Description
Gin and tonic cheesecake
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- INGREDIENTS
- 250g pack Lotus Biscoff biscuits
- 100g butter, melted
- 80g caster sugar
- 560gm packs cream cheese (I used Philadelphia full fat, because life is too short)
- 500g mascarpone
- Grated zest and juice 1 lemon
- Grated zest 1 lime, juice 1/2
- Grated zest 1/2 orange
- FOR THE GIN & TONIC LAYER
- 6 gelatine leaves (Costa, Waitrose or Ocado) or
- 1.5 sachet of gelatine powder (*see notes on how I used this)
- 2 wide strips pared zest and juice 2 lemons
- 2 wide strips pared zest and juice 1 orange
- Juice 1 lime
- 100g caster sugar
- 6 juniper berries, bruised
- 4 tbsp gin (I used Bombay Saphhire)
- 300ml Tonic water
- A few fresh lemon thyme sprigs, plus extra to decorate
- Other things you'll need
- 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin (make sure it is deep enough)
Instructions
- Pulse biscoff biscuits in a food processor until they look like fine crumbs. Pour in the melted butter and blend until mixed. (If you don't have a food processor then put biscuits in a airtight food bag, seal and pound till they resemble breadcrumbs)
- Tip the crumbs from above step into the cake tin and level the base using the back of a spoon.Place on a baking sheet or a plate to avoid butter leaks and keep in the fridge to firm up while you make the topping.
- Place the cream cheese, mascarpone, 80g sugar, grated zests and the lemon and lime juice in a large roomy deep mixing bowl. Then beat everything with a electric mixer until smooth or with a wooden spoon if you are feeling gutsy.
- Spoon on top of the chilled base and level the surface with a spatula.
- Cover with clingfilm and chill for 2 hours or until the filling has set firm.
- For the gin and tonic layer, I used gelatine powder whereas original recipe asked for gelatine leaves (Please see notes on how to use gelatine leaves in the recipe)
- Put 1.5 sachet of gelatine powder (assuming your sachet is 12g each) in 200 ml of warm(more than lukewarm but less than boiling hot, you get my drift?) water, stir it well and let it stand while you proceed to make the syrup.
- Put the lemon, orange and lime juice in a small heavy-based saucepan with the pared zests, sugar and bruised juniper berries. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar and infuse the flavours. Strain into a bowl and keep warm (discard the zests and berries).
- Now add the gelatine water that you prepared earlier to this warm citrusy syrup until well dissolved. Add the gin and tonic, whisk a little to mix, then pour over the chilled cheesecake layer. The syrup will be watery at this point do not worry it is going to set with all that amount of gelatine you just whacked in.
- Scatter over a few lemon thyme sprigs and edible flowers if you have to hand or go crazy with any other dried flower petals if you like. Leave to set in the fridge for for at least 4 hours or overnight if you like. I highly recommend overnight undisturbed setting time for the cheesecake to not fall apart when you cut into it in front of your guests (mine did not but I have seen many cheesecake disasters to know what not to do)
Keywords: gin and tonic cheesecake