Baked Cinnamon and Citrus Cheesecake Recipe by Philip Khoury

Ingredients

Cinnamon crostata pastry:

60g extra virgin olive oil
80g caster (superfine) sugar
20g muscovado or brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
60g water
300g plain (all-purpose) flour
1 tsp baking powder
3g ground cinnamon

Cheesecake filling:

350g silken tofu
80g raw almonds
25g lemon juice
Lemon zest, grated 1/2 lemon
60g caster (superfine) sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
20g cornflour
1 tsp plain (all-purpose flour), plus extra for dusting
1 tsp baking powder
40g fresh whipping cream
20g candied citrus peel (optional)

Also needed:

Icing (confectioners') sugar for dusting
Ground cinnamon for dusting

Method

Cinnamon crostata pastry:

Add the olive oil, both sugars, the salt and water to a large bowl and whisk them together very well until the mixture is smooth, homogenous and there are no oil streaks. This is key to a dough that doesn’t separate when mixed.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and cinnamon together in another large bowl, then add the liquid syrup. Use a silicone spatula to mix well, then turn it out onto a work surface and knead for about 5 minutes until the dough comes together into a cohesive mixture. You can also use a stand mixer with a beater attachment and mix for 1–2 minutes. The dough can look like it isn’t coming together, but continue mixing on low speed until it does!

Wrap the dough well in cling film (plastic wrap) and leave to rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour before using.

Cheesecake filling:

Add the silken tofu, almonds, lemon juice, grated lemon zest, caster sugar and vanilla paste into a high-powered blender and blend until smooth.

Add the cornflour, flour and baking powder, and pulse until combined.

Chill the bowl of your stand mixer, then whip the cream with a whisk attachment until it holds a soft peak. Fold into the blended silken tofu base along with candied citrus peel, if using. Set aside until ready to assemble.

To assemble and bake:

Preheat the oven to 170 C fan.

Lightly flour your work surface, then cut the dough into three portions. Roll two pieces of dough out until they are 20 cm (8 in) in diameter (the size of your springform tin) and 3–4 mm thick. Using a sharp knife and the tin, trim the dough into two neat circles.

Use the remaining dough to roll out a long strip that will fit around the outside of your tin, trimming to the height of your tin so it has two straight sides.

Place one disc of dough into the lined tin. Brush the edges with some water, and place the long strip of dough in the tin to line the sides. Allow the bottom edge to curve inward about 1 cm so you can press the edge into the base and corners to create a seal.

Pour the filling into the tin leaving 1–2 cm of pastry at the top. Use a knife tip to gently fold the side pieces of pastry over the filling, then brush some water on the little ledge. Place the remaining disc of dough on top, pressing the edges down gently to seal the filling in well.

Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave to cool.

To de-mould, leave to cool completely in the tin, then pop the tin open.

Wrap the cake in cling film (plastic wrap) and store in the refrigerator overnight. This is where the real magic will happen and the moisture from the filling migrates to the edges and softens the crust slightly.

Dust with icing sugar and cinnamon before serving. This cake will keep very well wrapped in cling film or stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months, but make sure to defrost in the refrigerator overnight.

Credits: A New Way to Bake by Philip Khoury. Published by Hardie Grant Books, available in stores from the 6th September, RRP $55.00.

Photo Credits: Photography by Matt Russell.