This baked cheesecake with almond and raspberry jam is for bakewell tart lovers and cheesecake lovers alike! In fact, if a bakewell tart and a cheesecake had a dessert baby this would be it!
Personally, I am a big fan of a traditional bakewell tart, with the shortcrust pastry shell, layers of jam, frangipane with a scattering of flaked almonds. Just like the tart that inspired it, this cheesecake has an almond flavoured biscuit base, a deliciously rich almond flavoured filling dotted with jam and it’s all topped off with toasted flaked almonds.
As much as I love a no-bake cheesecake situation, I think a good baked cheesecake is hard to beat and I’ve acquired quite the baked cheesecake collection!
Talking of baking, just make sure that you don’t need your oven for a while after you bake this, because although it’s ridiculously easy to make and the cooking time is relatively short, it does have a multi-stage cooling process and will need to be chilled in the fridge overnight. I promise you though, it’s totally worth it!
I took this to a Boxing Day lunch and the crowd went wild for it, so wild in fact that there was barely a crumb left. One of the guests said it was the best cheesecake they’d ever eaten and they promised me that they’d eaten a lot of cheesecake in their time. I wasn’t joking when I said it was good! It’s perfect for any and every celebration from birthdays to Christmas and everything in between.
Truth be told, I wasn’t feeling that great so I didn’t even get any but that’s OK because now I have the perfect excuse to make it again! This cheesecake is so good, I am quite confident that I am going to see a lot of it in my future.
Do you prefer a baked or a no-bake cheesecake? What’s the best cheesecake you’ve ever tasted?
Ingredients
100g butter, melted
200g granita or digestive biscuits
100g toasted flaked almonds
2 x 1/2 teaspoon almond essence
3 x 250g packets full fat cream cheese
200g caster sugar
3 large eggs
4 tablespoons flour
300ml sour cream
150g raspberry jam
How to – Traditional
- Preheat oven to 200C. Lightly grease the base and sides of a 23cm springform tin and line the base with baking paper.
- Use a food processor to crush the biscuits and 75g of the almonds into crumbs. If you haven’t got a food processor, place the biscuits and nuts in double food bags and bash them with a rolling pin.
- Melt the butter, add the biscuit crumbs and 1/2 teaspoon almond essence and mix together
- Tip the mixture into the springform tin and press the biscuit mixture into the base of the tin. Use your hands or a spoon to do this. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Allow the base to cool slightly and then make the filling. In a large bowl, whisk the cheese until creamy. Then add the sugar and whisk to combine. Then whisk in the flour, then the other 1/2 teaspoon almond essence followed by the eggs, add them one at a time. Finally, fold through the soured cream.
- Dollop spoonfuls of the mixture into the tin adding tablespoons of jam as you go. When you have used all the filling and jam, gently swirl with a cake tester or skewer. Smooth the top, carefully place the tin on a baking tray and place in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes
- Add the remaining flaked almonds and reduce the oven temperature to 110C. Bake for 35 minutes.
- Turn off the oven, keep the door closed and let the cheesecake cool with the oven door closed for 1 hour.
- Open the oven door and leave the cheesecake to cool for another hour with the oven door ajar.
- Cool for a third hour at room temperature before covering and chilling overnight.
- Serve dusted with icing sugar and serve with cream or ice cream.
How to – Thermomix
- Preheat oven to 200C. Lightly grease the base and sides of a 23cm springform tin and line the base with baking paper.
- Melt butter for 2 minutes at 60C on speed 2.
- Add biscuits, 1/2 teaspoon almond essence and 75g of the flaked almonds. Blitz for 5 seconds on speed 9. Scrape down base and sides of bowl and mix again for another 5 seconds on speed 9.
- Tip the mixture into the springform tin and press the biscuit mixture into the base of the tin. Use your hands or a spoon to do this. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Allow the base to cool slightly and then make the filling. Add the other 1/2 teaspoon almond essence, cream cheese, sugar, eggs, flour and sour cream to the TM bowl and mix for 30 seconds on speed 4, scraping down sides of bowl half way through. If necessary, mix for another 5-10 seconds until mixture is smooth.
- Dollop spoonfuls of the mixture into the tin adding tablespoons of jam as you go. When you have used all the filling and jam, gently swirl with a cake tester or skewer. Smooth the top, carefully place the tin on a baking tray and place in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes
- Add the remaining flaked almonds and reduce the oven temperature to 110C. Bake for 35 minutes.
- Turn off the oven, keep the door closed and let the cheesecake cool with the oven door closed for 1 hour.
- Open the oven door and leave the cheesecake to cool for another hour with the oven door ajar.
- Cool for a third hour at room temperature before covering and chilling overnight.
- Serve dusted with icing sugar and serve with cream or ice cream.
