Recipes
Cranberry Topped Cheesecake
A classic layer cheesecake recipe gets the festive treatment with this luscious cranberry and Cointreau topping. This dish takes 25 minutes to make and serves up to 8 people. You will need a 200cm cake tin, baking parchment, food processor and baking sheet.
Ingredients
50g unsalted butter, plus a little extra for greasing
150g digestive or gingersnap biscuits
600g full-fat cream cheese
3 large eggs
300ml soured cream
175g caster sugar
1 tablespoon cornflour
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Juice and grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
100g Greek-style yoghurt
For the topping
350g cranberries
175g caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2 tablespoons Cointreau or
Grand Marnier
Juice of ½ orange
1-2 teaspoons cornflour
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/gas mark 3. Butter the base of the tin and line with a disc of buttered baking parchment.
- Crush the biscuits in a food processor or put them in a freezer bag and bash with a rolling pin. Place in a bowl.
- Melt the butter and mix into the biscuit crumbs. Place in the prepared tin and press into an even layer over the base. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 5 minutes.
- In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, eggs, half of the soured cream,125g of caster sugar and the tablespoon of cornflour. Blitz until smooth, then add the vanilla, lemon juice and zest and blitz again.
- Carefully pour the mixture into the tin. Place on a baking sheet and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 35 minutes, or until just set.
- Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes – but keep the oven on.
- Meanwhile, beat together the remaining soured cream and 50g of caster sugar with the Greek-style yoghurt. Carefully spoon this mixture on top of the cheesecake and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes, or until set but not coloured.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and leave to cool completely before chilling in the fridge.
- To prepare the topping, place half of the cranberries in a pan with the sugar, vanilla and Cointreau or Grand Marnier. Cook over a medium heat, until the cranberries burst and start to release their juice. Add the remaining cranberries and cook for a moment longer to soften them. Mix the orange juice and cornflour together in a small bowl. Add to the cranberry mixture, stirring constantly as it slightly thickens.
- Remove from the heat, pour into a bowl and leave until cold.
- Carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin and place on a serving plate. Top with the cranberry compote.
