Christmas-inspired cheesecake
From December 1, nobody can tell you it’s too early to start cooking Christmas food.
So, off the back of that, here is a beautiful baked cheesecake inspired by some of my favourite flavours of Christmas. This really is a Kiwi Christmas dessert — summer fruit, a chilled cake and a hint of tradition thanks to the marzipan and gingerbread.
My Gran makes a cheesecake every Christmas — it’s a nonnegotiable. Everyone loves it. So, for me, Christmas and cheesecake go together.
When creating this recipe, I knew I wanted to use marzipan and apricot jam — we had both in the cupboard and they work deliciously together. Rather than a traditional cheesecake made entirely with cream cheese, a mixture of Greek yoghurt and cream cheese works perfectly fine and still has a beautiful texture and flavour.
Along with being cheap, it is also much healthier (and lighter, as opposed to rich).
As for fresh apricots: Pop-Up Produce had them right by the door. It’s the first time I’ve seen them this season, so this cake was just meant to be!
Visit Olivia’s website for more recipes: www.thatgreenolive.com.
Baked Marzipan & Apricot Cheesecake with Gingerbread Crust and Stewed Apricots
Serves 8-10
BASE
250g hard gingerbread biscuits 100g butter, melted
FILLING
500g Greek yoghurt (ensure it is thick — I use Gopala)
250g cream cheese
3 large eggs
1 cup apricot jam
1 Tbsp cornflour
75g marzipan, chopped into 2cm pieces
HONEY STEWED APRICOTS
300g fresh apricots, halved and stones removed
2 Tbsp honey
Method
1. Preheat oven to 150C. Lightly grease a 21cm springform cake tin. Cut a circle of baking paper to line the base, and a long strip of baking paper to line around the inside.
2. To make the base, crush biscuits to a fine crumb in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl and stir through butter.
3. Press into the base of your prepared tin, spreading and pressing with the back of a spoon so it is even and firm. Chill while you make the filling.
4. To make the filling, beat cream cheese using an electric beater until softened. Add yoghurt, eggs and cornflour, and beat until combined (don’t overmix). Stir through 3⁄4 of the apricot jam, reserving the remainder for swirling. Finally, fold through chopped marzipan to evenly distribute.
5. Pour mixture over crust. Place dots of reserved 1⁄4 cup apricot jam around the top, and gently swirl with a knife.
6. Bake for two hours, until nicely browned on top. Allow to cool for 20 minutes, before refrigerating for six hours or overnight.
7. To make the stewed apricots, stir honey and 1⁄3 cup water together in a wide pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and add apricot halves, cut side facing up. Cover with a lid and cook for 7-10 minutes, or until soft but while still holding their shape.
8. To assemble, top cheesecake with Greek yoghurt or whipped cream. Arrange over the stewed apricots and drizzle over the syrup (you won’t need to use all the syrup, as this will make the cake soggy — reserve it for serving).