Baked Bakewell cheesecake

Anything Bakewell flavoured and I’m there. And if it’s in the form of a cheesecake… Well, man, what else is there to say?

Serves 10-12 Prep 30 mins, plus resting and overnight chilling Cook about 1 hr

FOR THE BASE 200g shortbread biscuits 100g flaked almonds, toasted 100g unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING 900g full-fat cream cheese 200ml soured cream 200g golden caster sugar 4 tbsp plain flour ¼ tsp vanilla extract ¾ tsp almond extract 3 large eggs 200g cherry jam 25g flaked almonds, toasted

TO DECORATE 200g double cream 2 tbsp golden caster sugar ¼ tsp almond extract 100g cherry jam 25g flaked almonds, toasted 6-8 glacé cherries (optional)

1 Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line the base and sides of a 23cm springform tin with baking parchment. To make the base, double-bag the biscuits and almonds and crush them with a rolling pin or whizz them in a food processor. Tip the crumbs into a large bowl and stir in the butter. Press into the base of the tin and bake for 12 mins. Remove from the oven and set aside.

2 To make the filling, beat the cream cheese in a bowl with a hand-held or free-standing mixer until creamy. Tip in the sour cream and sugar and give it another mix to combine. Add the flour and vanilla and almond extracts and mix again. Finally, crack the eggs in one at a time. Mix slowly now to incorporate the eggs – you don’t want the cheesecake to crack on the surface when it’s baked. Pour half the filling on top of the biscuit base. Dot with a few tablespoons of cherry jam and give it a swirl with a knife to create a marble effect. Top with the remaining cheesecake filling and finish with cherry jam dollops. Smooth the top.

3 Bake for 12 mins. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with almond flakes and drop the oven temperature to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Return to the oven and bake for another 35- 40 mins. The cheesecake should be wobbly in the middle. Switch off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside with the door closed for 1 hr. Then, leave the door slightly ajar for another hour. Remove from the oven now and leave to cool at room temperature for a third hour. Cover with cling film and leave overnight.

4 Carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin and peel off the parchment paper. Place it on a serving plate. Whisk the double cream, sugar and almond extract in a bowl to soft peaks. Fold in the cherry jam to give a ripple effect. Place the cherry cream into a piping bag and pipe rosettes around the edge of your cake. Put a cherry on top of each rosette and finish off with a sprinkle of almonds.