You are here: home > recipes > pastry & cake

pastry & cake

bloomin' easy vanilla cheesecake

servings
Serves 8 to 10

method

This recipe somehow made its way on to the menu in the Fifteen Trattoria (I don’t know of many Italian trattorias that have American cheesecake on their menus!) and I’m glad that it did because it’s absolutely delicious.

As you can see, the ingredients are all pretty everyday things. However, my tip for getting the very best out of this recipe is to make sure that you try and get the best ingredients that you possibly can.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4, and grease and line the bottom and sides of a 24cm springform cake tin. Mix the biscuits and butter in a bowl, press into the base of the prepared tin and cook for 10 minutes. Then remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Turn the oven up to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. Combine the sugar and cornflour in a bowl. Add the cream cheese and beat, ideally with an electric whisk, until creamy. Add the eggs and beat well. Gradually add the cream, beating until smooth, then beat in the vanilla seeds or extract and lemon and orange zest.

Scrape the mixture on to the biscuit base, and gently shake it to level out the surface. Put the cheesecake in the center of the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is golden brown and the filling has set around the edges. (A piece of foil over the top will stop it browning too much.) Let it cool at room temperature and serve after 2 or 3 hours, or, for a slightly firmer texture, put it in the fridge until it’s nice and cold.

Before serving, put the cherries in a pan, sprinkle over the sugar and add a splash of water. Put on a low to medium heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes. If you’ve got some port or whisky handy, feel free to add some. When the compote has reduced down it may be a little dry, so add a splash of water to loosen it. Remove from the heat and let it cool down, then serve spooned over the cheesecake with a dusting of icing sugar.

ingredients

• 150g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
• 250g digestive biscuits, crushed
• 115g caster sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornflour
• 900g full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 large free-range or organic eggs
• 115ml double cream
• 1 vanilla pod, scored lengthways and seeds removed, or ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• zest of 1 lemon
• zest of 1 orange

for the cherry compote
• 400g stoned cherries
• 3 heaped tablespoons caster sugar
optional: a swig of port or whisky
• icing sugar, for dusting

share this page

daily recipe rss

new recipe rss

tried this recipe or a similar one? share your tips...

1. by Alex SEals on Tue 24 Jan 2012 @ 14:44

eeeww trololol

2. by samuel mcdonald on Tue 20 Dec 2011 @ 12:26

hello thanks for the great recipe i amended it slightly and used lemon and lime and ginger nut biscuits instead i also used 400g of biscuits and cooked in my gas oven which anit the best for 15 mins and i would say u have to use a good quality cream cheese and use vanilla pod instead there a uch better taste. anyway thanks alot the hole family enjoyed this as a pre christmas pud

3. by Kieyran on Sat 03 Dec 2011 @ 16:05

Hi jamie, I thought i would send you a message & am wondering if yo could give me some advice on how to make a marble effect with white and dark chocolate as am determined to make some yummy exciting chocolate brownies for my relations this christmas and wanted to surprise them also. I have a copy of your exciting yummy chocolate brownie recipe from your website & have most of the ingredients. please could you help as and when you can find time during your busy schedule, As i may forgot to mention good luck with all of your Christmas shows Jamie & have fun. Take Care for now Love Kieyran

4. by debbie on Thu 03 Nov 2011 @ 22:45

Thank you kindly jamie for a divinely simple and delicious cheesecake recipe...my only change is making a raspberry or strawberry coulis for the fruit topping instead of the cherry sauce, which by the way i'm sure is quite tasty... I'd be ETERNALLY grateful and oh SO happy if anyone could provide a cheesecake recipe that is not the traditional "CREAMY" type, but drier and more like a traditional "cake"....I was so excited to move back to my hometown in the u.s. [ohio] as my favorite neighborhood bakery [Buskins] made this kind of dry cheesecake about 8 inches round [and my all time FAVORITE dessert as a child] for as long as i could remember...imagine my disappointment to discover they stopped making this cheesecake many years ago when the price of cheese got to be what they thought "too costly"...Honestly, for nearly 16 yr's i've been regularly searching for a comparable recipe, but haven't even gotten close to the real deal yet...sigh... THANKS in advance for any ideas and recipes, Debbie

5. by Eva on Wed 12 Oct 2011 @ 11:56

Best cheesecake EVER! Try it with fresh strawberries.. So yummy!

6. by luka on Tue 21 Jun 2011 @ 21:27

Is Philadelphia a suitable full-fat cream cheese for this recipe?

