New York Cheesecake

Good old New York Cheesecake. 
I've always been a huge fan of the cheesecake but paying approximately $5 a slice at a cafe stops me from enjoying this. However, after baking one myself, I must admit, that the cost per slice is justifiable. Not only are the ingredients expensive to begin with, the effort that goes into it is a fair bit especially if your kitchen is not well equipped like mine. Don't let that deter you from trying out this recipe though. It's proven a hit at every occasion I've brought one to and impressed. 

What you will need:

400g digestive biscuits
150g butter, melted

750g cream cheese
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
2 teaspoons lemon rind, grated (grated lemon skin/peel)
2 tablespoons plain flour
3/4 cup thickened cream
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup caster sugar

250g strawberries
1 cup dessert wine
2 tablespoons caster sugar

Steps:


1. Preheat over to 160 degrees Celsius, and the line and base of your baking pan with non stick baking paper.
2. Process the digestive biscuits until they are finely crushed like bread crumbs. Add butter and combine well.
3. Spread the processed biscuits and butter into the pan, covering the base and the sides well. Make sure that the layer is thick enough to support the cheese filling. Cover up and leave to rest in the fridge for half an hour.
4. Beat the cream cheese, lemon rind, sugar and vanilla essence with an electric mixer (or fork) until the mix is smooth. Then add in the eggs and combine. Lastly, beat in the cream and lemon juice.
5. Pour the cheese mixture into the pan with the biscuit base. Place in the over and bake for about 50 minutes or until the center of the cake sets. (You can see the hole in the middle of my cake in the picture where I have pierced a knife into. Make sure the knife comes out clean to test if the cake has set.)
6. Leave the cake in the oven to cool completely, with the door open. I left mine in for about 2-3 hours. Then place it in the fridge overnight.
7. For the strawberry compote, pour wine and sugar into a pot on low heat until the sugar dissolves into the wine. Pour in the strawberries and bring to a boil. Then, lower the heat and simmer for a couple of minutes until the strawberries are soft. Leave this to cool completely. I put mine in the fridge overnight.
8. Place the strawberry compote on the cake starting from the middle.

Personally, the first attempt was challenging, but with subsequent attempts with knowing what to expect, I was able to manage my time better and this cake is really enjoyable to bake. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do.



Let's just say it's not this crazy cake that took me only all of 15 hours to bake. #crazythomasrainbowcake #neveragain