Hairy Bikers Caramelised Apple Cheesecake Recipe

Pecans and dried apples go into the biscuit base of this Hairy Bikers caramelised apple cheesecake, before any filling is mixed. And it serves 6 at about 945 calories a slice, from Ultimate Comfort Food, in roughly five hours.

Ultimate Comfort Food carries a baked cheesecake and this fridge-set one side by side, because they say they “can’t choose between them”. So this is the no-bake half of that pair, which is why nothing goes near an oven.

The caramel must not be stirred, so you swirl the pan instead of reaching for a spoon. And the apples come out the moment they are knife tender, because a few seconds more and they collapse into the sauce.

Hairy Bikers Caramelised Apple Cheesecake Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:No-Bake Cuisine:British Courses:Dessert

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 35 minutesCook time: 20 minutesRest time:4 hours Total time:4 hours 55 minutesServings:6 servingsCalories:945 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

A biscuit crumb spiked with pecans and dried apple is pressed into a springform tin and chilled. Then ricotta beaten with cream cheese, soured cream and cinnamon is smoothed over it and left to set in the fridge. And apple wedges are cooked in a salted caramel that becomes a sauce, spiralled on top just before serving.

Ingredients

For the base

• 175g biscuits
• 50g dried apples, very finely chopped
• 50g pecans, very finely chopped
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 100g butter

For the cream cheese filling

• 200g ricotta, at room temperature
• 300g cream cheese, at room temperature
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 50g icing sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 50g soured cream
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

For the caramelised apples

• 3 or 4 apples, peeled, cored and cut into wedges
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• 200g caster sugar, cane not beet
• 50g butter
• Generous pinch of salt
• 25ml calvados, brandy or whisky
• 100ml double cream

Instructions

1. Make the base: blitz 175g biscuits to fine crumbs, then add 50g finely chopped dried apples and 50g finely chopped pecans and blitz again. Then stir in ½ tsp ground cinnamon.
2. Press and chill: melt 100g butter, take the pan off the heat and mix in the crumbs thoroughly. Then press it into a lined deep 20cm springform tin and chill for at least 30 minutes.
3. Mix the filling: whisk 200g ricotta with 300g cream cheese until combined and thickened. Then beat in ½ tsp cinnamon, 50g icing sugar and a pinch of salt, followed by 50g soured cream and ½ tsp vanilla. And spoon it over the base, smooth the top and put it back in the fridge.
4. Spice the apples: toss 3 or 4 apples in wedges with the juice of half a lemon. Then toss them with 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp allspice and ¼ tsp ground cloves and set them aside.
5. Caramelise the sugar: put 200g cane caster sugar in a wide pan with 50ml water so it looks like wet sand. Then heat it over medium-high until it caramelises, swirling the pan instead of stirring.
6. Cook the apples: drain them and lay them in the caramel in a single layer, cooking a few minutes each side. Then lift them out onto a lined tray as soon as they are knife tender.
7. Finish the sauce: whisk 50g butter into the caramel, waiting for the bubbling to subside, then add a generous pinch of salt. Then pour in 25ml calvados and let it bubble a minute before adding 100ml double cream. And keep whisking if it seizes, because it comes back smooth, then leave it to cool.
8. Assemble: run a knife round the edge and lift the cheesecake out of the tin. Then spiral the apple wedges over the top and serve each slice with the caramel sauce drizzled over.

FAQs

How long does it need in the fridge?

Neither the book nor BBC gives a final chilling time, which is the one gap in both. Because there is no gelatine and no whipped cream, it sets on soft cheese alone and stays deliberately soft. So give it at least four hours and preferably overnight, the same as their banoffee pie.

Is there a baked version?

In the book it is Irish coffee cheesecake, from Marion, one of Dave’s nurses, who he credits by name. But the one they baked on television is their vodka strawberry cheesecake, made in Poland with curd cheese. So the Irish coffee one cools in the switched-off oven, while the Polish one bakes in a water bath.

Which apples should I use?

Neither version names a variety, which is a real omission for a caramel this sweet. Because the wedges must hold their shape, a firm eating apple beats Bramley, unlike their apple crumble where collapse is the point. So the book asks for 3 or 4 and BBC says 3 small, so judge it by covering the top.

Where do the book and the BBC version differ?

In two places, and both matter. Because the book adds butter to the caramel before the apples, while BBC cooks the apples first and lifts them out knife tender. And only the book says “make sure it’s cane sugar”, which BBC leaves out entirely.

Can I make it ahead?

The cheesecake is better made the day before, though the caramel and the apples are not. Because the sauce firms up in the fridge and needs warming to pour, while the apples soften further overnight. So keep the sauce in a jar and cook the apples on the day, the same as you would for their sticky toffee pudding.