7. by Siobhan on Sun 19 Jun 2011 @ 11:45

Hi Jamie, Made this for fathers day and it was the first time id ever madea cheesecake and it turned out beautifully! I will have to agree with Louise that putting on the foil seemed to prevent it cooking and mine took over an hour (15-20mins once id taken foil off) however all is well but as my partner doesnt like cherries i made a raspberry sauce to go with it which worked wonderfully :)

8. by Louise on Wed 20 Apr 2011 @ 13:37

I've just made this today! I followed the recipe word for word and step by step however, I did find that by putting the foil over the top it delayed how quick it cooked. It ended up being in nearly an hour as when took the foil off after 45mins the middle was still runny. I have yet to taste it as it's for my mums birthday tomorrow. It looks lovely, so hopefully it tastes yummy!!

9. by Hazel on Thu 16 Dec 2010 @ 15:53

Is this suitable for freezing does any1 know?

10. by GazMcG on Thu 16 Dec 2010 @ 15:18

Im making this for christmas day, i had a trial run and was delighted with the result. Some of the guests on Christmas however are not keen on the lemon and orange zest. Does anyone know how much vanilla extract to put in as a subsitute make it a plain vanilla cheesecake?
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

11. by jamietrankotovn on Wed 01 Dec 2010 @ 12:41

i think it's very delicious ,i will try make it ,thank you Jamie

12. by Cvita on Tue 31 Aug 2010 @ 19:11

Hey Karinita

i have a perfect one for you...I tried it myself

150 g white flour
60 g caster sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
60 g butter, cool and cut into cubes
1 egg yolk

Knead the ingredients into a smooth ball, wrap it with transparent foil and let sit in a refrigerator for 30 minutes. This kind of dough you use as a base for a cheesecake..

Enjoy :)

13. by Karinita on Fri 13 Aug 2010 @ 20:17

If I do not have biscuits, how can I make my own dough for the base?
I've tried many recipes but not really succeeded, either too dry or too wet. Anybody with a suggestion for the cheesecake base recipe?

14. by Vikki on Thu 08 Apr 2010 @ 10:24

Hi Jamie,
I made this for dessert as part of a 3 cousre dinner for my Fiance's birthday. It was blooming luuuuuuuuuurrrrrvly!!. So were your lamb shanks that i made for main, Yum Yum.If the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, then my fiance's heart is surely mine.
I can't believe that girl below,who through a vanilla pod in the mix and through away the seeds ha ha that's soooooo funny.

15. by Debbie21 on Sun 14 Mar 2010 @ 20:35

I made this for the first time today for Mothers day. It was so unbelievably easy to make and tasted wonderful. I can't wait to make it again. Surprised myself with how good it was.

16. by Aida on Fri 22 Jan 2010 @ 13:44

Hola desde España!
This is the second time I prepare this cheescake (and this will be only the beginning from many, many others). It is as easy and quick as delicious! I followed the recipe you included in your book ''Ministry of Food'', but adding to the cream orange juice instead lemon, and pouring down orange marmalade made at home (bitter orange with a bit of cinnamon).
Congratulations for your work, Jamie!

17. by Roxana on Thu 31 Dec 2009 @ 12:26

Hi Jamie, I love your recipes!!! I have the cheese cake in the oven right now and I'm sure it will be lovely for this new year eve!!!! Happy new year!!!!
Rox

18. by auntycarol on Mon 28 Dec 2009 @ 22:15

Love this bloomin' easy vanilla cheesecake! I made it yesterday, I didint have an orange but used the zest of a clementine. My friends all loved it! The texture and taste makes it my favorite cheesecake, I am just going to e-mail a few friends who I know love cheesecake. Thank you Jamie.

19. by JULIE AFFINITA on Wed 23 Dec 2009 @ 02:00

Dear Mr gorgeous Olive,
Because I live in a village when I go back home (Philippines) it is pain to go and look for fresh cream cheese, double cream, vanilla pod, could you tell me substitute for these ingredients.
I also like your woodfired oven. where did you buy it or who installed it for you?

20. by Raji Gupta on Fri 25 Sep 2009 @ 16:28

Hi Mr Olive, Your vanilla cake is very yummy and may I suggest a traditional cake of the Gupta Dynasty:

Ingredients
1 cup flour
4 drops of vanilla essence
½ cup ghee
2 tsp sugar
200 gm condensed milk
½ tsp soda or baking powder
1 tbsp drinking chocolate
1 tsp cocoa powder
Cherries for garnishing
Dry fruits for garnishing
1 can of Cola

How to make:
Sieve and mix cocoa powder, drinking chocolate, baking soda, flour. Mix the ghee and sugar, beat to make a paste
Slowly add the mixture to the paste and add cola. Beat gradually.
Now add condensed milk to the mixture and beat gradually to make a fluffy and smooth batter.
Grease cake pan and dust with flour. Pre heat oven to 389 degrees F / 180 degrees C.
Pour batter into cake pan and place in center of oven. Bake for ½ hour.
Refrigerate the cake.
Garnish with canned cherries, and dry fruits.

