Rhubarb and Peach Cheesecake

Long time no see! I’ve been away for a few weeks in the south of france, but finally am back to share with you all a recipe I baked whilst over there. This cheesecake is tangy from rhubarb, but topped with ripe nectarines to give a juicy kick. Seriously yum, and a perfect dessert after a hot day on the beach (or a day in rainy England…)

Also, apologies for the not-so-great photo :( I was having to use my phone rather than my actual camera...

Makes 1 23cm cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the base:

• 150g digestive biscuits or other biscuits of your desire (such as shortbread, gingernuts etc)
• 80g butter
• 50g demerara sugar

For the filling:

• 50g butter
• 175g granulated sugar
• 450g medium fat cream cheese
• 25g plain flour
• 3 eggs
• 150ml double cream, lightly whipped
• Half a jar (about 150g) rhubarb jam
• 5-6 ripe peaches or nectarines, de-stoned and sliced into 1cm half-moons

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 160C/325F/gas mark 3. Lightly grease the bottom of a 23cm springform cake tin.

2. Crush the biscuits into a bowl, using a rolling pin or a food processor. In a saucepan melt the butter, and add this and the demerara sugar to the crushed biscuits. Beat until all of the butter has been incorporated. 

3. Pour into the base of the cake tin, and level out evenly using the back of a spoon.

4. Make the filling. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, cream cheese and flour. Once no more lumps of butter can be seen, add the eggs and lightly whipped double cream and stir until smooth.

5. Pour half of the filling into the cake tin. Add spoonfuls of the rhubarb jam over the filling, then use a knife to cut through the jam and start to incorporate the jam into the filling – you want it to have a marbled appearance so don’t mix it too much.

6. Add the remainder of the filling, followed by the rest of the rhubarb jam (added again in spoonfuls around the top of the cake). Briefly mix through the jam to marble it through the cheesecake.

7. Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour.

8. Remove from the oven and top with circles of the segmented nectarine slices. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, until when moved gently, only the center of the cheesecake wobbles.

9. Turn off the oven then leave the cheesecake to cool for one hour in the oven. Then gently run a palette knife around the rim of the cheesecake – this helps prevent the cheesecake from cracking. 

10. Chill in the fridge for at least two hours.

11. Enjoy!