Ginger and rhubarb baked cheesecake

SERVES 12

This rich baked cheesecake is perfect for a special occasion like Mother’s Day. It takes 50 minutes to prepare and one hour and 30 minutes to cook, plus one hour cooling time.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

100g butter

160g ginger nuts

600g light cream cheese

1 tsp ground ginger

50g stem ginger, finely chopped 200g golden caster sugar 300ml soured cream

40g plain flour

1 lemon, zest and juice

1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out 4eggs

For the rhubarb compote

400g rhubarb, sliced diagonally into 5cm (2in) pieces

75g golden caster sugar

1 orange, zest and juice

1 tsp grated ginger

METHOD

Line the base of a 25cm (10in) loose-bottomed tin and butter the sides. Put the ginger nuts in a food processor and blitz until broken. Melt the butter and mix through the ginger nut crumbs. Tip the mixture into the tin, press down evenly, and chill for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to gas 3, 170°C, fan 150°C.

Put the cream cheese in a bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the ground ginger, stem ginger and sugar and beat until smooth.

Then add the soured cream, flour, lemon zest and juice, and the vanilla seeds and continue beating. Add the eggs one at a time and whisk well until completely combined.

Pour into the tin right away and bake low in the oven for one hour. When finished, turn off the oven but don’t open the door. Leave the cheesecake to cool inside for at least one hour.

Once the cheesecake is cooked, you can make the rhubarb compote. Preheat the oven to gas 1, 140°C, fan 120°C.

Combine all the compote ingredients and lay out evenly on a baking tray. Bake for 30 minutes until the rhubarb is soft and just starting to break down. Top the cheesecake with a large pile of the rhubarb and all the cooking juices.

For more recipe ideas visit: www. realfood.tesco.com