Thanking you Mr Oliver!

Raji Gupta

21. by Rachel on Wed 23 Sep 2009 @ 10:36

i have been told that i am not a bad cook and my husband and son always enjoy my food but i can't make cakes or anything that is sweet it is always a nightmare

22. by Wayne Kelly on Tue 08 Sep 2009 @ 11:28

Hi Jamie, I have recently got into baking but my pastry is still a little to crisp and was hoping a few pointers as to make it better, plus I want to try this cheesecake as well, it looks fantastic.

23. by Danielle on Fri 28 Aug 2009 @ 16:48

Hi Jamie, thanks for the recipe, i made this cheesecake, ive never made cheesecake before and it came out lovely

24. by Alan on Tue 28 Jul 2009 @ 13:16

Mary and Vernon: never heard of "soft cheese for cheesecake", check the fat content to see if it's comparable to "full fat cream cheese", and it mustn't contain loads of thickeners or chemicals
WH: just about any berry will do (even frozen ones), or you can top it with orange segments, kiwi slices, cooked apple wedges, or even caramel or chocolate sauces
gayathrinairs: check here for description of cream cheese - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream_cheese
VICKY: yes, you can make this a couple of days ahead, keep well covered with plastic wrap in the fridge
evdokia: double cream is also known as whipping cream, or 35% here in North America
Julie: a vanilla lesson I'm sure you'll never forget
nadia: lots to see here on the website, have a good look around
Cream: careful not to do that when you are making this

25. by Daniela- SA on Fri 24 Jul 2009 @ 15:27

Thanx for the recipe. I havent baked since I was a child and I had serious doubts when the cream cheese got stuck in the whisk and started flying across the kitchen. Luckily things improved from there and everyone (including my foodie sister) was impressed.
Tip for the other novices: leave plenty of time to let the cake cool properly (chilled is even better) and the icing sugar won't show unless the compote is properly cooled.

26. by mary grant on Thu 16 Jul 2009 @ 19:40

Hi Jamie, is there any difference between cream cheese and soft cheese for cheese cake?

27. by WH on Wed 15 Jul 2009 @ 10:03

I live in a place where cherries are not available. Is there a different fruit or berry that I can use as a substitute?

28. by Veron on Tue 07 Jul 2009 @ 13:00

Hi Jamie, is there any difference between cream cheese and soft cheese for cheese cake??

29. by gayathrinairs on Tue 30 Jun 2009 @ 03:47

what is cream cheese?

30. by VICKY on Thu 18 Jun 2009 @ 18:31

If I cook this a couple of days in advance ... will it keep ok? Any suggestions?

31. by evdokia on Fri 12 Jun 2009 @ 12:19

hi! what is double cream?

32. by sabrina mc keever on Fri 22 May 2009 @ 14:13

cheesecake in oven at minute jamie so i hope its nice cause i love cheesecake

33. by jake on Tue 05 May 2009 @ 09:34

your cheese cake was very nice thanks jamie

34. by sarah on Sat 25 Apr 2009 @ 12:15

this is so delicious, highly recommended and really easy to make.

35. by Sally Burke on Fri 20 Mar 2009 @ 06:49

Have been looking for something simple for Easter Sunday lunch, this is perfect, and I know there won't be any leftovers.. yum!
PS just entered a competition asking who I would like to meet in the UK, nominated you just to see if you could cook as well as me, of course I know you are far better, but with a name like Sally how could I not feel the need, your Mum and I would get on well I know...

36. by anita carstens on Mon 16 Mar 2009 @ 11:59

this is to day for. made and ate it all up by myself

37. by julie on Sat 14 Mar 2009 @ 22:05

I made your coconut vanilla tart from the "Fabulous" Magazine and like this recepie i read the ingredients and threw away the seeds from the vanilla pod.and added the pod to my recepie and everyone laughed at my dinner party when they found a pod in their dessert.I feel this should be made clearer for the vanilla pod virgins.

38. by nadia on Thu 12 Mar 2009 @ 19:50

hi jime

i hope ur are fine i saw ur cook on tv and its unblievable so good , please i have problem with cake , i want cook cake and cheese cake can you pleas help me with some advice and some recieps .thank u

nadia

39. by j on Wed 04 Mar 2009 @ 02:46

leave comments