Here, the building blocks of Scottish cranachan are brought together in a different guise, layered into an alternately crisp, creamy, and fruity cheesecake. It's not as rustically simple as the dessert that inspired it, but it does, I think, stay true to cranachan's ingredient-centric ethos, with honey, raspberries, whiskey, and oats in perfect balance.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 8, generously

　　

Crust:

150 grams (5.25 oz) oatcakes

　　25 grams (5 tbsp) regular rolled oats

　　1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons superfine sugar

　　100 grams (7 tbsp) unsalted butter

　　

Filling:

400 grams (14 oz) full-fat cream cheese

　　1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sour cream

　　1/4 cup honey

　　100 grams (7 tbsp) superfine sugar

　　1 teaspoon vanilla extract

　　2 to 3 tablespoons whiskey

　　3 large eggs

　　200 to 300 grams (1 1/2 to 2 1/2 c) fresh raspberries

　　

Special equipment:

8-inch round removable bottom or springform pan

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

　　

Step 2

To make the crust, crush the oatcakes with a rolling pin or in a food processor until sandy and no chunks remain. Stir in the rolled oats and sugar. Melt the butter over low heat in a small pan, then add it to the crushed oatcakes and stir to combine. Add a bit more butter if the mixture feels dry; it needs to be moist enough to hold together in small clumps. Spoon it into the pan and press firmly with the back of a spoon. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until just set (it will firm as it cools). Set aside while you prepare the filling. Turn the oven down to 250°F.

　　

Step 3

To make the filling, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. Add the sour cream and stir to combine, then add the honey, sugar, and vanilla extract. Stir in the whiskey to taste. (You can add a little extra, or none at all, if you prefer.) Lightly whisk the eggs in a separate bowl, then gradually add them to the cream cheese mixture while stirring continuously to prevent lumps from forming. The mixture should be thick and smooth.

　　

Step 4

Pour the filling over the pre-baked crust. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, until the filling is set and has just the slightest wobble in the center. Because it's baked at such a low temperature, it should be barely colored, just deepening to a light gold. Let cool to room temperature in the pan, then unmold and chill.

　　

Step 5

Shortly before serving, arrange the raspberries on top of the cheesecake, fat ends down and tapered bottoms upward. You can cover with the raspberries earlier, but there's a risk that, if they're particularly ripe, their juices will seep into the creamy cheesecake.

　　Reprinted from Crumb: A Baking Book, by Ruby Tandoh, copyright © 2015, published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Random House LLC. Photographs copyright © 2015 by Nato Welton.