Sweet Delight

For a long time now I have been trying to find the perfect recipe for unbaked cheesecake and, at last, I think I've found it. Cheesecake is not difficult to make but finding a recipe that is simple and delicious with just the right amount of sweetness has been a bit of a challenge. My favourite cheesecake is raspberry and white chocolate, the tartness of the raspberry perfectly offsets the creaminess of the chocolate and to make it even better, I like to make the base from crushed ginger biscuits instead of the usual digestives. However, if ginger is not your favourite flavour then use half and half ginger and digestive biscuits. So how simple is this recipe?

You will need:

1 x 20cm (8") flan tin preferably with a loose bottom for easy extraction

1 x 250g packet McVite's Ginger Nuts

2 x 250g tubs of Mascarpone cheese

1 x 300ml pot of double cream

200g white chocolate

2 x 250g punnets of fresh raspberries

50g caster sugar

100g butter

Before we start I have to say that this cheesecake should be chilled for at least 24 hours before serving so it's a great dessert to make in advance if you are hosting a party.

First break up the biscuits. I usually put them in a large ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin, then transfer to a large bowl. Melt the butter, pour over the crushed biscuits and mix thoroughly. Press the biscuit mix into the flan tin, compacting it firmly with the back of a wooden spoon and then place the tin in the fridge to chill.

Break the bar of chocolate into pieces and place in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir the melting chocolate until it's smooth, remove from the heat and allow to cool while you make the cheesecake.

You can either do this the hard way with some good old-fashioned elbow grease or use an electic whisk, I know which I prefer. Whisk the double cream until it thickens and forms soft peaks but be careful not to over do it or you will lose the air bubbles. On a slow speed setting gradually add the Mascarpone, combine thoroughly and then slowly add the cooled chocolate. The mixture should still be fairly thick in consistency. Finally, add 1 punnet of fresh raspberries. Now this bit depends on how you want your cheesecake to look. If you over stir the raspberries in the mixture they will break up completely and your cheesecake will look more like pink Angel Delight. I like my raspberries as whole as possible so for me, it's a quick stir to spread them evenly through the mixture and then straight into the flan tin. Level off the filling, pop the tin back in the fridge to chill and now the best bit, time to lick the bowl and spoon.

About and hour before you want to serve the cheesecake remove it from the fridge, transfer it from the tin to a plate and decorate with the remaining raspberries. Serve on its own or with vanilla ice cream, delicious!

We offer mini versions of this delicious cheesecake in our menu options so you can try it too as part of your Afternoon Tea.