Today you’ll find a cheesecake at virtually any bakery you enter. There are novelty versions, gourmet ones, and cheesecakes in every shape, flavour and colour you can imagine. We know they’re a dessert staple, but they’ve been around for way longer than any of us could possibly imagine.
The first iteration of cheesecakes showed up over 4,000 years ago in the 5th century BC when the Ancient Greeks on the island of Samos decided to get creative. This basic version of the cheesecake was made with fresh cheese pounded with flour and honey and baked on an earthenware griddle. In medieval Europe, it evolved again into a tart as per a 1390 cookbook that showed a version with eggs and added flavourings. Over the next 500 years, almost every English cookbook included some version of a cheesecake, signalling the start of the craze.
But the cheesecake we know and love today is essentially an Americanised version where cheese curds were replaced by cream cheese for a much richer, smoother texture. This New York-style cheesecake is the one that stuck with us and became a worldwide phenomenon.
One of the most underrated and nuanced versions of the classic cheesecake has got to be the white chocolate cheesecake. The subtle flavours of vanilla meld well with the smooth cream cheese and allow for a beautiful base for any flavour. Top with fresh fruit, jams, syrups or toppings of your choice.
Ingredients:
- 100 g biscuits
- 40 g butter
- 250 g cream cheese
- 100 g caster sugar
- 175 g white chocolate
- 150 ml double cream
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
Method:
- Crush the and melt the butter. Mix them together into a mouldable paste.
- Push the biscuit crust into a greased tin and place in the refrigerator to set.
- Melt the white chocolate in the microwave using 20 second bursts until the chocolate is just melted, stirring in between.
- Set the chocolate aside to cool – it must have cooled to room temperature before being added to the other ingredients.
- Whip the double cream until it forms a stiff peak.
- Add the cooled, melted white chocolate to the whipped cream and whisk together.
- Add the cream cheese, caster sugar, and vanilla extract, and whisk into the cream and white chocolate mixture until combined and thick.
- Remove the tin from the fridge and add the cheesecake mixture.
- Refrigerate until the cheesecake has set. Serve cold.
