Honey cheesecake

Creamy, luscious, mild, and dense yet light. One of the best cheesecakes for this festive season.

base:
180 g Scottish oat cake cookies
70 g melted butter
20 g honey

filling:
700 g cream cheese, room temp
1 vanilla pod, seeds only
130 g golden caster sugar
25 g cornstarch
130 g light honey from various flowers
3 medium eggs, room temp
280 g sour cream
1/4 tsp sea salt

Heat the oven to 200°C from the top and bottom. Place the rack one level below the middle. Line the bottom of a 23 cm diameter cake pan with parchment paper. Prepare the base. Butter the sides of the pan.

Process the cookies so they are quite fine and place them in a bowl. Add the butter and honey and mix. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan about 5 mm thick. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and then remove.

Place cream cheese and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat for 1-2 mins. Add starch and sugar and beat for another 1-2 mins until blended. Beating on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating each one in well and scraping down the sides. Turn the mixer to low, and add sour cream, honey, and salt. Mix everything well at low speed just until fully incorporated, not longer.

Pour the filling into the pan. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 140° and bake for 1 h 15 minutes. The middle must be a bit jiggly. Remove from the oven and let cool until it reaches room temp. Only then, not earlier, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 12 hours for the flavors to meld.

When the cake is cool, serve it either with roasted hazelnuts, some honey, or berries.