Manhattan Cheesecake

This is one of the cakes I return to time and again, but quite surprisingly, I haven't done one since I got my KitchenAid in July last year. It was a breeze on the KitchenAid this time, and it's the first time I've blitzed the biscuits in the chopper attachment of my faithful stick blender. I then transferred the biscuits to my stand mixer, and poured in the melted butter for a better mix-through for the base. I also made up the topping on the same night, then chilled it in the fridge after it cooled, so it was all ready the next morning. The cake in the photo below didn't last very long when I brought it to work today.

Sunflower oil, for brushing
85 g (3 oz) butter
200 g (7 oz) digestive biscuits, crushed
400 g (14 oz) cream cheese
2 large eggs
140 g (5 oz) caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
450 ml (16 fl oz) soured cream

For the berry topping:
55g (2 oz) caster sugar
4 tbsp water
250 g (9oz) fresh blueberries
1 tsp arrowroot

Preheat the oven to 190 deg C (375 deg F or Gas Mark 5). Brush a 20-cm (8-inch) springform tin with oil. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Stir in the biscuits, then spread in the tin. Stir in the biscuits, then spread them in the tin. Place the cream cheese, eggs, 100g (3 1/2 oz) of the sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla essence in a food processor. Process until smooth. Pour over the biscuit base and smooth the top. Place on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes until set. Remove from the oven and leave for 20 minutes. Leave the oven switched on.

Mix the cream with the remaining sugar and vanilla essence in a bowl. Spoon over the cheesecake. Return it to the oven for 10 minutes, leave to cool, then cover with clingfilm and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours, or overnight.

To make the topping, place the sugar in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of the water over a low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat, add the blueberries, cover and cook for a few minutes, or until they begin to soften. Remove from the heat. Mix the arrowroot and remaining water in a bowl, add to the fruit and stir until smooth. Return to a low heat. Cook until the juice thickens and turns translucent. Leave to cool.

Remove the cheesecake from the tin 1 hour before serving. Spoon the fruit topping over and chill until ready to serve.

Variation
You can vary the look and flavour of this cheesecake by using other berries to replace some or all of the blueberries, such as raspberries or blackcurrants.