John Torode’s Blackberry Crumble Cheesecake
Move over the classic Victoria Sponge, the cheesecake has taken the crown as Britain's top teatime treat of all time, and who better to show us how to whip one up... John Torode himself! He’s in the kitchen with a delicious blackberry crumble cheesecake to tantalise the taste buds!
Blackberry Crumble Cheesecake
Makes 1 x 23cm round cheesecake
Ingredients
For the base:
100g melted butter
1 tbsp stem ginger syrup
100g stem ginger in syrup, chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger powder
100g digestive biscuits
100g ginger snaps
For the vanilla cheesecake cream:
600g cream cheese
300g ricotta cheese, well-drained
150ml thick sour cream
Juice of 2 large lemons (about 8 tbsp)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
100g caster sugar
A little lemon rind
For the blackberry compote:
300g whole blackberries, plus 50g blackberries sliced in half
80g caster sugar
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp cornflour
For the crumble:
30g caster sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
70g rolled oats
80g plain flour
40g light brown sugar
50g cold butter, diced
Pouring cream, to serve
Ingredients
For the base:
100g melted butter
1 tbsp stem ginger syrup
100g stem ginger in syrup, chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger powder
100g digestive biscuits
100g ginger snaps
For the vanilla cheesecake cream:
600g cream cheese
300g ricotta cheese, well-drained
150ml thick sour cream
Juice of 2 large lemons (about 8 tbsp)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
100g caster sugar
A little lemon rind
For the blackberry compote:
300g whole blackberries, plus 50g blackberries sliced in half
80g caster sugar
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp cornflour
For the crumble:
30g caster sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
70g rolled oats
80g plain flour
40g light brown sugar
50g cold butter, diced
Pouring cream, to serve
Method
1. Grease a 23cm spring form cake tin, and line the bottom with greaseproof paper.
2. To make the base, melt the butter with the ginger syrup in a small pan. Add the spices and chopped ginger and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat.
3. Crush and grind the biscuits so they are mainly smooth but have a little texture. Add the butter mix and stir well.
4. Press the mix into the bottom of the greased tin and using a jar, push down gently and push up the sides a little - take care not to be too firm, or the base will be too hard. Leave to set in the fridge.
5. To make the vanilla cheesecake cream, whisk all the ingredients together until thickened then pour into the set cheesecake base. Return to the fridge overnight to set.
6. For the blackberry compote, gently heat the whole blackberries in a pan with the sugar and lemon juice, cooking for 5 minutes until liquid. Mix the cornflour with a little water and stir into the blackberry mix. Take the pan off the heat, leave to cool, then stir in the halved berries. Keep at room temperature.
7. To make the crumble, mix all the dry ingredients together. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients. Pour onto a lined tray and bake at 180C for 5 minutes. Stir and bake for a further 5 minutes, and, once nicely toasted, remove from the oven to cool.
8. To assemble, take the cooled set cheesecake from the fridge. Spoon over a little of the blackberry mix, and use a fork to swirl it a little. Gently mix together the crumble and the remaining blackberry compote, then spoon onto the cheesecake.
9. Transfer the cheesecake to a large plate and serve with some pouring cream.