Manuka honey cheesecake with raspberries

Ingredients

• 4 lemon shortbread biscuits (about 85g)
• 140g full fat soft cheese
• 50ml double cream
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsp Manuka honey, plus 1 tsp extra
• 125g punnet raspberries

• Tip

  Manuka honey

  Renowned for its health properties, it also has a wonderful, herbal flavour, from the manuka or tea tree flowers that the bees feed off. Although it’s expensive, the flavour is so intense that you won’t need a lot of it.

Method

1. Sit 2 x 9cm metal rings on 2 small serving plates. Crush the biscuits in a bag with a rolling pin, then divide between the rings, pressing down to form the base.
2. Put the soft cheese in a bowl, then whisk together with the double cream, sugar and 2 tbsp honey until soft peaks form. Spoon the mixture into the rings, then spread the top flat. You can chill the cheesecakes now until ready to serve.
3. Crush a third of the raspberries with 1 tsp honey, then gently fold in the rest. Using a blowtorch, warm around the edge of the ring and lift off – or use a knife to run around the inside of the ring, and lift off. Spoon over the raspberries and serve.

Little strawberry cheesecakes

Method

1. Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2 and line 6 muffin tin holes with muffin paper cases. Melt the butter, stir in the biscuit crumbs until well mixed, then press as firmly as you can into the bases of each paper case. Chill them while you make the filling.
2. Beat the ricotta with the sugar, lemon zest and juice, whole egg, egg yolk and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk the cream until it just holds its shape, then fold into the cheese mixture. Spoon evenly into the paper cases, right up to the tops, then tap the tin on the work surface to flatten the filling. Bake for 30 mins, then turn off the oven and allow to cool completely inside.
3. To decorate, top each cheesecake with 1 tsp jam and a strawberry half.

Blueberry swirl cheesecake

Method

1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line a 20 x 30cm rectangular tin with baking parchment. Put the biscuits in a food processor and blitz to a fine crumb. Add the butter and blitz again to combine. Tip into the tin, press down firmly with the back of a spoon to cover the base, then bake for 10 mins. Leave to cool.
2. Meanwhile, tip 25g of the sugar and the blueberries into a small pan. Mix the cornflour with 1 tbsp cold water and add this to the pan. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and bubble for 1-2 mins until saucy. Set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the cream cheese with an electric hand-held whisk until smooth. Add the remaining sugar and whisk again. Add the flour, vanilla, eggs and soured cream, and whisk until smooth and well combined.
4. Pour half the cheesecake mixture over the biscuit base, then spoon half the blueberry sauce on top in small blobs. Cover with the remaining cheesecake mix and smooth the surface with a spatula. Drizzle the remaining blueberry sauce over the top, then use the end of the spoon to ripple it into the cheesecake. Bake for 10 mins, then lower the heat to 110C/90C fan/ gas ¼ and bake for a further 30 mins. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside for 1 hr, then leave for 1 hr more with the door ajar. Finally, leave at room temperature until completely cool, then chill for at least 3 hrs or, even better, overnight. Slice into 14 bars. Will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Caramel ripple cheesecake cups

Method

1. Crush the biscuits into large crumbs and divide between 4 ramekins or small glasses.
2. In a bowl, beat the cheese with the sugar and vanilla then add 4 tbsp of the sauce and beat until mostly incorporated but still streaked slightly. Carefully spoon over the biscuits and smooth the top.
3. Spoon the rest of the caramel over the top and use a teaspoon to swirl the top of the cheese layer with the caramel. Set in the fridge for at least 2 hours but up to 2 days before serving.

