Baking cheesecake

Israel is a strange mixture of ancient, biblical traditions and modern-day living. For some reason the ancient festival of Pentecost, which has deep religious meaning in Judaism, is now celebrated in Israel with cheesecake. For one day in spring the entire country—religious and secular people alike—bakes and eats cheesecake. The newspapers are filled with cheesecake recipes and there are cheesecake-baking competitions. Some families unite under one recipe; others divide between different baking traditions (east v. west, new v. old). I am unclear how this custom came about or what the exact connection is between the holy day and the divine bake. Perhaps it is just an easy way to create something rich and festive.

I have great love for cheesecake (and quite a few recipes). It is as much of a joy to eat as it is to make, and almost fail-safe. There are just a few things you need to look out for:

• All your ingredients should be at room temperature, including the cheese, cream and eggs. Simply put everything on the work surface about 30 minutes before you start making the cake.

• Use a base that works well with the flavor of the filling. I like to bake an appropriate biscuit for each one, but then I work in a restaurant kitchen. At home this may be a bit of a tall order, so use shop-bought biscuits instead: I think plain digestive or Rich Tea biscuits (graham crackers, for you Americans) work best. The neatest way to crush them is to place them in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin or mallet to smash them to bits inside it. In general terms 250–300g of biscuit crumbs will make a good base. Don’t be tempted to make it any thicker as it will drink in moisture from the filling and expand, and a heavy doorstop base can be the downfall of a good cheesecake.

• Use a mixer with a paddle attachment to make the filling, or combine with a large spatula or spoon. Don’t use a whisk as this aerates the mixture too much, causing it to rise quickly in the oven and then sink, and it will lose that lovely creamy texture.

• Bake the cheesecake until it is just wobbly in the center—it should jiggle like soft jelly. If you’ve made custard tart or crème brûlée before, then you already know how it should look. The filling will continue to set as it cools, so there’s no need to bake until firm. If it is coloring too quickly, reduce the heat of the oven and cover for the remainder of the cooking time (most cheesecakes should stay rather pale). Try to avoid baking until the filling cracks, as it makes the texture crumbly. That said, some people are crazy for that in a cheesecake. If you are one, knock yourself out.

• Cheesecakes, like revenge, are best served cold, and I prefer to bake them at least a day in advance. They will keep for a day at room temperature, but it’s better to store them in the fridge, where they can last for up to a week in perfect shape.

• Always use a hot knife (chef’s or palette knife) to loosen around the edges of the tin to release the cake. Use a hot knife to slice, if you want a clean “restaurant cut.”

• Cheesecakes are richer than other cakes and a 9 inch one should provide 12 slices unless you are extremely greedy. All the recipes here require this size cake tin and I strongly advise using one with a removable base. Butter and line the base with baking parchment, then when the cake is cold, you should simply be able to lift it off the paper and onto your serving plate.

• All these cheesecake recipes can be easily adapted to be gluten-free: just use a gluten-free biscuit for the base and replace any flour in the filling with rice flour or cornstarch.

Cheesecake with white & dark chocolate

Makes a 9 inch round cake

I was twelve when I made this for the first time and didn’t know there was such a thing as white chocolate, so I just used the milk chocolate we had at home. There were no lovely layers, but it was delicious all the same. I know now of white chocolate, and though I am not generally a huge fan I think it works really well here, adding a smoothness to the cake and a gentle flavor. Itamar says this cheesecake is too sweet for him, but I notice that he always finishes his portion.

For the base

200g biscuit (or graham cracker) crumbs

1 tbsp sugar (I tend to use light or dark brown sugar, but granulated works as well)

1 tbsp cocoa powder

30g unsalted butter, melted

For the filling

500g full fat cream cheese

120g granulated sugar

120g/ml heavy cream

4 eggs

200g white chocolate, melted

For the topping

300g/ml sour cream

100g dark chocolate, melted

Preheat the oven to 350°F/325°F convection. Line a loose-based (springform) 9 inch cake tin with baking parchment.

Mix the biscuit crumbs, sugar and cocoa powder together in a bowl, pour over the melted butter and stir to combine. Tip the mixture into the cake tin and spread around to cover the entire base lightly. Flatten a little but don’t compress it too much; if you do, you will create a very dense base that is hard to cut through.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven to cool. This allows the base to dry a little so it can absorb some of the moisture from the cheesecake.

Use a mixer with a paddle attachment (or a large spoon, if making by hand) to make the filling. Don’t use a whisk, as it will simply aerate the mixture, which will then collapse after baking. Place the cream cheese, sugar and cream in the mixer bowl. Mix at a medium speed until well combined, then add the eggs one at a time. Finally, pour in the melted chocolate (see here for more information about melting chocolate) and mix to combine. Pour the filling onto the baked base and return the tin to the oven to bake for about 25–30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest and cool for 10 minutes.

While it cools, make the topping. Mix the sour cream with the warm melted dark chocolate until you have a smooth paste. Pour over the top of the baked cheesecake, making sure not to pour it all in one spot as it may sink in. Then use the back of a spoon or a small spatula to spread it evenly to cover the filling. Return to the oven for a final 10 minutes.

Remove and cool in the fridge overnight or for at least 6 hours before cutting and eating.