Salted honey cheesecake

By Janine Ratcliffe, Olive Magazine

An absolute treat of a cheesecake, with a gingery biscuit base, dreamy velvet filling and salted honey topping.

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes + Cooling and Chilling
Yield: serves 8-10

Ingredients

• Gingernut biscuits 250g
• Unsalted butter 75g, melted
• Soft cheese 600g
• Plain flour 2 tbsp
• Runny honey 150g
• Vanilla extract 1 tsp
• Eggs 2 large, plus 1 yolk
• Soured cream 150ml

TOPPING

• Runny honey 150g
• Lemon juice a few drops
• Double cream 2 tbsp
• Sea salt flakes a pinch
• Soured cream 150ml

Method

Step 1

Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Whizz the biscuits to fine crumbs in a food processor, pour in the butter then whizz again. Press into the base of a 20cm springform tin and bake for 5 minutes. Cool.

Step 2

Beat together the soft cheese with the flour, honey, vanilla, whole eggs, yolk, and sour cream until smooth. Put the tin on a baking tray and pour in the filling.

Step 3

Bake for 40 minutes and then check – it should be set but wobbly in the center. Leave in the tin to cool completely (if you can, leave it in the switched-off oven for an hour to cool first, with the oven door open a little. This means it shouldn’t crack on top).

Step 4

To make the salted honey topping, put the honey, 1 tbsp water and a few drops of lemon juice in a metallic pan so you can see the color change. Stir well, then put on a low-medium heat and keep stirring until tiny bubbles begin to form. Stop stirring, but keep cooking and swirling the pan until the honey turns a nutty golden brown and smells caramelized. Take off the heat and stir in the 2 tbsp double cream. It might splutter a little so be careful. Stir in the salt and cool.

Step 5

Once the cheesecake has cooled to room temperature, leave in the tin, spread the soured cream on top, and chill completely for a couple of hours.

Step 6

Serve with the salted honey spooned over the top of the cheesecake.