The recipe for this cheesecake comes from an old file of my mother’s, she notes that the inspiration came from a cookery demonstration she went to on 9 November 1988. Those were the days when Angel Delight and Instant Whip still reigned, unchallenged, in larders. There’s something ragingly pop-art, but at the same time curiously comforting, about this recipe.
There are two versions. One is a dark, fruits of the forest purple and red affair: the other is citrus, bright-tasting and orange. Both are a dead cinch.
The base tends to go soggy quite quickly so the one snag about this recipe is that it doesn’t keep for too long.
You’ll need an 18 cm/7” loose-bottom cake tin.
Other cheesecakes on Saucy Dressings
For Dan Hargreaves’ useful cheats’ cheesecake recipe follow this link.
For a Snickers cheesecake go here.
For a spectacular chocolate cheesecake go here.
and for a savoury, smoked salmon cheesecake, go here.
Recipe for Pop-art Period Cheats’ Cheesecake
For about ten
- 100g/3.5 oz butter
- 200g/7 oz plain digestive biscuits – OR ginger biscuits go well in the citrus version
- 70g/2.5 oz/½ a packet of jelly cubes – blackcurrant flavour – OR orange flavour
- 180g/6 oz Philadelphia cream cheese
- 2 tbsp runny honey – orange blossom honey is especially good for the citrus version
- 80ml/⅓ cup cassis OR juice and zest of one medium orange
- 160ml/⅔ cup double cream
- Garnish – five or six sliced, hulled strawberries and a little fresh chopped mint; or a sliced tangerine or small orange – possibly soaked in Grand Marnier
- Make up the jelly as per the instructions on the packet, chill in the fridge
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then take off the heat.
- Crush the biscuits in a freezer bag, bashing with a rolling pin, add to the butter
- Push the biscuits down onto the base of the cake tin and chill
- In a medium mixing bowl put the lightly set jelly and the cassis or juice and zest of the orange
- Add the cream cheese and the honey, and, using an electric whisk, mix all together
- Whip the cream until floppy and fold in
- Chill in the fridge until set – a couple of hours
