Serves 12
For the base:
30g butter
1 tbsp honey
200g digestive biscuits
For the cake:
500g cream cheese
275ml soured cream
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
200ml honey
30g cornflour, sifted
To finish:
3-4 tbsp soured cream
2 tbsp honey
toasted and crushed nuts or seasonal berries
Preheat the oven to 180c/ gas mark 4. Grease and base-line a 23cm springform cake tin with baking parchment. To make the base, put the butter and honey in a small saucepan and place over a gentle heat until the butter has melted. Stir to combine. Meanwhile crush the biscuits by either placing them in a large plastic bag and whacking them with a rolling pin, or whizz them in a food processor. Mix with the butter and honey. Press the crumb mixture into the prepared tin. Bake for 10 minutes and remove from the oven. Turn the oven down to 170c/gas mark 3.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese, soured cream and vanilla seeds until well combined. In another large bowl, beat the eggs, egg yolk and honey together until fairly thick and creamy. Carefully fold into the cheese mixture with the cornflour.
Pour the cheesecake mix on top of the biscuit base and give the tin a gentle shake to level it. Bake for about 1 hour until it is lightly golden and feels firm when gently touched – the centre may still be a little soft but this will firm up as it cools down.
Remove from the oven and run a palette knife around the inside edge of the tin – this will help prevent the top splitting as it cools down. Leave the cheesecake in the tin until cold.
To serve, carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin and place on a plate. Spread the soured cream over the top, sprinkle with the nuts and drizzle with honey, or cover with seasonal berries.