Berry crumble cheesecake (…and my terrible train habit)

So… I’ve decided to start a blog.
Mostly to keep all my recipes and food experiments in one place, and also because — who knows — maybe one day I’d love to have a café of my own. Nothing specific in mind yet, just a little daydream I keep coming back to. But for now it’s just me, my kitchen, and this blog.

Anyway — confession time.

I’ve got a bad habit… I sometimes like to read over people’s shoulders while I’m on the train. As soon as I spot an interesting article I just start reading it, and I even get angry when they turn the page too quickly (once somebody actually gave me their magazine after noticing I was reading it!!). I know it’s quite rude, but I honestly can’t help myself when I’m bored. Can you relate?

The other day the train was really crowded and somebody was reading Stylist (I can’t express how much I like that magazine — and for those who don’t know, it’s free and it disappears soooo quickly after it’s published). I looked over her shoulder and saw a picture of a cheesecake and, as I was still on detox, I could literally feel saliva forming. It was an interesting one too — with a crumble on top!

I tried to lean closer to read the ingredients, but of course she did what any normal person does and turned the page…. Typical.

Luckily! Somebody at work had the exact same issue of Stylist. So I grabbed it like a mad woman and flipped through until I found the recipe. My workmates didn’t even react — they’re already used to me being a bit nuts.

Anyway, here is the famous recipe, which I have definitely baked already. I changed a few things — they were clearly trying to promote “Bonne Maman”, but honestly it works fine without any special brand. Also it uses goat’s cheese, and I know not everyone loves the scent (although it does make the cake taste lovely and unique!), so feel free to swap it for the same amount of soft cheese.

I hope you enjoy it as much as my friends did!

BERRY CRUMBLE CHEESECAKE

• 75g butter
• 200g shortbread biscuits (crushed or processed as they are a bit stiff)
• 150g goat’s cheese
• 450g full fat cheese
• 4 eggs
• zest and juice of one orange
• 100g of caster sugar
• 75ml cream fraiche
• 8tbsp strawberry jam
• 150g summer berries (I bought my frozen as not in season at this moment)
• 40g plain flour
• 25g of oat flakes
• Icing sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 170C. Line a 20cm deep, loose based, spring-form tin with greaseproof paper.
2. To make a base melt 50g butter and stir in the crushed shortbread biscuits. Press this mixture over the base of the tin and set aside.
3. Beat together the cheeses, eggs, orange zest and 75g sugar with the cream fraiche. Spoon onto the base and bake for 1hour 15mins.
4. Meanwhile prepare berries mixture. Put the jam in a small saucepan with 50ml of orange juice and stir over a low heat. Bring to the boil and bubble gently for 5 minutes. Add the berries (defrost it first if you bought frozen) and leave it to cool.
5. After 1hour 15mins of baking cover the cheesecake with the berries mixture and return to the oven for further 1hr 15mins.
6. Meanwhile prepare the crumble. Rub the remaining butter and the caster sugar into the flour. Stir in the oat flakes and spread out on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15mins. Leave to cool, then brake it to the crumbs.
7. After cheesecake is completely baked and firm in the middle, sprinkle on the crumble mixture, leave it to cool and dust with icing sugar.

Enjoy
Rasa 🙂