This indulgent and original recipe is the creation of Will Torrent, who has a reputation as a bit of a Willy Wonka in the exclusive world of high concept sweets and has worked with many top chefs from Jamie Oliver to Heston Blumenthal. In this recipe, he combines fragrant and rich tastes with his extraordinary skills to make something quite wonderful.
Prep Time 1 hour
Serves 4
Cook Time 1 hour
Difficulty Easy
Ingredients
Base:
- 25ml extra virgin olive oil
- Handful of ground cacao nibs
- 25g (0.9oz) butter
- 150g (5.3oz) Amaretti biscuits; crushed
Cheesecake Layer:
- 500g (1.1lb) Mascarpone
- 250g (8.8oz) Ricotta cheese
- 3 Eggs
- 180g (2.8oz) Sugar
- Oranges: zest of 2
- 1 Vanilla Pod
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
- Small handful of ground cacao nibs
Strawberry Topping:
- 250g (8.8oz), fresh strawberries
- 1 bunch fresh basil, torn
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Basil olive oil: to drizzle
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F).
Grease the sides and base of a 20cm (7.8″) springform/loose-bottomed cake tin. Place a disc of greaseproof or silicone paper on the bottom.
Base
- Put the amaretti biscuits into a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Mix the crushed biscuits with melted butter, olive oil, and crushed cacao nibs.
- Tip the base mixture into the prepared tin and press down to form an even layer using a spatula.
Cheesecake Layer
- Place mascarpone, ricotta, eggs, sugar, olive oil, remaining crushed nibs, orange zest, and vanilla extract into a mixer.
- Mix until smooth.
- Pour the mixture onto the biscuit base in the tin and gently shake the tin to level the cheesecake mixture.
Bake
- Bake in the center of the oven for 45-50 minutes or until the cheesecake is golden. It should still have a bit of a wobble in the middle when it comes out of the oven, but the residual heat will set this last bit as it cools.
- Cover and leave to cool completely before putting it in the fridge overnight.
Prepare the Topping
- Run a knife around the edge to loosen the cheesecake and remove it from the tin. Transfer to a serving plate.
- Place strawberries in a bowl with torn basil (always tear basil, never cut it with a knife to avoid bruising).
- Spoon the strawberry mix over the cheesecake.
- Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil or basil olive oil.
Serve to insane applause!