Salted Caramel Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the base:
50g butter, melted, plus extra for the tin
200g chocolate digestives

For the filling and topping:
750g (3 tubs) cream cheese (or you can use my home-made cream cheese recipe to prepare your own)
300g dulce de leche from a tin or jar
1 tsp vanilla extract
150g golden caster sugar
2 tbsp plain flour
4 medium eggs

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan/355F/Gas Mark 4). Butter a 23cm springform cake tin and line the base with baking parchment.

Tip the biscuits into a food processor, blitz to crumbs and pour in the melted butter. (You could also tip the biscuits into a bag, bash with a rolling pin into crumbs and mix in the butter.) Press the biscuit mixture into the base of the prepared tin – the easiest way to do this is by flattening it with your hand under a sheet of clingfilm (plastic wrap). Place the tin on a baking tray, transfer to the centre of your oven and bake for 10 mins, then remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, scrape the cream cheese into a bowl and whisk with 3 tbsp of the caramel sauce, the vanilla, sugar and flour, beating until smooth and well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly to combine after each addition. Pour the resultant mixture over the biscuit base. Transfer to the centre of your pre-heated oven and bake for 10 minutes. At this point, reduce the oven temperature to 140C (120C fan/275F/Gas Mark 1).

Continue baking for 25-30 minutes, or until the filling is set, but still retains a little wobble in the centre. Turn off the oven and prop the door open with the handle of a wooden spoon. Allow the cheesecake to cool completely in the oven (leave over night).

The following morning transfer to the refrigerator (it will keep for up to two days). After at least 2 hours chilling loosen the sides of the cheesecake from the tin with a knife and remove the base (although I usually serve it straight from the tin base). Add a large pinch of flaky sea salt to the rest of the caramel sauce, then spoon it over the cake and swirl with the back of the spoon. The cheesecake will sit happily on a stand at room temperature for a couple of hours. Just before serving, sprinkle with extra sea salt, if you like.