Crème Brûlée Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Rapeseed oil, for greasing
250g (9oz) plain digestive biscuits
125g (4oz) butter, melted
560g (1 1/4lb) cream cheese (or you can use my home-made cream cheese recipe to prepare your own)
150g (5oz) caster sugar
1/2 tbsp. vanilla paste
300 ml (10fl oz (1/2 pint)) double (heavy) cream
3 large eggs, beaten

For the Topping:
40g (1 1/2oz) caster sugar

Method:

Grease and line a 23cm springform cake tin. In a food processor, blitz the biscuits until they resemble fine crumbs. Drizzle in the melted butter and pulse until the mixture starts to come together. Tip into the lined tin and press firmly into the base using the back of a spoon. Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 170°C (150°C fan) gas mark 3 and bake for 10-15min until lightly golden then remove and set aside to cool.

Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C (140°C fan) mark 3. In a large bowl, whisk together the cream cheese and sugar until there are no lumps. Whisk the vanilla and double cream into the cream cheese mixture, then beat in the eggs and pour onto the cooled biscuit base.

Bake in the oven for 45min to 1hr, or until the filling is firm but retains a slight wobble. Turn off the oven and leave the door ajar (prop open with a wooden spoon) until completely cooled then transfer to the refrigerator and allow to set overnight.

To finish, sprinkle the caster sugar evenly over the chilled cheesecake. Using a blowtorch, gently caramelise the sugar all over (you can’t use a grill for this recipe as it would melt the cheese). Best served immediately.

You can do the topping for the cheesecake about an hour before you want to serve, any longer and the sugar topping will lose its crunch and start to weep.