Bakewell cheesecake

Method

1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line the base and sides of a 23cm springform tin with baking parchment. Bash the biscuits and 75g of the flaked almonds to crumbs – try double-bagging in food bags and crushing with a rolling pin. Mix with the almond extract and melted butter, then press into the base of the prepared tin and bake for 10 mins. Set aside to cool while you make the filling.
2. In your largest bowl, whisk the cheese with an electric whisk until creamy. Add the sugar and whisk to combine. Whisk in the flour, then the vanilla, the eggs, one at a time, and finally the soured cream.
3. Dollop spoonfuls of mixture into the tin, dotting in tbsps of jam as you go. Smooth the top as gently as you can.
4. Carefully place tin on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 10 mins. Scatter with remaining almonds. Decrease oven to 110C/90C fan/gas ¼ and bake for a further 35 mins. Turn off the oven, keep the door closed and leave cheesecake to cool for 1 hr. Open oven door and leave it ajar for another hour (you can use your oven gloves to wedge it open). Cool for a third hour at room temp, then cover and chill overnight.
5. Remove from the tin and carefully peel off the parchment. Dust with icing sugar and serve with cream.

Peanut butter cheesecake

Method

1. Oil and line a 20cm round loose- bottomed cake tin with cling film, making it as smooth as possible. Melt the butter in a pan. Crush the biscuits by bashing them in a bag with a rolling pin, then stir them into the butter until very well coated. Press the mixture firmly into the base of the tin and chill.
2. Soak the gelatine in water while you make the filling. Tip the ricotta into a bowl, then beat in the peanut butter and syrup. Ricotta has a slightly grainy texture so blitz until smooth with a stick blender for a smoother texture if you prefer.
3. Take the soaked gelatine from the water and squeeze dry. Put it into a pan with the milk and heat very gently until the gelatine dissolves. Beat into the peanut mixture, then tip onto the biscuit base. Chill until set.
4. To freeze, leave in the tin and as soon as it is solid, cover the surface with cling film, then wrap the tin with cling film and foil.
5. To defrost, thaw in the fridge overnight.
6. To serve, carefully remove from the tin. Whisk the cream with the sugar until it holds its shape, then spread on top of the cheesecake and scatter with the peanut brittle.

Baked raspberry & lemon cheesecake

Method

1. Heat oven to 120C/100C fan/gas and line the base of a 20cm round springform tin with greaseproof paper. Crush the biscuits in a food processor or in a food bag using a rolling pin. Tip into a bowl with the melted butter and mix well. Push the biscuits into an even layer into the base of the cake tin and chill until needed.
2. In a separate bowl use an electric whisk to beat the soft cheese with the sugar. Next beat in the yoghurt then the eggs one at a time. Finally beat in the lemon zest, lemon juice and flour. Fold through two thirds of the raspberries crushing them very slightly so they start to bleed into the mix then tip the mix on top of the biscuit base and smooth over the top. Bake for 45 mins then turn off the oven, leave the cake inside for another hour then cool at room temperature. Chill overnight. To serve, remove from tin, scatter with remaining raspberries and dust heavily with icing sugar.

Warm choc-orange tarts with orange ice cream

Method

1. Make the ice cream first. Heat the milk and cream in a pan to just below boiling point. Stir together yolks and sugar, then gradually whisk in the hot milk mixture. Return to pan, heating gently and stirring until thickened. Stir in the zest and juice, and cool. Churn, then freeze until solid. Can be made up to a month ahead.
2. To make the pastry, whizz flour and butter in a food processor, then pulse in icing sugar. Pulse in zest with enough yolk mixture to bring the pastry together. Roll out and line 8 deep, individual tart tins. Chill for 30 mins.
3. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Fill tarts with baking parchment and baking beans, and bake blind for 15 mins. Remove beans and paper and bake for 10 mins more. Remove from oven. When cool enough to handle, remove from tins and sit on a baking sheet. Turn oven down to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.
4. For the filling, melt chocolate in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Beat the 2 whole eggs, extra white and sugar until thick and pale – about 5 mins. Fold in the chocolate, melted butter and flour, then divide between the tarts. Let the mixture settle for a few mins, then bake for 25 mins. Leave to cool for 10 mins while scooping ice cream into balls. Dust the tarts with a little cocoa, top each with a scoop of ice cream.

