SOUR CHERRY CHEESECAKE:

(Serves 8)

INGREDIENTS:

200g digestive biscuits; 100g unsalted butter, melted; 600g full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature; 200g strained full-fat Greekstyle yoghurt; 200g caster sugar; 3 large eggs, lightly beaten;

1tbsp plain flour; 1tbsp vanilla extract; 1tsp finely grated unwaxed lemon zest; 1tbsp lemon juice For the topping: 400g frozen, pitted sour cherries (If you can only find sweet cherries, reduce the sugar by a third); 150g caster sugar; 1tbsp cornflour

METHOD:

1 Line a 23cm springform cake tin with baking parchment. Finely crush the biscuits either by bashing in a bag with a rolling pin or in a food processor.

2 Mix the crumbs with the melted butter, then spoon into the cake tin, pressing down the base with a glass to form an even layer. Put in the fridge to set.

3 Beat the cream cheese and yoghurt until smooth. Whisk in the sugar, eggs and flour, then the vanilla, lemon zest and juice.

4 Preheat the oven to 160°C/ fan 140°C/Gas 3 (and see recipe introduction). Pour the filling into the chilled biscuit base and bake for around one hour. You can tell it is cooked when it looks set but still has a wobble in the middle. Now turn off the oven, open its door and leave the cheesecake to cool for 10 minutes without touching it. Remove it from the oven and leave to cool completely, then chill for four hours.

5 For the topping: Put the cherries and sugar in a pan on a medium heat. Stir frequently to begin with, so the sugar doesn’t catch. Once the cherries have defrosted and the sauce come to the boil, add the cornflour and simmer for five minutes. Leave to cool.

6 To serve, either spoon the topping all over, or slice the cheesecake and place a dollop of cherries on top of each serving.

TIP: To reduce the risk of the cheesecake cracking don’t over-mix the ingredients, cook slowly (if your oven runs hot, reduce temperature and cook a little longer) and let the cheesecake cool very slowly. Make well ahead of time, as it has to chill for at least four hours before serving.