Who doesn’t love a classic cheesecake? Soft, tangy, velvety and just melt- in- your- mouth delicious. Since I was a child this has remained one of my favourite desserts. I tried every recipe you can find and over the years I managed to find the recipe to perfect cheesecake.
2019 update: I am still baking glorious cheesecakes. I have refined my technique even more over the last few years, here is my recipe and some tips for perfect cheesecake. One more thing, this is my personal recipe. I used a New York cheesecake recipe as inspiration but over the years tweaked and amended the recipe until I made it my own.
Cheesecake by Safeera Kaka
For the base:
3/4 pkt Marie Biscuits
1/2 cup melted butter
Blitz in a food processor until it resembles wet sand.
Press into a springform pan using the back of a glass.
Bake for about 15 min until you smell the toastiness of the crumbs.
Set aside and envelope you pan in foil.
For the filling:
4 tubs of Lancewood cream cheese (full cream, smooth cottage cheese also works well)
4 large eggs
1 1/2 tins of condensed milk (or 2 full cups of sugar)
4 level tbl of cornstarch (Maizena)
1 cup of full cream yogurt or sour cream
The juice of half a lemon (and some zest if you are going with a fruit topping)
Vanilla extract or flavouring of your choice (I made a tiny shot of espresso for chocolate cheesecake)
A dash of cream
Before you start anything its crucial that all your ingredients are at room temperature.
Preheat your oven.
If you are using cream cheese soften it in your stand mixer, scraping at intervals to ensure everything is smooth and lump free.
Combine the rest of the ingredients and beat well again making sure your mixture is as smooth as possible.
If you want an even silken textured cheesecake feel free to sieve the mixture onto the crumb base.
Tap the pan to surface any bubbles.
Now transfer the pan to a water bath (a flat ‘India’ pot works like a dream at this step).
Bake at 180 degrees for 15 min, then lower the temperature to 160 degrees and bake for around 30-40min. Lightly tanned edges and a slightly wobbly middle is a good indication that the cheesecake is ready. I usually give it 30 min, switch off the oven and leave it inside with the door slightly ajar
When cooled, wrap the cake in cling film and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, I topped the cheesecake with Lindt Hazelnut Spread .
Serve at room temperature.
