Burnt sheep ricotta cheesecake and blood orange

This is somewhere between the classic Basque torta de queso made famous by La Viña in San Sebastián, and an Italian version commonly found in the Jewish ghetto in Rome. Either way, it’s extremely easy to assemble and almost impossible to mess up. If you’re planning on making the cheesecake a day ahead, make sure you remove it from the fridge at least an hour before serving.

1 HOUR 30 MINUTES + COOLING | SERVES 12 | EASY

sheep’s or cow’s ricotta 500g

mascarpone 500g whipping or double cream 500g

caster sugar 250g

vanilla pod 1, seeds scraped out

plain flour 50g

eggs 6 large

blood oranges 6, segmented, to serve

1 Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Line a loose-bottomed 25cm cake tin with two sheets of baking paper, ensuring the paper comes at least two inches above the top of the tin on all sides.

2 Put all the ingredients, except the eggs, in a stand mixer. Add a pinch of salt and beat on a medium speed for 4 minutes. Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl and mix for a further 30 seconds.

3 Add one egg at a time while continuing to mix, only adding the next once the previous egg has been fully incorporated. Once you’ve added the final egg, transfer the mixture into the lined cake tin and, with the help of a spatula, even out the top of the cheesecake. Put the tin onto a baking tray and put the tray in the oven. Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour or until deeply golden brown on top yet still very jiggly in the centre.

5 The cake will collapse slightly in the centre as it cools, but don’t worry. Let it cool completely for at least six hours and then carefully peel off the baking paper from the sides. Slice into wedges and serve at room temperature. Cut a few slices or segments of blood oranges and serve as a garnish.

PER SERVING 589 kcals | fat 48.4G saturates 29.9G | carbs 27.2G | sugars 24G fibre 0.2G | protein 10.8G | salt 0.3G