A gourmet peachy dessert
Baked Vanilla Cheesecake with a Peach Schnapps Purée, Topped with Roast Peaches
Print PinServings: 8
Ingredients
Base
- 250 g shortbread biscuits
- 75 g butter melted
Puree
- 1 x 400g drained tin of peaches
- 4 tbsp peach schnapps
- 2 sheets gelatin
Filling
- 3 medium eggs & 1 extra yolk
- 400 g cream cheese
- 200 g sour cream
- 160 g caster sugar
- 1.5 tbsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 30 g plain flour
Roast Peaches
- 6 peaches
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 4 spring thyme
- Alternatively use tinned peaches
Garnish
- 4 tbsp thyme
- 1 punnet raspberries
Instructions
Cheesecake Base:
- Preheat the oven to 220℃. Grease a 20cm springform cheesecake tin. Crush the biscuits. Melt the butter. Combine. Press down into the base of the tin. Bake for 10 minutes.
Cheesecake Filling:
- Using an electric whisk, beat the sugar, cream cheese and flour together until smooth. Add in the lemon juice and vanilla and beat. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides. Turn the mixer down to low and add in the eggs one by one. Finally, whisk in the last egg yolk. Turn the mixer off. Remove the bowl and, using a spatula, fold in the sour cream.
Bake:
- Pour the cream cheese over the biscuit base. Sit on a baking tray (wrapped in tin foil, one layer around the sides and the other up and around the base). Place the tray into the oven. Pour some boiled water around the tray. This should prevent it from cracking. Bake at 220℃ for the first ten minutes and then turn down to 110℃ and bake for an hour. There should be a slight wobble in the centre with the sides fully set. At this stage, the residual heat in the oven will continue to cook the cheesecake until it is creamy. For a softer velvety cheesecake, leave the oven door closed for one hour. For a firmer cheesecake, leave it in all night.
- Cover with cling film and allow to set and the flavours develop overnight.
Peach Puree:
- Open and drain a tin of peaches (or use fresh peaches). Blitz the peaches until they form a puree. Pass it through a sieve. Soak two leaves gelatin in the cold for a few minutes until it goes squishy. Then into a saucepan, put the puree, pop in the two wobbly sheets of gelatin and 100mls peach schnapps. Warm slightly, then allow to cool.
Roasted Peaches:
- If using fresh peaches, allow them to ripen slightly. Peel, cut into quarters. Place some parchment paper on a baking sheet and sprinkle with the thyme, brown sugar and honey. Roast in the oven at 220℃ for 20 minutes. They should soften and be caramelised but still hold their shape.
Assembly:
- Unbuckle the tin. Run a warm knife around the edge of the cheesecake tin. Open, loosen gently and transfer onto a cake stand.
Garnish:
- Pour the peach puree on top gradually. I like to keep a little extra back to pour over each dessert after I serve it. Sit the peaches on top (if you are not using fresh roast peaches, slice up tinned peaches). Spoon over some remaining jelly. Sprinkle on some thyme leaves and pop the raspberries on top.
