Spiced Fig & Orange Cheesecake
Saturday night was a family affair, last gathering together before my parents jet off overseas.
I offered to make dessert and decided I’d try yet another cheesecake recipe from the Australian Woman’s Weekly Cheesecake book.
Oh what a story to tell!
Usually when doing a cheesecake mum taught me to cover the base of the springform tin with glad wrap then put the biscuit base, etc. So I did all of this and it wasn’t until I was about to put it in the oven I thought “Oh frick! The glad wrap is going to melt!!” So operation scoop the cheesecake out of the tin begun, with the assistance of mum, then we wash and greased the tin and then it could finally bake!
However, it was a delicious cheesecake and I had a funny story to tell that night! I think I should have chopped the figs a lot finer but it was still yum!
Ingredients were quite expensive though so won’t be making this one too often!
80g brazil nuts
125g plain sweet biscuits
80g butter, melted
1 cup orange juice
250g finely chopped dried figs
1 cinnamon stick
pinch ground clove
Filling
250g cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind
165g cup caster sugar
250g marscarpone
2 eggs, separated
1. Grease 22cm springform tin.
2. Process nuts and biscuits until fine. Add butter; process mixture over base of tin. Place tin on over tray; refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 160 degrees or 140 degrees fan forced.
4. Combine juice, figs, cinnamon and cloves in small saucepan; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes or until most of the juice has been absorbed. Discard cinnamon stick. Spread fig mixture over crumb base in tin.
5. Make filling by beating cream cheese, rind and sugar in medium bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Add mascarpone and yolks; beat only until combined. Beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form; fold into cheese mixture.
6. Pour filling over fig mixture; bake about 1 hour + 15 mins. Cool in oven with door ajar.
7. Refrigerate cheesecake 3 hours or overnight. Serve dusted with sifted icing sugar, if desired.
Serves 12.
