Cheesecake with roasted plums and pomegranate molasses

Serves 6-8

A baked cheesecake made with ricotta and mascarpone, to eat with any summer fruit, but especially nice with syrupy, roasted new-season plums.

— butter, for greasing — 90g plain flour, sifted,

plus extra for dusting — 4 eggs, separated — 120g caster sugar — 240g ricotta, mashed

with a fork

— 1 tsp vanilla extract — 240g mascarpone — grated zest of 1 lemon — 8 red plums, halved with

stones removed

— 1-2 tbsp soft brown

sugar

— 3 tbsp pomegranate

molasses

Preheat the oven to 180C/ gas mark 5. Grease a 25cm round cake tin and line it with baking parchment. Grease the paper then dust the inside of the tin with flour.

Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar until pale and creamy then stir in the ricotta, flour, vanilla extract, mascarpone and lemon zest.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff, then fold them into the cheese mixture. Turn it into the tin then bake for about 30 minutes until firm and slightly puffed and tinged with brown in places. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Prepare the plums to go alongside the cheesecake. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and place the plums on it, cut-side up. Scatter brown sugar over them – use less sugar if the plums are very ripe. Bake until soft then remove from the oven.

Serve slices of the cheesecake, with plums and some of the pomegranate molasses spooned over the top.