Budding Bakers - Baked Cheesecake

This is a super simple cheesecake that you can use as a base to create your own flavour combinations.  We had some squishy apricots so used those up in the cheesecake and as a sauce.  There is no biscuit crumb base as this is an Austrian recipe rather than an American one.

Austrian Baked Cheesecake

You'll need

• 60g soft unsalted butter
• 140g caster sugar
• 280g cream cheese
• 60g ground almonds
• 60g fine semolina
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 small lemon 
• 10 apricots (optional)
• Handful flaked almonds (optional)
• 20cm cake tin

To make it

• Preheat the oven to 190C.
• Grease and line the cake tin with greaseproof paper. 

• Separate the eggs and set aside. 
• Zest and juice the lemon and set aside. 
• Chop the apricots (skins on) into small cubes and set aside.  
• Measure out the butter, sugar and cream cheese together and beat  until light and fluffy. 

• Beat in the egg yolks and set aside. 
• Now whisk the egg whites til you get stiff peaks.  As Amy is demonstrating, you should be able to hold the bowl over your head without anything dropping out! 

• Fold in the ground almonds, semolina, vanilla extract, lemon juice and zest into the cream mixture. 
• Now fold in the egg whites. 
• Pour half the mixture into the tin, then pile in half of the chopped apricots and then pour in the rest of the mixture. 

• Level out the top and then bake for 50 minutes.  

• We threw some flaked almonds on top for a little crunch and played Polly Pockets and My Little Pony while we waited.  

• To make the apricot purée, simply heat the remaining apricots with 2 tbsp of water until they are all mushy and melted.  Then purée to remove any lumps.