Ginger biscuits are my mother’s absolute best. Every now and then I like to spice up my cheesecake by adding a touch of ginger.
Makes 1 cake
Ginger biscuit base
60 g self-raising flour
pinch fine salt
5 ml ground ginger
1 ml bicarbonate of soda
25 g white sugar
30 g salted butter
45 ml golden syrup
60 g salted butter, melted
Cheesecake filling
200 ml cream
50 g fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely grated
250 g plain smooth cream cheese, at room temperature
250 g Philadelphia Cream Cheese, at room temperature
30 ml cornflour
150 g castor sugar
3 whole eggs
icing sugar, for dusting
Ginger biscuit base
1 Sift the flour, salt, ginger, bicarbonate of soda and sugar together.
2 Heat the 30 g butter and golden syrup in a saucepan, until melted.
3 Pour the butter and syrup into the dry ingredients and combine to form
a soft biscuit dough. Shape into small balls, place on a greased baking tray and press slightly to flatten.
4 Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 10–15 minutes, until cooked.
Set aside until completely cool.
5 Place the biscuits (± 120 g) and the 60 g melted butter in a food processor
or blender and process until semi-fine.
6 Line the base and sides of a 22 cm loose-bottom or springform cake pan with greaseproof paper. Press the biscuit base firmly into the pan and
place in the fridge to firm up.
Cheesecake filling
1 Bring the cream and fresh ginger to the boil in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat, cover and leave to infuse for about 20 minutes. Strain the cream into a jug, discarding the ginger.
2 Place the ginger-flavoured cream, both cream cheeses, cornflour and castor sugar into a food processor and mix until well combined and creamy.
3 Add the eggs, one at a time, processing after each addition.
4 Remove the cake pan from the fridge and pour the mixture over the chilled biscuit base.
5 Wrap the base and sides of the cake pan in foil and place in a bainmarie
(see page 169).
6 Bake in a preheated oven at 150°C for 50 minutes. Remove the pan from the bainmarie and place in the fridge to cool and firm up, overnight if possible.
7 Dust with icing sugar before serving.