Salted Caramel Cheesecake

• 250 gdigestive biscuits, crushed
• 120 gunsalted butter, melted
• 1 tbsplight brown sugar (optional) (optional)
• 900 gfull-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 300 mldouble cream, lightly whipped
• 100 gicing sugar, sifted
• 10 gpowdered gelatine
• 1 tspvanilla extract
• 200 ggranulated sugar
• 60 gunsalted butter, cubed
• 150 mldouble cream, warmed
• 1 tspsea salt, a small pinch reserved for finishing

Method

1. 1Line the base and sides of a 22–23cm springform tin with baking paper. Mix the crushed digestives, melted butter and brown sugar (if using) until the crumbs feel like damp sand and hold their shape when pressed. Tip into the tin and press firmly into an even layer using the base of a glass. Chill for at least 20 minutes while you carry on.
2. 2Make the caramel: melt the granulated sugar gently in a heavy-based pan over a medium-low heat, swirling the pan rather than stirring, until it turns a deep amber; around 6–8 minutes. Stand back and add the cubed butter, stirring until combined and glossy. Take off the heat and slowly whisk in the warmed cream; it will bubble up dramatically. Return to a low heat for 30 seconds to smooth out, then stir through the sea salt, keeping the reserved pinch for the top. Leave to cool to lukewarm, allowing about 20 minutes.
3. 3Sprinkle the powdered gelatine over 50 ml cold water and leave for 5 minutes to become spongy. Beat the cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla for 2–3 minutes until smooth. Gently warm the gelatine in a small pan or short microwave bursts until completely dissolved; do not boil. Let it cool slightly, then whisk in a few spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture to temper it. Whisk this back into all the remaining cream cheese until evenly combined.
4. 4Fold the lightly whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Reserve one-third of the cooled caramel for serving and refrigerate it separately. Fold the remaining caramel through the filling with only two or three turns so it leaves ribbons. The gelatine is already distributed throughout the filling.
5. 5Pour the filling over the chilled base, smoothing the surface with an offset spatula and giving the tin a gentle tap to settle. Chill for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight; the top should have a slight, firm jiggle when fully set.
6. 6To serve, release the springform and slide the cheesecake onto a board or plate. Let the reserved caramel soften briefly at room temperature, then spoon it generously over the top so it pools and drips down the sides, then scatter with the reserved pinch of sea salt. Slice with a hot, dry knife for clean edges that show the glossy caramel ribbon running through the dense, silky filling.

Per serving

kcal

895

protein

8.8g

fibre

0.6g

carbs

51.5g

fat

71.8g