RASPBERRY, AMARETTO & ORANGE SWIRLED CHEESECAKE

February 22, 2019

It feels like it only just turned February yesterday, but no, it's March next week!

March brings all the spring vibes, and we feel like this cheesecake is a pretty good start.

This is our delicious, divine, delectable (new fave word trio) baked vanilla cheesecake swirled with raspberry coulis, an amazing orange sauce, and topped with fresh raspberries and crunchy amaretti biscuits. The cheesecake is rich, creamy and smooth, and the swirled top gives it a lovely sweet and fruity hit. The flavour combination is gorgeous and we just know you will love it too!

We know what you're thinking... where exactly is the Amaretto?

Well you lovely people, it is in the most incredible orange sauce. This sauce was an 'of the moment' experiment and oh my god, we got this so right!

Orange and Amaretto is a gorgeous citrusy combination so this sauce just worked so well. The sauce really thickens up so would be great as a fruit filling or topping for any dessert. We can't wait to see what else we can use this with - something Jaffa Cake inspired really springs to mind...

Ingredients:

For the cheesecake...

200g digestive biscuits, crushed

100g amaretti biscuits, crushed

120g butter, melted

115g caster sugar

3tbsp cornflour

900g Cream Cheese

2 Eggs

115ml Double Cream

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
raspberry coulis/sauce

For the orange and Amaretto sauce...

1/3 cup caster sugar

2 tbsp cornflour

1 cup of orange juice (or 3-4 fresh squeezed oranges, or a mix of both)

4 tbsp Amaretto

For decoration...

Fresh raspberries

Amaretti biscuits, mini or halved

First things first - delicious orange sauce time!

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and cornflour. Add the orange juice (we used a mix of shop bought and freshly squeezed for an extra citrusy hit), 3 tbsp of Amaretto and stir. Bring this to the boil on a medium heat, and once boiling reduce the heat and simmer for a minute, or until the mixture thickens. For us this happened very suddenly so make sure you keep stirring and keep watch. Take off the heat, add the final tbsp of Amaretto to thin the sauce slightly and make it taste even better, and then allow to cool while you make the cheesecake.

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC Fan, and grease and line a square/rectangle cake tin - we used a 9 inch square tin.

Start by crushing the biscuits, either by hand with a rolling pin or using a food processor. Then in a large bowl, stir in the melted butter until evenly combined.

Pour the biscuit mixture into the prepared tin and then press down firmly using the back of a spoon. Bake this in the pre-heated oven for 8 minutes and then set aside on a wire rack to cool. Turn the heat in the oven up to 200ºC/180ºC Fan.

In a large bowl, mix together the caster sugar and cornflour, then beat in the cream cheese until fully combined. Next beat in the eggs and vanilla, and then lastly beat in the cream, a little at a time, until you have a smooth and thick mixture.

Once the base has cooled fully, spread the cheesecake mixture evenly on top, making sure to push it right to the edges.

To create the swirled effect, spoon the orange sauce and raspberry coulis/sauce onto the top of the cheesecake and then with the back of a knife or a cocktail stick, slowly swirl the sauces into the cheesecake. Make sure you keep the sauces in the fridges for later. Bake this in the oven for 40-45 minutes until the top has started to go slightly golden and the cheesecake is set around the edges. Set the cheesecake aside to cool - ideally for a few hours, but as long as possible of you have the time. We're not just saying this to torture you, it really does help with cutting the cheesecake and of course will taste better! This can be put in the fridge as soon as it has cooled to room temperature. Once chilled, slice the cheesecake into squares, triangles, whatever shape you desire or even leave it whole. Decorate with fresh raspberries and amaretti biscuits and then you're ready to eat!

This is best served with extra everything - more raspberries, more amaretti and more sauce.