Banoffee Cheesecake

Use the ripest bananas you can find to give this dessert a really full, sweet banana flavour.

Banoffee Cheesecake

Hands-on time 25min, plus cooling and chilling. Cooking time 1hr 5min. Serves 8

For the base

·         100g (3¹/₂oz) butter, melted, plus extra to grease

·         200g (7oz) digestive biscuits, finely crushed

For the filling

·         2 small very ripe bananas, about 150g (5oz) oeeled weight

·         500g (1lb 2oz) full-fat cream cheese

·         200g (7oz) caster sugar

·         1¹/₂tbsp plain flour

·         1tsp vanilla extract

·         2 medium eggs, separated

To decorate

·         3tbsp caramel sauce

·         25g (1oz) plain chocolate, shaved into flakes with a vegetable peeler

1.    Preheat oven to 180^oC (160^oC fan) mark 4. Grease a 20.5cm (8in) round springform tin and line the base with baking parchment. Mix together the butter and crushed biscuits, then press into base of tin. Bake for 15min, then take out of oven and set aside. Turn oven down to 170^oC (150^oC fan) mark 3.

2.    To make the filling, whiz the bananas in a food processor until smooth. Add the rest of the filling ingredients except for the egg whites to the processor and whiz again until smooth. Tip mixture into a large bowl. In a separate clean bowl, whisk egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Fold egg whites into the banana mixture using a large metal spoon.

To make the filling, whiz the bananas in a food processor until smooth

3.    Pour mixture into the tin and shake gently to level. Bake for 50min or until the cheesecake is lightly golden – the filling will be wobbly, but firms up on chilling. Working quickly, remove cheesecake from the oven and run a small knife around the side of the cheesecake to release it (this should help minimise cracking). Leave to cool for 30min (don’t worry if a few cracks appear, they will be covered with the topping) and chill for at least 2hr or overnight.

4.    Take cheesecake out of tin, peel off baking parchment and transfer to a serving plate. Allow to come up to room temperature (about 1hr). in a small bowl, whisk the caramel briefly to loosen it, then drizzle it over the top of the cheesecake. Scatter over the chocolate flakes and serve in slices.

Scatter over the chocolate flakes and serve in slices.

Per serving

691cals, 50g fat (29g saturates), 57g carbs (41g total sugars)

To freeze

Make cheesecake to the end of step 3. Wrap cooled cheesecake (still in its tin) well with clingfilm and freeze for up to a month. To serve, allow to defrost completely in fridge, then unwrap and complete recipe.