Classic baked cheesecake

A couple of weeks ago now it was a good friend of mine’s birthday and I offered to bring a dish to her party.  She jumped at the offer and promptly requested a baked cheesecake.  Not just any baked cheesecake mind you.  She was very specific.  It had to be a classic, plain cheesecake.  Not chocolate.  Not lemon.  Plain. 

I had to confess I’d never made one before, but not being one to shy from a challenge, said I’d give it a go.  Now, while I’m passionate about food and get a lot of joy from cooking, I don’t claim to be an expert and have had my fair share of failures.  Unfortunately, as it turned out, this was one of those occasions.  The cheesecake hadn’t set in the middle.  

Thankfully for my friend’s sake, there is a happy ending to this story as her partner bought some amazing pastries from their local patisserie (possibly as a back up plan?), so disaster was averted on the evening and everyone left happy and full.

Given such a lacklustered first attempt, I had to give it another try.  This time using a less complicated recipe than my first attempt, with a much better result. 

 If you’d like to try making one yourself, I’ve adapted Donna Hays’ classic baked cheesecake, which my sister-in-law raved about. 

Classic baked cheesecake

2013-09-24 17:23:58

Serves 10

A creamy classic cheesecake, served on a crumbly biscuit base. Great served on its own, or dressed with a generous portion of fresh seasonal berries.

Write a review

Save Recipe

Print

Prep Time

1 hr

Cook Time

1 hr

Prep Time

1 hr

Cook Time

1 hr

Ingredients

1. 150g digestive biscuits
2. 75g unsalted butter, melted or softened
3. 330g cream cheese
4. 500g ricotta
5. 4 eggs
6. 1 ½ cups caster sugar
7. ¼ cup lemon juice
8. 1 tbsp lemon zest
9. ½ tsp vanilla extract
10. 1 ½ tbsp cornflour
11. 1 ½ tbsp water

For the base

1. Preheat oven to 150°C.
2. Using a food processor, pulse the biscuits and butter until they form a nice crumble.
3. Line the base of a round, 20cm spring-form tin with baking paper.
4. Using the back of a spoon, press the mixture into the base of the tin.
5. Refrigerate for at least 15 – 30 minutes.

For the filling

1. Beat the cream cheese and ricotta until it’s smooth, then add the eggs, sugar, lemon juice and rind and vanilla.
2. Mix the cornflour and water separately until smooth and add to the cheese mixture and combine.
3. Lightly grease the sides of the tin and pour the filling over the base.
4. Bake for 1 hour.
5. Turn the oven off and leave in the oven to cool for 1 hour (keeping oven door closed).
6. Refrigerate until cold and serve with your choice of dressing.
7. Serves 10.

Notes

1. You can find Digestive biscuits in larger supermarkets.

Adapted from Donna Hay

Adapted from Donna Hay

A Sweet Muddle http://www.asweetmuddle.com/