Mini choc-orange cheesecake tarts

Method

1. Turn a metal muffin or bun tin upside down. Divide the cookie dough into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, then press over each dome, shaping down the sides to make an upside-down tart case. Chill for 30 mins.
2. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Bake the tin and cookie dough for 12-15 mins until the tart cases are golden. While still warm, cut away any excess that has dripped down the sides, prying with a knife to remove. Cool on a wire rack.
3. Whip the cream to soft peaks, then stir in the cream cheese and icing sugar. Drain the mandarins, reserving the juice. Add 4 tbsp of mandarin juice to the cream mixture and beat until smooth. Spoon into the cases and top with slices of mandarin. Chill until ready to serve.

Orange & pomegranate cheesecake

Ingredients

• 250g digestive biscuits
• 100g butter, melted
• 600g full-fat cream cheese
• zest 3 oranges - cut out the segments for the decoration
• 3 tbsp milk
• 100g icing sugar
• 150ml double cream
• seeds 1 pomegranate, or 110g tub pomegranate seeds

Method

1. Crush the biscuits roughly – either put them in a plastic food bag and crush with a rolling pin, or whizz them in a food processor to chunky crumbs. Transfer to a bowl, mix in the melted butter and tip into a 23cm springform tin. Using your fingers or the back of a spoon, press the biscuit mixture evenly to form the base. Chill until set, about 30 mins.
2. Put the soft cheese, zest, milk and icing sugar into a bowl and blend using an electric mixer until smooth. Add the cream and whisk until the mixture is the consistency of thick custard. Pour the filling over the biscuit base and spread evenly. Return to the fridge and chill until set, at least 4 hrs or overnight.
3. To serve, top with the orange segments and scatter over the pomegranate seeds.

A guide to cheesecake 3

When it comes to baked cheesecakes, one of the main complaints from cooks is that the top of the filling cracks as it cooks. It still tastes fine, but looks unsightly. Through trial and error I've realised that this can be prevented by mixing the filling ingredients together at medium rather than high speed; don't open the oven door during the first half hour of cooking and when the cheesecake is cooked, turn off the oven but leave the cheesecake in the oven to cool down slowly before removing from the tin. If all else fails and it still cracks you can cover the surface with whipped cream or fresh fruit or drizzle with chocolate.

A guide to cheesecake 2

In Yorkshire where I grew up, creamy curd tarts remain a favourite speciality and are very much a Yorkshire delicacy sold in bakers' shops throughout the county. I love the moist texture of the filling encased in crisp golden pastry - and the fact that the recipe has hardly changed since its creation in the Middle Ages.

Curd cheese is similar to cream cheese, but has a lower fat content. It's made from pasteurised milk and is available in both low and medium fat versions and has a mild, tangy flavour. If you can't find curd cheese, cottage cheese can be used instead, but it must be sieved first. The result will not be as rich, but will still taste delicious.

As ever, using butter (not margarine), free range farm eggs and fresh curd or cream cheese makes a huge difference to the taste. Curiously, some old English cheesecake recipes omitted cheese completely! One example is a lemon cheesecake created in the late 17th century. The filling consisted of pounded lemon peel, egg yolks, sugar and butter and this mixture is still known today as 'lemon curd' or 'lemon cheese'.

A guide to cheesecake 1

A slice of rich velvety cheesecake served with fresh fruits or berries is one of my favourite summer desserts. Although I enjoy uncooked cheesecakes, which have a cream cheese filling on a biscuit, crumb base, I also love the very different cooked cheesecakes, which are baked in the oven.

I'm a keen baker and over the years I've come across some weird and wonderful recipes; some are impossibly rich - one recipe contains six eggs, soured cream, cream cheese and double cream, while another is made with caramel syrup, chopped fudge, roasted peanuts, chopped chocolate, cream cheese and lots of sugar and butter. In contrast Italian cheesecakes made with fresh ricotta and fruit are much lighter and a joy to eat.