New York Cheesecake
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1.5 hours
For base:
- 175g/6.2ozs. Tennis biscuits/cookies*
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- 60g/2.12ozs. butter, melted
For filling:
- 500g/1.1lbs cream cheese, at room temperature
- 250ml/8.83ozs. sour cream (full fat)
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons vanilla custard powder
- 2 generous teaspoons vanilla bean paste
For topping:
- 250ml/8.83ozs. sour cream (full fat)
- 3 tablespoons caster or superfine sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
*Tennis biscuits are a South African biscuit or cookie. They are found at supermarkets in suburbs where South African people reside. They come in 200g/7oz packets and are made by the brand "Bakers". Do try and seek them out because they have a lovely coconut flavour to them and is unlike most biscuits or cookies in Australia (the closest is probably a Nice biscuit).
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 160C/320F. Line the base and sides of a 20cm/8inch springform tin. Break the cookies in half and place them and the sugar in a food processor and blitz until you get fine crumbs. Add in the melted butter. Press into the prepared tin. Bake for 10 minutes and then cool.
Step 2 - Reduce the oven temperature to 140C/ 284F. Clean the processor and then add the cream cheese and sour cream blitz until smooth. Add the eggs, sugar, custard powder and vanilla and process until smooth (try not to over process this, just keep scraping). Scoop into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour. There is no need for a water bath.
Step 3 - Make the topping. Stir the sour cream, sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Remove the cheesecake from the oven - the top should be set and then spoon the sour cream over the top and smooth with a spatula. Bake for an additional 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to cool down in the oven for 20-30 minutes. Then chill completely overnight before serving.