NEW YORK CHEESE CAKE
Filling
750 g smooth cream cheese
375 ml castor sugar
5 ml caramel or vanilla essence
45 ml cake flour
4 extra large eggs beaten
60 ml fresh cream
Base:
Sift flour and baking powder together, rub in butter with fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add castor sugar and egg yolk and knead lightly to a soft pastry. Grease and line a 23 cm loose-bottom springform pan, press out pastry onto paper base and side of pan.
Bake blind in a pre-heated oven at 190 ºC for about 10 minutes. Leave to cool slightly.
Filling:
Whisk cream cheese, castor sugar, essence and flour until smooth. Gradually add eggs and stir in lightly with cream. Pour filling into pastry base and bake in a preheated oven at 160 ºC for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 140 ºC and bake further for 70 minutes.
Switch off oven and leave in oven for another 15 minutes. Leave to cool in pan, remove. Remove from pan and decorate with fresh fruit of choice.
Recipe posted and photo: Leanne Thurston Coetzer