This is my ultimate cheesecake: sweet cream cheese, salty peanut butter and tart sour cherries all mingle together to create one perfectly balanced flavor sensation. It is set with gelatin, which means it takes a little longer to make, but the beautiful smooth texture makes it worth the wait.

　　

Ingredients

10 servings

　　Butter, for greasing

　　

Cherries:

75g (about 1/2 cup) dried sour cherries, plus extra for decorating

　　1 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar

　　1 tsp vanilla bean paste

　　1 tbsp kirsch (optional)

　　

Base:

175g digestive biscuits

　　25g (about 2 tbsp) salted peanuts, plus extra for decorating

　　75g (5 1/4 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted

　　

Cheesecake layer:

400g (about 1 3/4 [8oz] packages) full-fat cream cheese

　　150g (3/4 cup) caster (superfine) sugar

　　2 egg yolks

　　250g (1 cup) heavy cream

　　5 leaves gelatin

　　150g (1/2 cup) smooth peanut butter

　　

Chocolate topping:

75g (2.6 ounces) dark chocolate, chopped

　　1 tbsp golden syrup

　　100ml (about 1/2 cup) double cream

　　

Special Equipment

A 20cm (8-inch) round springform tin

　　

Step 1

Grease a 20cm (8-inch) springform tin and line with baking parchment.

　　

Cherries:

Step 2

Put the dried sour cherries into a small saucepan with the sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of water. If you are using kirsch, add this now. Bring to the boil and leave to simmer for 4–5 minutes. The cherries should soften and absorb some of the liquid. Set the pan to one side to cool.

　　

Base:

Step 3

To make the biscuit base, blitz the digestive biscuits and peanuts in a food processor until they resemble very fine crumbs. Pour the melted butter into the crumbs and blitz again until all the biscuit crumbs are coated in butter. Alternatively, finely chop the peanuts and place into a plastic bag with the biscuits, use a rolling pin to crush them to a fine powder, then put into a bowl and stir in the butter. Tip the crumbs into the base of the prepared tin, then press them down firmly with the back of a teaspoon to make sure they stick together, then chill for at least 30 minutes.

　　

Cheesecake layer:

Step 4

In a large bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, caster sugar and egg yolks until smooth. Stir in the cream until you get a thick but not stiff consistency.

　　

Step 5

Soak the gelatin leaves in cold water and allow to soften completely. This will take around five minutes. Melt the smooth peanut butter in the microwave in a medium bowl for about 30 seconds until it is even smoother. Squeeze the gelatin leaves to remove any excess water, then stir into the warm peanut butter until completely dissolved.

　　

Step 6

Spoon a few tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture into the peanut butter and mix well, before pouring all of the peanut butter mixture into the remaining cream cheese and stirring until completely smooth.

　　

To assemble:

Step 7

Drain the cherries then add half to the cream cheese mixture and stir in. Spread onto the prepared biscuit base and use a spatula to smooth the top. Leave to set in the refrigerator, preferably overnight, but for at least four hours.

　　

Step 8

When the cheesecake feels firm enough to hold a layer of chocolate (usually after around two hours of chilling), make the chocolate topping. Place the chocolate, golden syrup and cream into a small bowl. Microwave on high for around one minute, removing from the microwave and stirring well every 15 seconds, until the mixture is smooth and no lumps of chocolate remain. Pour over the cheesecake, tilting the tin until the whole top is covered. Decorate with the remaining sour cherries and peanuts. Chill for two hours before serving.

　　From Twist: Creative Ideas to Reinvent Your Baking, © 2017 by Martha Collison. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins.Buy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon.