Delicious New York-style white chocolate cheesecake!

So it’s Sunday afternoon when I’m writing this post and I am once again a football widow. It’s miserable outside, raining on and off and the wind is blowing over the bins and garden furniture. All in all it’s pretty grim.

And after several glasses of wine last night during tapas out with friends, I’ve been feeling a little hazy today. I’ve been craving comfort food and sweet things and my mind starting wandering as I thought about how I was going to spend my time alone. There was only one thing for it – a baking session.

One of my favourite desserts, well probably one of everyone’s favourites, but something I don’t often eat, is cheesecake. And I mean the stodgy New York-style cheesecake that is baked and slightly browed in top.

I found this recipe in a magazine a few months ago and put it away for safe keeping for an afternoon just like this. I can’t remember where it was from and who devised the recipe, but it’s one I’ll play with to try different flavours.

I have made a couple of no-bake cheesecakes in the past. A friend of mine, Paul Banks, gave me his recipe for a gorgeous white chocolate and Bailey’s cheesecake which I made for my parents once. Unfortunately it was a hot day and the cake totally flopped when I removed it from the tin. Because I’m such a perfectionist I was devastated but it still tasted good.

Anyway, the baked one has more structure. I wanted to do a raspberry coulis but I forgot to get the raspberries in the supermarket because I was distracted by all the other lovely looking things, but I will tell you how to make it anyway.

Ingredients

200g dark chocolate digestive biscuits

65g unsalted butter, melted

300g white chocolate

400g full-fat cream cheese

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract or essence

150ml soured cream

For the raspberry coulis:

200g raspberries

90g icing sugar

Method

1. Turn your oven on to 160 degrees and line a round cake tin (approx 20cm)

2. Crush the biscuits with a rolling pin or in a food processor until like breadcrumbs.

3. Mix in the melted butter and press into the bottom of the tin, evening out the top. Chill in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

4. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.

5. Whisk the cheese and eggs together in a bowl using a hand mixer if you have one. Then add the vanilla, soured cream and melted chocolate.

6. Pour the mixture onto the base and bake in the oven for a round 45 minutes until slightly brown in the edges. Leave to cool then chill in the fridge for several hours.

7. To make the coulis, put the raspberries and sugar in a blender and blend. Sieve then put in the fridge until you need it.