Baked cheesecake with honeycomb and shortbread crumble

Name: Baked cheesecake with honeycomb and shortbread crumble
Total time: 2 h
Ingredients: 700g of mascarpone, or high-quality cream cheese; 225g of white chocolate; 110g of caster sugar; 3 large eggs; 150g of caster sugar; 200g of digestive biscuits; 70g of butter, melted; 200g of caster sugar; 4 tbsp of golden syrup; 3 tbsp of water; 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 170g of plain flour; 110g of unsalted butter, at room temperature; 50g of caster sugar; 1/4 tsp vanilla extract; salt, to taste; 300ml of pink grapefruit, purée; 100ml of water; 100g of caster sugar; 4g of agar agar; 1 pinch of Maldon salt

by Josh Eggleton

Item 1 of 1

Dessert
medium
10
2 hours

Sprinkled with chewy honeycomb and crumbly shortbread biscuit, this white chocolate baked cheesecake recipe by Josh Eggleton is a slice of pure caramel-infused heaven. The cheesecake is served with crumbly shortbread, honeycomb and grapefruit gel for a tangy finish.

First published in 2016

discover more:

White chocolate Recipes

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Cheesecake filling

700g of mascarpone, or high-quality cream cheese
225g of white chocolate
110g of caster sugar
3 large eggs

Cheesecake base

150g of caster sugar
200g of digestive biscuits
70g of butter, melted

Honeycomb

200g of caster sugar
4 tbsp of golden syrup
3 tbsp of water
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Shortbread

170g of plain flour
110g of unsalted butter, at room temperature
50g of caster sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
salt, to taste

Grapefruit gel

300ml of pink grapefruit, purée
100ml of water
100g of caster sugar
4g of agar agar
1 pinch of Maldon salt

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Equipment

Food processor
Hand blender
20cm springform cake tin
Baking tray 2
Baking sheet
Roasting tray

Method

Preheat the oven to 110°C/gas mark 1/4

To make the cheesecake filling, first melt the chocolate in a microwave. Blend the melted chocolate, sugar, mascarpone and eggs in a food processor until homogeneous and completely smooth

700g of mascarpone, or high-quality cream cheese
225g of white chocolate
110g of caster sugar
3 large eggs

Pour the filling mixture into a small, deep baking tray and cover with foil. Bake in the oven for about 1 hour or until just set, checking the mixture after 40 minutes of baking. Once baked, remove the foil and allow to cool to room temperature

While the filling is baking, make a start on the base of the cheesecake by lining a baking sheet with greaseproof paper

Gently heat the sugar in a heavy-based saucepan until caramelised – do not to stir the sugar. Pour the caramel onto the pre-lined baking sheet to cool

150g of caster sugar

Line the base of a 20cm springform cake tin with greaseproof paper

Break the cooled caramel into pieces and add to a food processor with the digestive biscuits. Blitz to an even powder then add the melted butter and blend again

200g of digestive biscuits
70g of butter, melted

Tip the base mix into the pre-lined cake tin, smooth down with a spoon and place in the fridge to set

Blend the set filling in a food processor, pour over the set base and smooth down with a hot palette knife. Return to the fridge for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight, to re-set

Whilst the cheesecake is setting, line a roasting tray with greaseproof paper for the honeycomb

Pour the sugar, golden syrup and water into a pan and place over a low heat to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat up and bring to the boil. Allow the sugar syrup to boil until it turns a deep amber colour

200g of caster sugar
4 tbsp of golden syrup
3 tbsp of water

Quickly mix the bicarbonate of soda into the amber syrup using a spatula, being careful not to over-mix. Pour the contents of the pan into the pre-lined roasting tray and leave the honeycomb to set for 30 minutes

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4

To make the shortbread, start by lining a small baking tray with greaseproof paper

Whisk the butter until smooth and creamy, then add the sugar, salt and vanilla and whisk again

110g of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
salt, to taste
50g of caster sugar

Gently fold in the flour with your hands until well combined and smooth

170g of plain flour

Push the shortbread dough into the pre-lined tray so that it forms an even layer about 2cm deep. Bake for 10–15 minutes, or until golden brown

To make the gel first bring the purée, water, salt and sugar to the boil in a small saucepan and whisk to make sure the sugar has dissolved. Blend the agar agar in with a stick blender and re-boil the liquid

300ml of pink grapefruit, purée
100ml of water
100g of caster sugar
4g of agar agar
1 pinch of Maldon salt

Pass the liquid through a sieve into a plastic container and allow to set in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour

Once set, blend the gel until smooth and funnel into a plastic bottle ready to serve. You can reset and re-blend the gel if not used immediately

When ready to serve, slice the cheesecake into individual portions. Crumble the shortbread and honeycomb over each slice, decorating with fresh seasonal fruit and small dollops of the grapefruit gel to finish

First published in 2016

DISCOVER MORE:

White chocolate Recipes

Josh Eggleton

It can take decades of dedication and dogged effort to win a Michelin star. Josh Eggleton, though, was ‘shocked’ to win his first Michelin star at the age of 27, after only a few years of being a Head Chef.

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