Christmas Cheesecake

Christmas Cheesecake is a traditional British recipe for a classic Christmas cheesecake of a ratafia crumb based with a baked egg and cream cheese topping containing fruit, topped with white icing and decorated with marzipan holly leaves and berries. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Christmas Cheesecake.

prep time

30 minutes

cook time

90 minutes

Total Time:

120 minutes

Additional Time:

(+cooling and chilling)

Serves:

8

Rating: 4.5 star rating

Tags : Cheese RecipesBaking RecipesCake RecipesBritish Recipes


Ingredients:

For the Base:
50g butter
50g caster sugar
175g ratafia biscuits, finely crushed
1 tbsp dark rum

For the Filling:
350g full-fat cream cheese (or you can use my home-made cream cheese recipe to prepare your own)
3 eggs, separated
generous pinch of mixed spice (pumpkin pie spice)
2 tbsp rum
100g caster sugar
2 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp ground almonds
160ml double cream
50g mixed peel, chopped
25g sultanas
25g walnuts (or pecan nuts), chopped
finely-grated zest of 1 orange

For the Topping:
230g icing sugar, sifted
1 egg white, lightly whisked
50g marzipan
green and red food colouring

Method:

Combine the butter and sugar in a small saucepan. Melt over gentle heat then take off the heat and combine with the ratafia biscuit crumbs and the rum. Press this mixture evenly into the base and part way up the sides of a springform cake tin (about 20cm diameter). Place in the refrigerator to chill, as you prepare the filling.

Turn the cream cheese into a mixing bowl and use a fork to soften. Combine the egg yolks, mixed spice, rum and 50g of the caster sugar in another bowl. Beat to combine then work in the flour, ground almonds and double cream.

Place the egg whites in another bowl and beat until stiff then work in the remaining caster sugar, beating until dissolved. Fold the whipped egg whites thoroughly through the cream cheese mixture then fold in the mixed peel, sultanas and nuts along with the orange zest.

Spoon the resultant mixture on top of the chilled crumb base. Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 160°C (325°F, Gas Mark 3) and bake for about 90 minutes, or until the centre of the cake is firm, but still spongy to the touch. Turn the oven off, prop he door open with a wooden spoon and allow the cheesecake to remain in the cooling oven for 1 hour.

After this time, sift the icing sugar for the topping into a bowl. Add the egg white and beat to give you a stiff but smooth icing.

Remove the cheesecake from the oven and carefully ease away the sides of the tin. Transfer to a serving dish then spoon the icing over the top and smooth with a palette knife. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 150 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the marzipan holly sprigs. Take 50g of the marzipan and knead until soft. Place on a work surface dusted with icing sugar and roll out as thinly as you can. Cut out holly leaf shapes with a pastry cutter (or use a card template and a knife. Pinch the leaves in half to create a mid-rib then open out and curl each one in different directions. Lightly brush the edges of each leaf with a little green food colouring then set aside.

Take the remaining marzipan and knead in a little red food colouring. Pinch off small pieces and roll these into balls, to make berries. Use the edible holly to decorate the cheesecake before serving.

Find more Christmas Recipes Here and more Recipes for Halloween Here.