baked cheesecake

This is my perfect cheesecake... This recipe is adapted from Felicity Cloake's perfect cheesecake.



ingredients

for the crust:

250g   digestives biscuits
100g   unsalted butter
a pinch of salt

for the cheesecake filling:

600g   full fat cream cheese, at room temperature
200g   sour cream
3 tbsp cornflour
150g   caster sugar
zest of ½ a lemon, finely grated
1 tsp   vanilla extract
3        large eggs, at room temperature

method

Preheat oven to 180°C and put a baking sheet on the middle shelf. Crush the biscuits by putting them into a freezer bag and hitting them with a rolling pin. Melt the butter in a small pan, then add the crumbs and a pinch of salt. Mix well.

Spread the crumbs over the base and side of a tall 20cm (8 inch) springform tin and pressd down firmly with a glass. Put the tin into the hot oven for about 10 minutes while you make the topping.

Put the cheese into a large bowl and stir with a whisk to soften it and get rid of any lumps. Mix in the sour cream, cornflour, caster sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time just until the mixture is smooth.

Take the tin out of the oven and allow to cool a little. Reduce the temperature to 125°C.

Pour the mixture into the tin and level it. Put the tin on the hot baking sheet in the oven and bake for 1½  hours until set, but slightly wobbly in the middle. Run a spatula around the edge to separate the cake from the tin, then turn the oven off and allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven with the door slightly ajar for about an hour. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely then refridgerate.