Basic Cheesecake Recipe

BASIC CHEESECAKE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

1 packet Arnott’s Granita or Wheaten biscuits
90g pure butter, melted
500g Philadelphia Cream Cheese
115g caster sugar
1 tsp natural vanilla essence
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 eggs

TOPPING:

250ml sour cream
1 tsp natural vanilla essence
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp caster sugar

METHOD:

1.    Preheat the oven to 180oC / 160oC fan forced. Grease a 20cm round spring form tin with melted pure butter and line base and sides with baking paper.
2.    Finely crush the biscuits and then stir in the melted butter until combined. Spoon the biscuit mixture into the tin and press into the base and side (if there is not enough mixture, just do the base. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or until the mixture is firm.
3.    For the filling, beat cream cheese, vanilla and lemon juice until smooth.
4.    Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour the mixture over the base.
5.    Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the filling is just firm.
6.    For the topping, mix the sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice and caster sugar together in a bowl. Spread over the hot cheesecake and return to the oven for a further 7 minutes.
7.    Allow the cheesecake to cool and then refrigerate until firm.

VARIATIONS:

Caramel – Make a caramel sauce and spread over the top of the cooled cheesecake while it is still in the tin. Refrigerate the cheesecake in the tin until the caramel is just set.

Cream & Fruit – leave off the sour cream topping. Whip 350ml double cream until it forms peaks and spread over the cooled cheesecake. Decorate with your favourite fresh fruit such as strawberries, passionfruit, mango, berries and so on.

Chocolate Topping – Replace the sour cream topping with the following chocolate topping. Combine 200g Green & Blacks dark or milk chocolate and 250ml sour cream in a saucepan and whisk over a low heat until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly and spread evenly over the cooled cheesecake while it is still in the tin. Refrigerate until the topping is set. Remove the cheesecake from the tin and decorate with chocolate curls.