CRANACHAN CHEESECAKES

Last night was Burns Night, and Scots all over the world will have celebrated the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns with a Burns Supper.  Traditionally a Burns Supper consists of haggis, neeps and tatties and usually ends with Cranachan, a traditional Scottish dessert made from a mixture of whipped cream, whisky, honey, and fresh raspberries with toasted oatmeal.

This year I decided to do cranachan with a bit of a twist and turn it into a cheesecake. I tested a baked cheesecake but it didn’t quite work out. I amended a couple of things and tried it again.  It was nice, but not great. So I decided to do an unbaked one instead, and that turned out beautifully. These mini versions are the perfect size to round of a Burns Supper.

Ingredients (makes 6)
For the base
90g oatcakes
45g butter, melted
honey

For the filling
250g cream cheese (I used Philadelphia)
100ml double cream
60g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
handful raspberries
handful of oats

Start by melting the butter in a small pan. Whizz the oatcakes in a food processor and add in the melted butter. Then add a drizzle of honey and stir through.

Add a tablespoon of the mixture into each cupcake case and pat down until smooth.

Refrigerate for half an hour or so until firm. Alternatively you can place them in the freezer if you want to speed up the process.

Whisk the cream and sugar in a mixing bowl until it starts to thicken then add the cream cheese. Mix again and add in the vanilla extract.

Take the cupcake cases out of the fridge and get your raspberries ready.  Place three or four raspberries on the oaty base then add a good dollop of the cream cheese mixture on top and smooth the top.

Place in the fridge for 3-4 hours.  Meanwhile, toast some oats in a dry frying pan until they start to turn golden. I then made a raspberry sauce to go with the cheesecakes.  I simply placed a handful of raspberries into a pan with a tablespoon of caster sugar and a squeeze of lemon, probably about 1 tsp. I simmered for about 3 minutes by which time the raspberries were soft and juicy. You can taste as you go along. If you have tart raspberries, or just a very sweet tooth, you can add more sugar if you like.

I placed the raspberries in a sieve and pressed through to make a smooth purée.

Once the cheesecakes are ready, take out of the fridge, remove the cases, top the cheesecakes with some of the toasted oats and serve with some raspberry purée.

The base is beautiful and oaty, with the taste of the honey in the background. The tart raspberries cut through the sweetness of the cheesecake and the toasted oats add texture. This is a really lovely alternative to a traditional cranachan and shouldn’t be confined to be eaten just once a year, I will definitely be making these again.