70g melted butter
15 digestive biscuits
450g cream cheese
150g ricotta
100ml sour cream
2 tbsp S/R flour
175g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs plus 1 yolk
100g melted white chocolate
1/2 tin cherry pie filling or about 20 fresh stoned cherries, but I love the pie mix that surrounds the pie filling.
200ml double cream
12 small cigarillos
Preheat the oven to 180C
Crush the biscuits in a food processor and mix with the butter.
Press into a 20cm springform tin and bake for 5 minutes, then cool.
Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, flour, sugar, vanilla, eggs, the yolk, melted chocolate and ricotta until light and fluffy.
Pour over the biscuit base, stud the cheesecake with cherries pie filling.
Bake in a *bain marie for about 30 minutes it should be set but slightly wobbly in the centre. Leave to cool, then set in the fridge for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
Whisk the cream to medium peak stage, spoon into a piping bag and pipe 12 swirls around the cheesecake, finish with a cigarillo or a chocolate shaving.
*A Bain Marie is a roasting tray filled half way with water, this helps to bake the cheesecake evenly and should help to prevent it from cracking.
