Creamy cassata cheesecake recipe

By Lizzie Kamenetzy & Lucy Williams

This creamy cheesecake is packed with nuggets of candied fruit and nuts - perfect for Christmas. Get ahead and make it in advance.

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Grease and line a 20cm loose-bottomed, springform cake tin. Crush the biscuits in a food processor (or put in a plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin), then mix with the melted butter. Spoon into the tin, then press down in an even layer using the back of a metal spoon. Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven to cool completely.
2. Using a free-standing or hand mixer, beat the ricotta, mascarpone, egg yolks, vanilla seeds, sugar and honey for 2 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Soak the gelatine sheets in a small bowl of cold water for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat the rum in a small pan until almost boiling, then remove from the heat. Squeeze any excess water from the gelatine, add to the warm rum, stirring until dissolved, then strain through a sieve into the cheesecake mixture. Mix well.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the cream to soft peaks, then fold through the cheesecake mix. Leave to stand in a cool place for 25 minutes. Fold through most of the fruit, peel, cherries, angelica and pistachios, then spoon into the cake tin. Smooth the top, then scatter over the remaining fruit and nuts.
5. Cover loosely with foil and chill for 3 hours or overnight. Remove from the tin and serve with extra honey drizzled over.

Per serving (based on 12): 562kcals, 42.5g fat (23.1g saturated), 7g protein, 30.4g carbs (24.9g sugars), 0.2g salt, 0.6g fibre

Make this the day before and keep chilled until ready to serve. Candied angelica is often used for cake decorating and is available from most health food and cake decorating shops.

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