Fig & Pomegrante No Bake Cheesecake
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 30 minutes plus overnight setting time
Cooking time:
Serves:
- 12-15 fresh figs (not overly ripe)
- 5 teaspoons gelatine powder
- 1/4 cup/60ml/2flozs. water
- 350ml/12flozs cream
- 100g/3.5ozs. caster or superfine sugar
- 500g/1.1lbs cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup/125ml/4flozs. pomegranate molasses (good quality)
- Pink food colouring
- 80g/3ozs. plain biscuits or Graham crackers
- 60g/2ozs. butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon desiccated coconut
- 2 teaspoons sugar
Please note that you may not need all of the figs but you want slices of the same size, hence the extra figs. You will use some extra fig slices inside the cake.
Step 1 - Sprinkle the gelatine powder over the water and microwave for 20 seconds until clear and viscous. Allow to cool for 5 minutes while you make the cake filling.
Step 2 - Firstly line the base and sides of a 16cm/6.3inch springform tin (8cms/3.1inches high). Please note the smaller size of the tin. Slice the figs and arrange them on the base and sides of the cake tin.
Step 3 - Using the whisk attachment, whip the cream and sugar until fluffy and stiff peaks form. Scoop out and set aside. Switch to the beater attachment and beat the cream cheese, pomegranate molasses and colouring until smooth. Make sure there are no lumps of cream cheese. Then beat in the gelatine mixture until the mixture is pink and smooth.
Step 4 -Fold in the reserved whipped cream making sure not to deflate the mixture and ensure that there are no streaks or lumps. Gently scoop half of the cheese filling over the figs making sure to not dislodge the fig slices. Add some extra fig slices to the centre. Then add the remaining pink filling smoothing it on top. There should be enough filling to cover the figs completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Step 5 - The next day process the cookies until fine crumbs and then mix with the butter, coconut and sugar. Pat onto the now firm cheesecake and then refrigerate again for 1 hour. When ready to serve, upturn it onto a serving platter and decorate with extra figs.
Note: if your figs are dry, brush heated honey onto them to sweeten them up once you've placed the cake on a serving platter.