Baked Fig Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients

Base:

200g/7oz digestive biscuits (plain tea biscuits)

1½ cups walnuts

100g/3.5oz butter (melted)

½ tsp cinnamon

Cheesecake:

680g/24oz philadelphia cheese (cream cheese)

1 jar (170g/6oz) sour cream

4 eggs (room temperature)

½ cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

Zest of ½ small lemon

½ tsp salt

Fig sauce:

500g fresh figs (pureed)

3 tbsp honey

3 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp water

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp vanilla essence

Base:

Line the base of a 23cm springform cake tin with baking paper and spray the sides with non-stick cooking spray.

In a food processor crush the biscuits and walnuts together then add the cinnamon.

Mix the crushed biscuits with melted butter and press down onto the base of the pan.

Fig Sauce:

Place the pureed figs, sugar, honey, lemon juice and water in a pan. Bring to boil and simmer until thickened 10 to 20 minutes.

When ready stir in the vanilla essence. Pass through a sieve to remove excess seeds, and achieve a fine purée.

Cheesecake:

Preheat oven to 170C/325F.

In a large bowl whisk the cream cheese and sour cream until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add in the eggs and whip 1 more minute.

Add in the sugar, vanilla, lemon zest and salt, mixing until combined.

Pour cheesecake mixture over biscuit base and bake in oven for 1 hour.

When ready open the door a quarter way to allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for another 1 hour.

Remove from oven and allow it to cool completely.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving or overnight.

Once cooled, remove from springform pan.

Top with some of the fig sauce (save the remaining before serving), fresh figs and crushed pistachios.

I also piped some fresh cream as a decoration (optional).

Enjoy!