Marbled cheesecake

nuts. Transfer the mixture to the baking tray in a single layer and roast for about 10 minutes, turning once. Leave to cool. Don’t turn off the oven.

Beat the 125g of butter until creamy. Whisk in the rest of the sugar and vanilla sugar, and, one by one, the eggs.

Combine the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and ground walnuts in one bowl, and the milk and bourbon in a separate bowl. Stir the bourbon mixture and the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, alternating between the two. Do not overmix. Fold in the roasted walnuts.

Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. Divide the batter among the holes, filling them three quarters full. Bake for 18-20 minutes. A skewer or toothpick inserted into the

MAKES ONE 24CM CAKE INGREDIENTS For the base

75g butter, plus extra for greasing 175g digestive biscuits

1½ tsp brown sugar

1 generous pinch of salt

For the filling

250g mixed fresh or frozen berries, thawed

500g cream cheese 200g low-fat quark, or Greekstyle yogurt

185g caster sugar

1½ tbsp vanilla sugar

30g cornflour

1½ tsp grated lemon zest and 1 tbsp juice

175ml single cream

2 eggs

1 egg yolk centre should come out clean. Set aside to cool a little before removing from the tin. Leave the muffins to cool completely.

For the topping, whip the 180g of butter until creamy. Stir the cold, firm custard until smooth. Slowly add the custard to the butter, one tablespoon at a time, to make a pipeable cream. Transfer the cream to a piping bag and pipe on top of the cooled muffins.

For the bourbon caramel sauce, caramelise the sugar in a small saucepan over a medium heat until light brown, stirring continuously. Whisk in the cream and simmer briefly until well combined and glossy. Remove from the heat and stir in the bourbon.

Set aside to cool, then use a teaspoon to drizzle the sauce over the muffins. Serve immediately.

For the sauce

1 tsp cornflour About 1 tbsp honey

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4. Carefully line a 24cm springform tin with baking paper and butter the side.

For the base, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Put the biscuits in a resealable plastic bag and finely crush with a rolling pin. Combine the biscuit crumbs with melted butter, brown sugar and salt. Press the biscuit mixture into the tin evenly and firmly and bake for eight to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Reduce the oven to 160C/140C fan/Gas 3.

Blend the berries and strain them through a fine sieve. Remove about two tablespoons for marbling and refrigerate the rest for the sauce.

Mix the cream cheese and quark together until smooth. Whisk in the sugar, vanilla sugar and cornflour. Stir in the lemon zest and juice, then quickly whisk in the cream, eggs and egg yolk, mixing until everything is well combined. Do not overmix to prevent bubbles from forming when baking. Spread the filling evenly over the base. Dot the top with the two tablespoons of blended berries. Pull a fork through the berries to create a marbled effect.

Bake the cheesecake for about 45 minutes. Do not open the oven door during cooking, or the surface will crack. When the cheesecake is cooked, switch off the oven and leave the cake to cool. Leave the oven door closed for the first 30 minutes, then open the door slightly and leave to cool for another hour and a half.

Remove the cheesecake from the oven, set aside to cool completely, then refrigerate for at least six hours.

Before serving, carefully slide a sharp knife around the cake edge. Remove the cheesecake from the tin and transfer to a serving plate. Bring the refrigerated berries to the boil in a small saucepan. Dissolve the cornflour in a little cold water. Whisk into the fruit and simmer for one to two minutes, stirring, to thicken. Sweeten with honey. Serve the berry coulis with the cheesecake.