Blackberry topped Cheesecake

Prep time: 1 hour 30 mins Cook time: 1 hour 45 mins Total time: 3 hours 15 mins

Ingredients

Crust

3 cups cookie crumbs (could be digestive biscuits, Oreos or tea biscuits)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Cheese Filling

450g cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/4 cup sour cream (or yoghurt if you don’t have sour cream), room temperature

1/2 cup sugar (you can reduce the sugar if you don’t like sweet cakes)

3 tbsp flour

1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

3 eggs, lightly whisked by a fork

1/8 cup powdered sugar (for decoration)

Handful of raspberries

Handful of blueberries

Equipment

Large bowl

Electric mixer (handheld)

Measuring Cups and Spoons

Large bowl

Spatula

Small knife

Food processor (or plastic bag and roller pin)

7 inch/18 cm round springform pan

How To

Crust

Place the biscuits into a food processor and blend until they are fine crumbs. If you don’t have a food processor, put them into a plastic bag and beat them down to fine crumbs. Mix the crumbs and melted butter in a bowl. Mix them well so the crumbs are coated in the butter. It may look a little dry to you, but they’re not. Avoid adding more butter because then it won’t hold well and may be too buttery. 

Pour it into the pan. Next you will set the cookie butter mix starting with the sides of the pan and then the base. Using your fingers, start pressing the mixture against the pan's wall all the way up to the brim. Then do the base by pressing the mixture to the bottom of the pan. Place in the freezer for 1 hour.

Cheese Filling

Preheat the oven at 285 degrees F/140 degrees C.

Put the cream cheese into a large bowl and using a handheld whisk at low speed, whisk it just until creamy. Now add the sour cream, sugar, vanilla extract, flour and lemon juice. Mix until everything is well combined. Add and fold in the whisked eggs. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour 45 minutes or until you see the cheesecake has set but the center still wiggles a bit.

Remove from the oven and leave it to cool completely. Then chill in the fridge for 8 hours up to overnight. I usually leave it overnight.

Assembly

Loosen the springform and then insert a small/thin knife and move it all around to loosen the cake from the pan. Remove the springform gently. Then take two flat serving spoons and put them under the cake at opposite ends and lift the cake to a serving plate. To keep it easy, you can lift the cake with the bottom of the pan (since you can barely see it anyway) onto a serving plate.

Decorate with blackberries (or any fruits of your choice).