Baked Lemon and Vanilla Cheesecake

Photo: flickr user vortistic

Ingredients

250 grams digestive biscuits

90 grams butter melted

500 grams curd or mascarpone cheese

250 grams caster sugar

3 eggs beaten

165 ml double cream

juice and zest of a lemon

1 few drops of vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C/300 degrees F/gas mark 2.

Smash the biscuits to crumbs in a food processor or put them in a plastic bag and roll them with a rolling pin.

Mix them with the melted butter then tip them into the cake tin.

Press the warm wet crumbs down with your hand to form a base then set aside in a cool place.

Beat the curd or mascarpone cheese with the sugar until thick and creamy then beat in the eggs. Pour in the cream and beat gently (use the slow speed on a mixer if you are using an electric one). Add the lemon zest and juice and a few drops of vanilla extract.

Pour the cake mixture on top of the crumbs and place in the oven for an hour and a quarter by which time the cake should have risen and puckered round the edges.

The centre will be wobbly but not runny.

Switch off the oven but leave the cake in for 15 minutes then remove and leave in a cool place till it has sunk slightly and is thoroughly cool.

It should be refrigerated overnight before eating if possible.

You will need a deep 23cm cake tin with a removable base.

Serves 10