C heesecake, which in reality is more a tart than a cake, comes in many forms, from the creamy, set fruit-topped numbers in the freezer section of the supermarket to the magnificently charred Basque variety that the Observer’s Jay Rayner complained was “bloody everywhere” last year. This is a simpler baked version, based on a classic American recipe and perfect for pairing with seasonal fruit. Prep 25 min Cook 1 hr 50 min Makes 1 cake , about 20cm 100g digestive biscuits 100g ginger nuts 80g butter Salt 600g full-fat cream cheese , at room temperature 100g soured cream , at room temperature 150g caster sugar 2 tbsp cornflour Finely grated zest of 1⁄2 lemon 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 eggs Seasonal fruit , to serve (optional) 1 Prepare the cake tin Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6.
Line a deep, 20cm, preferably loose-bottomed cake tin with baking paper, leaving some overhanging to help lift the cake out later (if you want a neater finish, grease the tin instead). Put a roasting tray big enough to hold the tin on the middle shelf of the oven as insurance against leakage. 2 Bash the biscuits View image in fullscreen Put the biscuits in a zip-lock bag or similar, then whack them with a rolling pin – a mix of crumbs and slightly larger chunks is most interesting and appealing, so this is a better approach than using a food processor (although by all means pulse them in there instead, if you prefer).
Note that you can vary the biscuits according to taste, so use ch.
