Gregg Wallace's New York cheesecake recipe

This New York cheesecake by Gregg Wallace is totally delicious. With a crushed digestive biscuit base, lashings of cream cheese and lemon, it tastes divine with berries added on top.

Says Gregg: "This is rapidly becoming a pudding classic. Big and full of flavour – I just can’t help myself."

Ingredients

Biscuit base

• 175g (6oz) digestive biscuits, crushed
• 75g (3oz) butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

Filling

• 1kg (2lb) full-fat soft cheese
• 275g (9oz) caster sugar
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 40g (11⁄2oz) plain flour, sifted
• 300ml (1⁄2pint) soured cream
• finely grated rind of 1 lemon
• fresh or drained canned strawberries, to decorate

Method

1. To make the biscuit base, grease a 23 cm (9 inch) loose-bottomed or springform cake tin. Process the biscuits in a food processor to fine crumbs. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the biscuit crumbs and mix well. Press the crumb mixture evenly over the base of the prepared tin.
2. Place on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven, 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4, for 10 minutes. Leave to cool on the baking sheet while keeping the oven on.
3. To make the filling, beat the soft cheese and sugar together in a bowl, then mix in the eggs. In a separate bowl, beat the flour into the soured cream and lemon rind, then fold into the cheese mixture using a large metal spoon. Pour over the biscuit base in the tin.
4. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour or until set. Leave for 3–4 hours until completely cool.
5. Run a round-bladed knife around the side of the cheesecake, then remove it from the tin. Transfer to a serving plate, decorate with the strawberries and serve.