Vanilla cheesecake
A basic vanilla cheesecake. It has a crisp crust, with a lovely vanilla flavour, topped with a chocolate drizzle and a quenelle of thickly whipped cream.
Ingredients
Crust
- 250 gms digestive biscuits, crushed into slightly coarse crumbs
- 1 tsp sugar
- 7-8 tbsp melted butter
For the filling
- 600 gms soft cheese (full fat)
- ¾ cup caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
To serve
- a little melted dark chocolate
- a quenelle of thickly whipped double cream (optional)
Instructions
The crust-
- Pre heat the oven at 200 deg C.
- Grease the bottom and sides of a baking pan. (I used a 10 inch diameter pan which is 1½ inches deep. See notes)
- Mix together all the ingredients for the crust.
- Transfer the mixture to the pan and firmly and evenly press it over the bottom.
- Place the pan in the centre of the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and place on a rack to cool completely.
The filling and baking the cheesecake-
- Pre heat the oven at 120 deg C.
- In a bowl, beat together the soft cheese and sugar with an electric whisk till smooth.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Whisk in the vanilla.
- Tip the filling over the crust and smooth the top.
- Place the pan in the centre of the pre heated oven and bake for 55-60 minutes or till the centre of the cheesecake is slightly wobbly when the pan is shaken gently.
- Switch off the oven.
- Leave the cheesecake inside the oven and keep the oven door slightly ajar. Let the cheesecake cool completely.
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 6-8 hours or overnight.
To serve-
- Cut a wedge from the cheesecake and place on a plate.
- Drizzle some melted white chocolate followed by a quenelle of thickly whipped double cream (optional-*** see notes below).
Video
Notes
- If you are using a narrower, deeper pan reduce the amount of crust a little. Bake the crust for the same period of time. For the rest of the cheesecake, use same quantities and follow the instructions in the recipe. Look for the signs that will tell you when the cheesecake is ready. A deeper pan will probably need a bit more time. But ovens do vary, so do keep an eye on it.
- ***I had some leftover double cream that I need to use up, so whipped it and added as a topping to the cheesecake. Personally, I felt it made the cheesecake a little heavy, although the rest of the family indulged in it. So please use your discretion.