Cheesecake recipe

This cheesecake recipe from Sophie Michell is a serious treat. Packed with delicious Greek yoghurt and spices it’ll make for a tasty autumnal dessert this weekend.

‘At our house in Crete we have an original woodburning oven just inside the entrance to the courtyard. It’s hundreds of years old and was once the main oven of the village where everyone would bake their bread, but it still works and I love to experiment with it. One summer, I made this cheesecake with a few ingredients I had to hand and I loved the flavours so much that I’ve made it again and again, though often in a conventional oven, which I have to admit is more predictable,’ says Sophie Michell.

Serves 12

For the base

300g digestive biscuits

100g unsalted butter, melted

Pinch of salt

For the filling

500g cream cheese

50g golden caster sugar

1tbsp cornflour

3 medium free-range eggs, beaten

200g Classic Greek yoghurt

Seeds from 1 vanilla pod

150g full-flavoured runny honey

1tsp ground cinnamon

200g sultanas, soaked in boiling water and drained

For the topping

170g Classic Greek yoghurt

1tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas Mark 3.

In a blender or large bowl, finely crush the digestive biscuits and mix thoroughly with the melted butter and a pinch of salt. Transfer the biscuit mix to a 30cm round springform cake tin and pack down carefully to cover the base. Place in the fridge to set for approximately 20 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar and cornflour. Add the eggs, yoghurt and vanilla seeds, and then incorporate the honey,

cinnamon and drained sultanas, stirring well to combine.

Tip the cheese mixture into the cake tin and spread to cover the biscuit base. Wrap the underside of the cake tin with foil and then place in the middle of a large, deep roasting tray. Pour hot water into the tray until it reaches half way up the sides of the cake tin, then carefully place in the oven and cook for approximately 30 minutes.

For the topping, mix the yoghurt and vanilla together in a small bowl with 50ml cold water. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and thinly spread the yoghurt topping over the surface.

Increase the oven temperature to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Return the cheesecake to the oven for a further 15 minutes. When the cake is just set, take it out and set aside to cool completely. Chill the cheesecake in the fridge overnight before slicing and serving.

This delicious cheesecake recipe is from the Total Greek Yoghurt Cookbook by Sophie Michell, published by Kyle Books.