sticky toffee pudding cheesecake
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love sticky toffee pudding. It is one of those desserts that when you see it listed on a menu, you know you have no choice but to order it. This is my cheesecake version with a cake base inspired by the classic toffee pudding and a rich caramel sauce to serve poured over each slice.
FOR THE CAKE BASE
60 g/4 tablespoons butter, softened
60 g/⅓ cup muscovado sugar
1 egg
60 g/scant ½ cup self-raising flour
1 generous tablespoon crème fraîche
40 g/⅓ cup finely chopped pecan nuts
40 g/¼ cup finely chopped dates
FOR THE FILLING
600 ml/2½ cups crème fraîche
600 g/2⅔ cups cream cheese
4 eggs
400 g/1¾ cups caramel condensed milk or dulce de leche
FOR THE TOFFEE SAUCE
80 g/scant ½ cup caster/white sugar
40 g/3¼ tablespoons muscovado sugar
50 g/3½ tablespoons butter
a pinch of salt
250 ml/1 cup double/heavy cream
clotted cream or crème fraîche, to serve
a 23-cm/9-inch round springform cake pan, greased and lined
SERVES 12
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4.
For the base, whisk together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Add the egg and beat again. Sift in the flour and add the crème fraîche, pecan nuts and dates. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake pan and bake for 15–20 minutes until the cake is golden brown and springs back when pressed gently in the centre. Leave to cool in the pan. Turn the oven temperature down to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3.
When the base is cool, 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 crème fraîche, cream cheese, eggs and caramel condensed milk. Pour the mixture on top of the cake base and transfer the cheesecake, in its waterbath, to the preheated oven. Bake for 1–1¼ hours until golden brown on top and still with a slight wobble in the centre. Remove the cheesecake from the waterbath and slide a knife around the edge of the pan to release the cheesecake and prevent it from cracking. Leave to cool, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours or preferably overnight.
For the toffee sauce, put the sugars, butter, salt and 200 ml/¾ cup of the cream in a heavy-based saucepan set over a gentle heat and simmer until the sugar has dissolved and you have a thick toffee sauce. Remove from the heat and add the remaining 50 ml/¼ cup cream. Leave to cool then serve with the cheesecake, along with clotted cream or crème fraîche.