xmas week 2024 - Ban-Almond Double Crunch Cheesecake
I know at Christmas time that a cheesecake topped with tropical fruits is out of reach for my Northern hemisphere readers, but it's perfect for my Southern hemisphere readers. Without the tropical fruit topping it's still delicious - imagine a velvety smooth banana flavoured cheesecake. Please note that this is not a spur of the moment recipe, as you need to make the cheesecake the day before serving to allow it time to set.
This is another Natalie Paull recipe adapted from Beatrix Bakes: Another Slice. As you know from previous recipes I've made from the book, the temperatures indicated in the book do not work in my gas oven. I've written 2 temperatures in the recipe, the lower temperature comes from the book, whilst the higher temperature is what I used in my own oven.
Here's the recipe for you which makes a 17cm cheesecake. For all my recipes I use a 250ml cup and a 20 ml tablespoon, unsalted butter and 60g eggs. My oven is a conventional gas oven so if your oven is fan forced you may need to reduce the oven temperature by 20°C. If you'd like to make an 8 inch cake, you can find the recipe here.
Ban-Almond Double Crunch Cheesecake - makes a 17cm cake
Toasted Almond Crumb
55g raw almonds, skin on
65g unsalted butter, roughly chopped
55g light brown sugar
80g plain flour
pinch fine sea salt
Cheesecake Filling
225g ripe banana (approx 2 large bananas), roughly torn
100g caster sugar
15ml lemon juice
pinch fine sea salt
375g full-fat cream cheese at room temperature
150g egg (approx 2 eggs)
35g crème fraiche/greek yoghurt
1 tonka bean/1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Tropical Fruit Topping
1 lime
20g caster sugar
tropical fruits: passionfruit, pineapple, mango
Method
Preheat the oven to 140°C/160°C, conventional. Line a shallow baking tray with baking paper.
Start the crumb base by chopping the almonds finely. Melt the butter, then combine with the almonds and the remaining crumb ingredients in a wide mixing bowl. Mix together with your hands to form very damp clumps.
Scatter the mix onto the tray and bake for 15 minutes. Take the tray out and, using a metal spoon, stir and break up the mix to help the crumb brown evenly. Return to the oven and continue to bake for another 15 minutes, then cool. Reserve a few tablespoons for decoration.
Reduce the oven to 130°C/160°C, conventional. Start the cheesecake mix by putting the banana, sugar, lemon juice and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Whiz to a smooth liquid. Add the softened cream cheese, breaking it into chunks as you add it. The goal is silky smooth, so stop the processor and scrape a few times or break up large chunks that aren’t processing. Weigh the egg and crème fraîche/yoghurt and finely grate the tonka bean on top or add the vanilla bean paste if using. Add this in one addition and process until the mixture forms a smooth, homogenous mix. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Clean the food processor bowl. When the crumb has cooled, whiz in a food processor to a coarse damp sand consistency.
Grease and flour a 17cm × 7.5cm round deep cake tin and line the base with baking paper. Set up a high-sided roasting tin for the water bath and place a piece of paper towel in the base to stop the cheesecake tin slipping. Fill the base of the cake tin with half the crumb, packed lightly. Pour the filling into the prepared cake tin, then place the cake tin in the roasting tin. Gently scatter the remaining crumb evenly over the top. Smooth with an offset spatula.
Pour enough hot tap water into the roasting tin to just reach the first joint on your index finger. Carefully lift the roasting tray into the oven. Bake for 60–90 minutes until the cheesecake, when jiggled, barely wobbles. The internal temperature will be 70°C.
When ready, turn off the oven and leave the door ajar for 30 minutes before removing the cheesecake. Leave to cool. Lightly cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight until set.
The next day, juice the limes and simmer to a syrup with the caster sugar. Cut the tropical fruits into thin slices and lay on a plate. Cool the lime syrup, then pour it over the fruit. Set aside.
Immerse the cake tin in a shallow roasting tray of hot water for 20 seconds to warm the butter in the crust and loosen the cheesecake from the tin. Place a flat plate or board on top of the cake in its tin. Flip over confidently and place the plate on the work surface. Peel the paper off the crumb crust and re-invert. Decorate the top with pretty and relaxedly strewn peeled slices of tropical fruits and some of the reserved crumb. Serve chilled.
Eat soon after decorating, as the fruit can oxidise quickly. The un-decorated cheesecake can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
The cheesecake is utterly delicious and one I'll certainly be making again.
See you all again tomorrow with another bake for Xmas week 2024.
Bye for now,
Jillian
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