbs together.

Press into the base of the tin and cook for 10 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Turn the oven to 200°C/400ºF/gas 6.

In a bowl put together the cornflour and sugar, now add the cream cheese and beat with a wooden spoon for about 2 minutes until all mixed together, then use an electric whisk until creamy (about 5 minutes).

Handy Tip:

By using a wooden spoon first to combine the mixture this reduces the mess caused by the electric whisk.

Once creamy add the eggs and beat well, then gradually add the cream, beating until smooth. Once done scrape out the vanilla seeds and add them to the bowl and the Lemon and Orange zest and beat together.

Tip the mixture into the tin, level the surface and sit on a baking sheet and place in the center of the oven. Bake for 40–45 minutes until the top is browned and the filling set around the edges. 

Handy Tip:

A piece of foil over the top will stop it browning too much.

Let the cheesecake cool, you can put it in the fridge but it is much better and creamier if at room temperature. Add a dusting of icing sugar over the cheesecake.

You can serve with blackberries:

In a pan, sprinkle over the sugar and add a splash of water. Put on a low-medium heat to simmer gently for 10 minutes. Then serve spooned over the cheesecake

Photos by Matt Grice

Recipe by Jamie Oliver