- Serves 12 – Ready in 8 1/2 hours (includes 8 hours in the fridge) -
Gather together for the base...
110g butter, sliced ready to be melted (plus a little extra butter for greasing the tin).
250g of 'Mcvities Digestives Light' (these are palm-oil free digestives), broken up by hand and then whizzed to fine crumbs in a food processor.
1/2 tsp of ground ginger.
Gather together for the topping...
50g butter, sliced.
500g (yes, five hundred grams!) white cooking chocolate, broken up into individual squares. Cooking chocolate melts far more easily than regular chocolate and is much less likely to shock and split. Sainsbury's own-brand cooking chocolate is sold in foil and card (so is plastic-free), Green & Black's cooking chocolate is plastic-free AND palm oil-free, but is too pricey for me to use regularly.
1 tsp vanilla extract (the Taylor & Colledge brand is fairtrade certified / the Dr Oetker brand is alcohol free).
300ml pot double cream / whipping cream (NOT Elmlea as it doesn’t whip!)
300g - 400g FULL FAT soft cheese (Philadelphia or the own brand equivalent), it must be full fat or it will split and go runny when it is mixed.
200g - 300g fresh raspberries, washed in cold water, individually drained and gently patted dry with an old tea towel - you don't want the raspberries to be wet, as this risks adding water to the mixture.
Get making the base...
1. Melt the 110g of sliced butter gently in a medium pan, on the hob.
2. Meanwhile line the base of a 20cm – 23cm (8 or 9 inch) circular spring-form tin (it MUST be a loose-bottomed springform tin or the finished cheesecake will never come out!) with greaseproof paper circle or, (better still) with a reusable cut-to-size silicone liner from Lakeland.
3. Grease the (lined) base and the sides of the tin well, with butter.
4. Once the butter in the saucepan has melted, remove the pan from the heat and to the pan add the remainder of the biscuit-base ingredients; the 250g of crushed ginger nut biscuits (broken up by hand and then whizzed up in a food processor WITH THE 1/2 TSP OF GROUND GINGER for approx. 30 seconds, or crushed in a bag with a rolling pin). Stir well with a wooden spoon, to coat the gingery crumbs in the butter.
5. Press the biscuit-base mixture into the lined and greased spring-form circular (8- or 9-inch) cake tin, spreading the mixture in an even layer to the edges. Press down the base layer evenly with a wooden spoon (or even better, a potato masher).
6. Chill the base in the fridge, whilst you make the topping.
Get making the topping...
7. Melt the 50g of sliced butter GENTLY in a medium pan over a bain marie (i.e. over boiling water, but ensure the base of the top pan doesn't touch the water level below). To the melting butter add the 500g of white cooking chocolate (broken into squares) and add the 1 tsp vanilla extract. Stir occasionally until fully melted.
8. Remove the pan of melted chocolate from the heat (and take it off the pan of hot water) and leave it to cool for a few minutes whilst you prepare the rest of the filling. The chocolate needs time to cool, so it isn't too hot for the creamy ingredients.
9. In a separate bowl (ideally your mixer bowl) whip the 300ml of double cream until it stands up in soft peaks. This will take 1-2 minutes with an effective electric whisk attachment or a lot longer with a hand whisk!
10. Into the whipped-up cream, gently fold in the 300g - 400g of FULL FAT soft cheese (Philadelphia or own-brand equivalent). Do this gently (with a metal spoon) yet thoroughly, so the air remains but so that everything is completely mixed together.
11. Gently stir the chocolate mix into the creamy mixture with a metal spoon, this will take about 30 seconds.
12. Carefully stir through the 200g - 300g of whole, fresh (washed but dried) raspberries - be careful not to squash the raspberries as we don't want them to release all of their juice.
13. Remove the biscuit base from the fridge.
14. Spread the cheesecake-filling mixture over the biscuit base and smooth the top with the back of a metal spoon.
15. Put the cheesecake in the fridge for at least 8 hours before serving (or make it the day before and leave it overnight).
16. To get the cheesecake out of the tin - use a table-knife to prod down the side of the cheesecake, all the way round the tin. Then release the cheesecake from the tin by opening the spring-form clip and serve.
17. Due to the fresh cream in it, this cheesecake needs to be eaten up within 3 days (and refrigerated during this time, obviously). This shouldn't be a problem as it is delicious!
Thanks to E for introducing me to this recipe years ago, it is a perfect summery treat.