Honeycomb, sponge candy or cinder toffee – however you call this delicious sweet treat, it is loved by all. Coating it in beaten egg white prevents it melting in contact with liquid and gives this cheesecake delicious pockets of honeycomb-flavoured caramel.
FOR THE HONEYCOMB
200 g/1 cup golden caster/natural raw cane sugar
3 tablespoons runny honey
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
30 g/2 tablespoons butter
a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
FOR THE CRUMB BASE
200 g/7 oz. digestive biscuits/graham crackers
100 g/7 tablespoons butter, melted
FOR THE FILLING
600 g/2⅔ cups cream cheese
300 ml/1¼ cups sour cream
160 ml/⅔ cup double/heavy cream
120 ml/½ cup runny honey
4 eggs, plus 1 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 tablespoon runny honey, to serve
a sugar thermometer (optional)
a silicone mat or greased baking sheet
a 23-cm/9-inch round springform cake pan, greased and lined
SERVES 12
Begin by preparing the honeycomb. Put the sugar, honey, vanilla, cream of tartar, butter, salt and 60 ml/¼ cup water in a large heavy-based saucepan (the mixture will triple in size when you add the bicarbonate of soda/baking soda, so make sure the pan is large enough for this). Simmer until the sugar and butter dissolve, then heat to 122°C (252°F), hard ball stage, taking care that the caramel does not burn. (A sugar thermometer is best for this, but if you do not have one, boil the sugar for about 5 minutes then carefully drop a small amount of the liquid into cold water. If the mixture forms into a ball that is solid when you remove it from the water, the mixture is ready.) Remove the caramel from the heat and beat in the bicarbonate of soda/baking soda. Tip out immediately onto the silicone mat or baking sheet and leave to cool. When cool, break the honeycomb into small pieces using a rolling pin. Store half in an airtight container and keep the remainder out to add to the cheesecake.
Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3.
To make the crumb base, crush the biscuits/graham crackers to fine crumbs in a food processor or place in a clean plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin. Transfer the crumbs to a mixing bowl and stir in the melted butter. Press the buttery crumbs into the base of the prepared cake pan firmly using the back of a spoon. Wrap the outside of the pan in cling film/plastic wrap and place in a roasting pan half full with water, ensuring that the water is not so high as to spill out. Set aside.
For the filling, whisk together the cream cheese, sour cream, double/heavy cream, honey, whole eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg white until foamy, then stir in the honeycomb pieces and toss to coat them in the egg. Stir the honeycomb pieces into the filling mixture (you do not need to add the excess egg white), then pour the mixture over the crumb base. Transfer the cheesecake, in its water bath, to the preheated oven. Bake for 45–60 minutes until the cheesecake is set but still wobbles slightly in the centre. The top will appear dark where the honeycomb has caramelized in the heat. Remove the cheesecake from the waterbath and leave to cool, then chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
When you are ready to serve, heat the honey gently in a saucepan, then brush it over the top of the cheesecake with a pastry brush and sprinkle with the reserved honeycomb.