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Baked cheesecake with amaretto and honey-roasted nectarines recipe

Baked cheesecake with amaretto and honey-roasted nectarines - Haarala Hamilton and Valerie Berry
Baked cheesecake with amaretto and honey-roasted nectarines - Haarala Hamilton and Valerie Berry

Prep time: 40 minutes, plus 10 minutes chilling | Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

SERVES

Eight to 10

INGREDIENTS

For the base

  • 80g digestive biscuits

  • 120g amaretti biscuits

  • 60g unsalted butter, melted

For the filling

  • 550g mascarpone cheese

  • 225g full fat cream cheese

  • 200g caster sugar

  • 2 medium eggs, separated, plus 2 more egg yolks

  • 1 ½ tbsp cornflour

  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

  • 2 tsp lemon zest, finely grated

  • 1 tsp orange zest, finely grated

  • 1 tbsp amaretto

For the topping

  • 5 nectarines

  • 50g honey

  • 2 tsp amaretto

METHOD

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4 and grease and dust a 23cm springform or loose-bottomed cake tin with flour, tapping out any excess.

  2. Blitz the digestive and amaretti biscuits in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse briefly to combine. Tip the biscuit mixture into your prepared tin, spread out and press down with the bottom of a glass to even it out.

  3. Place the tin in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up and then bake for eight to 10 minutes. Because of the amaretti biscuits, the colour will already be quite a deep brown, so keep an eye on it just to make sure it doesn’t burn. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before adding the filling.

  4. Remove the excess moisture from the mascarpone and cream cheese by wrapping them up in double-layer muslin, gathering up the top and squeezing to wring out as much water as possible. If you can’t get hold of muslin, then allow to sit for a while in a fine meshed sieve lined with two layers of paper towel.

  5. Place the cheese and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use an electric hand whisk) and mix on a medium speed for two minutes. Add the egg yolks, cornflour, vanilla, zests and amaretto and continue to whisk until all ingredients are fully combined.

  6. In a separate, clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks and then gently fold into the filling mixture.

  7. Pour onto the baked biscuit base. Place in the oven and turn it down slightly to 175C/155C fan/Gas 3½. Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes. The edges of the cheesecake should be set and there should be a slight wobble in the centre.

  8. Turn off the oven and allow to sit until the oven is cool, then place in the fridge. The gradual cooling lets the mixture continue cooking sligand stops the cheesecake splitting.

  9. To make the topping, de-stone the nectarines and cut into wedges, leaving the skin on. Mix the honey and amaretto together in a mug until combined and then pour over the nectarines and toss to coat. Place in an oven at 180C/160C fan/Gas 4 for 15 to 20 minutes. If the fruit becomes too soft it will shrivel when cool. Just cook for long enough to roast in the honey and for the alcohol in the amaretto to cook off. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to at least lukewarm.

  10. De-mould the cheesecake and place on a serving plate. Spoon the fruit and some of the honey drizzle over the chilled cheesecake and serve.