Butterscotch Cheesecake

The season is upon us and I am totally unprepared for it. The last present was bought today, everything isn’t wrapped and I have only just managed to fit a bit of baking in. To top it off only two christmas cards got sent out and I highly doubt they are going to arrive on time.

I seriously don’t understand how anyone gets anything done whilst holding down a full time job. Add to that having to move out of our flat early due to ‘EQC repairs’ and at least ten hours worth of cleaning, visiting the dump and transporting large items between houses. Ten hours is being kind to the time it took for all of us to scrub down a flat that was dirty before we even moved in. I have come to learn how much I dislike bulk cleaning. Also how bad the dump smells. It was probably the least festive two days approaching Christmas but it’s soon here and I have managed to catch up with the times as best I can!

Mixed in with December are two family birthdays, this cheesecake actually featured in the second of those birthdays. I haven’t even had time to get the first cake to you. It’s a fantastic raspberry and white chocolate cake that I know everyone will want to try (the exciting twist is in the rosewater icing). It’s from The Caker up in Auckland and she is just something special. I couldn’t pass up her book on the recentish Click Monday Sale. While the book is reassuringly casual, and affordable, the cakes are magnificent. I can’t wait to try more. This cheesecake didn’t come from her book though, it’s a variation of my other cheesecake recipe.

While I love a great New York Cheesecake, sometimes, especially at this time of year, it’s a bit dense. The addition of mascarpone and sour cream lighten it up the texture so much. It has a really wonderful silken texture that goes really well with the super sweet butterscotch sauce. If the cheesecake was too dense it would all be a bit much, as a person with an underwhelming sweet tooth this is very much the case.

A perfectly dainty, impressive birthday cake (or dessert for your next potluck) for a positively non-dainty person. He loved it.

Butterscotch Cheesecake
A variation on Lemon, Rhubarb Cheesecake

For the base

• 250g wine biscuits, finely crushed
• 125g butter, melted

For the filling

• 500g cream cheese, room temperature
• 250g mascarpone, room temperature
• 250g sour cream, room temperature
• 1c soft brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla

For the Butterscotch Sauce - By Smitten Kitchen

Method

Preheat oven to 180˚C and grease and line, with grease proof paper, a 22cm springform pan (You can flip the base upside down if you would like a cheesecake that slides beautifully off onto your serving plate).

In a medium bowl mix the crushed biscuits and melted butter, put a half cup of this mixture aside. With the rest, tip it into the springform pan and push down firmly to create a compact and level base. Make sure to get it in evenly around the edges too. With the half cup set aside, place in a slice pan to make decorative crumbs for scattering on top later. Bake both the base and the crumbs at the same time, 10-12 minutes maximum. The crumbs however, may take only 5.

Lower your oven temperature to 160˚C after removing the base. Boil a full jug of water.

While the base is in the oven, start on the filling. In a large bowl place the cream cheese, mascarpone, sour cream and brown sugar. Beat until really well mixed with no ribbons of cream cheese hiding in the mix, 5 minutes.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat for another 30 seconds.

Using tin foil, cover the bottom half of the cake tin overlapping the sheets to ensure no water leaks through. Place this waterproofed tin into a roasting dish. Pour the freshly boiled jug into the roasting dish, it should rise to halfway up the cake tin.

Place this entire contraption into the oven and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Depending on your oven it may be done 15 minutes earlier or later so do check frequently, but don’t open the door!

When it’s done, let it cool enough so it can be refrigerated. It’s best to leave it in the fridge over night but it could be made early in the morning and be ready for a fabulous dinner party in the evening.

A couple of hours before serving make butterscotch serve and allow to cool and thicken before pouring as much as you want on top (any extra can be kept for later use, it’s up to you) – refer to link in the ingredient’s list.