Baked Apple, Cinnamon and Walnut Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients

For the base:

• 175g Hobnobs, finely crushed
• 50g (2oz) walnuts
• 75g (3oz) butter, melted
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

For the filling:

• 400g (14oz) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 75g (3oz) light brown muscovado sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 200g (7oz) unsweetened bramley apple puree, bought or home made
• 100ml (3floz) sour cream

For the topping:

• 2 cox’s apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• 15g ( ½ oz) butter, melted
• 1 tbsp light brown muscovado sugar
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 25g (1oz) walnuts, roughly chopped
• Maple syrup to serve (optional)

You will need:

• a 20cm (8in) spring-form tin, base lined with baking parchment and lightly buttered

a 20cm (8in) spring-form tin, base lined with baking parchment and lightly buttered

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C, 160C fan, 350F, gas 4. Place the walnuts on a small baking tray and roast in the oven for about eight minutes or until golden brown. Remove, leave to cool, then chop finely. Place in a bowl along with the hobnobs, butter and cinnamon. Stir well, press into the base of the tin and set aside whilst you make the filling.

2. Place the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and cornflour in a large bowl and beat until thick and creamy. Fold in the sour cream and finally the apple puree. Mix well until thoroughly combined, then pour over the biscuit base and smooth the top with a palette knife.

3. For the topping, place the cox’s apples, butter, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and toss gently with your hands until all the apple slices are evenly coated. Lay slightly overlapping slices of apple in a circle, starting at the outside of the tin and gradually work towards the centre until the top is completely covered.

4. Place the tin on a baking sheet and bake in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 150C, 130C fan, 300F gas 2. Scatter the remaining chopped walnuts over the surface of the cheesecake and bake for a further 20-25 minutes. The cheesecake should still have a slight wobble in the centre. Remove from the oven and run a round bladed knife around the outside of the cheesecake. Place the tin on a wire rack to cool, then refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight. To serve, run a knife around the outside of the tin, release the tin and serve sliced and drizzled with Maple syrup. The cheesecake will keep for 3 days, covered in the fridge.