NSW Meals on Wheels - Classic Baked Cheesecake

Classic Baked Cheesecake

Believed to be created first by the Greeks, the writer Athenaeus is credited for writing the first Greek cheesecake recipe in 230 A.D. However, the Greeks had already been serving cheesecakes for centuries before this.

Source: Queensland Meals on Wheels

Difficulty: Moderate

Servings: 8

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooktime: 30-35 minutes

Ingredients

CHEESECAKE BISCUIT BASE

250g arrowroot biscuits
100g unsalted butter, melted

CHEESECAKE FILLING

400g cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
150g sour cream
250g caster sugar
Zest of 1/2 lemon
2 eggs, at room temperature

TOPPINGS

200g seasonal berries (strawberries,raspberries, blueberries, etc.) to serve
Icing sugar, for dusting

Method

Preheat a fan forced oven to 140ºC (150ºC for regular oven). Butter and line the base and sides of a baking tray with baking paper.
Roughly break up biscuits by hand and place in a food processor.
Blitz until the biscuits have reduced to fine crumbs. Add butter and blitz in short bursts until well blended (when mixture resembles a wet sand texture). Alternatively, if you don’t have a food processor, you could add the biscuits to a strong plastic bag, hold the top firmly together and smash the biscuits with a rolling pin the old-fashioned way.
Pour into the prepared baking tray. Use a spatula to spread and press the mix firmly over the base and up the walls of the tray.
Using a mixer or beater, beat the cream cheese for 30 to 45 seconds until smooth.
Add flour and beat further until just combined (10 to 15 seconds).
Add vanilla, sour cream, sugar and lemon zest. Beat until just combined (10 to 15 seconds).
Add eggs one at a time, and beat for 5 to 10 seconds each. Take care not to over mix.
Pour the filling mixture into biscuit base. Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes. The top of the cheesecake should be a light golden brown, not cracked, and be perfectly flat.
Turn oven off. Leave the cheesecake in the oven, with the door slightly ajar, for approximately 20 minutes until cooled completely (this will prevent the cake from cracking). Remove from the oven and when cold, refrigerate for at least 4 hours to set.
Cut the cheesecake into slices and remove from the tray. Dust with icing sugar and
Serve with cream and seasonal berries.

Handy Tips

Allow to cool for 4 hours.

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