Baked Vanilla Cheesecake with Crystallised Orange and Pomegranate Seeds

Serves 8

• 125g butter, melted
• 325g digestive biscuits, crushed into crumbs
• 600g cream cheese, at room temperature
• 225g caster sugar
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 300ml double cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 orange, zested
• 2 oranges, peeled and thinly sliced
• 300g sugar
• 100ml water
• 25g flaked almonds, toasted
• 200ml sour cream
• 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
• A sprig of fresh rosemary
• Icing sugar, as needed

Preparation Time: 40 minutes. Cooking Time: 1 hour 50 minutes.

1. Grease and base line a 23cm non-stick spring form tin with baking parchment.
2. Place the butter in a bowl and stir in the biscuit crumbs, mix until fully coated.
3. Press the biscuit mixture into the prepared tin and chill whilst you make the filling.
4. Beat together the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until smooth.
5. Whisk in the eggs one by one, add the double cream, vanilla extract and zest. Continue whisking until smooth.
6. Pour mixture into the chilled base.
7. Place in the oven. CAST OVEN: on grid shelf on the floor and bake in the baking oven or oven on B3. FAN OVEN: preheated to B3/140 °C/275 °F. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes until the cheesecake is set but still has a slight wobble. If begins to brown, cover with foil or place cold plain shelf directly above (if available).
8. Cool at room temperature for an hour then chill in the fridge for several hours or overnight. The cheesecake can be wrapped and frozen at this point (see tip).
9. To make the crystallised orange peel; place the peel, sugar and water into a small pan. Bring to the boil on the boiling plate, hotplate on boiling setting or induction hob on high.
10. Transfer to the simmering plate, hotplate on simmering setting or induction hob and simmer gently for 20 minutes until the liquid is syrupy and the peel a little tender.
11. Drain through a sieve then spread on to an oven proof tray lined with baking paper. Place in the AGA simmering oven for 20 minutes to dry out. Allow a further 20 minutes at room temperature to dry and set.
12. Remove cheesecake from the tin and place on serving plate. Spread the soured cream or crème fraîche over the cooled cheesecake. Top with the crystallised orange peel, toasted almonds, pomegranate seeds and rosemary sprigs. Serve chilled.

AGA Tip: If using a solid tin to bake, freeze the cheesecake in the tin, then warm the base on the AGA simmering plate for a few minutes to loosen. Gently loosen around the edges, turn upside down on a large plate and remove the tin. Place the whole frozen cheesecake on to a serving plate and defrost in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for several hours.

Variation

• Orange and Amaretti Baked Cheesecake 
• Replace the biscuits with crushed Amaretti biscuits and add the zest of an orange to the filling.