Recipe: White chocolate cheese cake

In the run up to festive season I find myself baking left right and centre. Whether it's testing out recipes to serve up on Christmas day, or just enjoying myself in the kitchen I feel like my oven is constantly on!

Mary Berry's recipe for this gorgeous white chocolate baked cheese cake is so easy to whip up and will definitely go down a treat with your guests. Cheese cake is one of those things where I always forget how much I enjoy it and vow to never leave it so long before I bake one again. With this recipe there's always room for jazzing it up too. White chocolate goes with everything so why not pop some raspberries on top for a festive pop of colour?



INGREDIENTS
For the base:

• 50 g butter
• 25 dark chocolate, preferably Divine
• 150 g digestive biscuits, crushed 
• For the filling

For the filling:

• 300 g white chocolate, preferably Divine
• 400 g full fat cream cheese
• 2 eggs
• 150 ml soured cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 160°C/ fan 140°C/ gas mark 3.

Grease and line the base of a 20cm deep springform cake tin (like this) with grease proof paper. Using a springform tin will make it easier to remove our cake at the end without damaging it.

2. To make the base: Melt your butter and chocolate in small pan over a low heat. Stir in the crushed digestive biscuits and press evenly over the base of the tin and leave to chill in the fridge until it has gone firm. 

3. To make the filling: Break the white chocolate into a bowl and melt  over a pan of hot water until smooth and completely melted.

4. Whisk the cream cheese and eggs together  smooth, add the sour cream and vanilla and whisk again until smooth with no lumps. Stir in the melted chocolate from earlier until all the ingredients are combined

5. Pour in the tin and use a spatula to spread evenly over the chilled base. Bake in a preheated oven for approximately 45 minutes until firm around the edge and set in the middle. 

6. Remove from the oven. Using a palette knife run the knife around the edge of the tin to loose the cake and then allow to cool. Remove the outside ring from the tin.

7. To serve: You can serve your cake on a cake stand or even a plate if you want to tuck in quickly. You can dust the top with cocoa powder or even icing sugar. I added a few raspberries to mine and some chocolate decorations but decorating is entirely up to you- go wild!