Ingredients

Serves 8–10
Use a 21cm (8½ inch) round, 6cm (2½ inch) deep loose-bottomed cake tin (pan)
Base
90g (3oz/scant ½ cup/¾ stick) unsalted butter
200g (7oz) crunchy oat cookies
pinch of salt
Filling
500g (1lb 2oz) full-fat cream cheese at room temperature
100g (3½oz/½ cup/1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
80ml (3fl oz/⅓ cup) double (heavy) cream
200g (7oz/1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
30g (1¼oz/¼ cup) cornflour (cornstarch)
5 eggs
Fruit
400g (14oz) mixed summer berries or seasonal alternatives
2 tbsp icing (powdered) sugar
100ml (3½fl oz/generous ⅓ cup) water
juice of 1 lemon

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/180°C/350°F/gas 4. Line the base and sides of the tin (pan) with non-stick baking paper.
First, make the base. Gently melt the butter in a small pan and set aside. Crush the cookies to a fine crumb, either by hand or in a food processor and add a pinch of salt. Pour in the melted butter and combine well. Press the mixture evenly into the base of the lined tin (pan), smoothing out evenly with the back of a spoon. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove and leave to cool completely.
Turn the oven down to 100°C fan/120°C/240°F/gas ¼–½.
Beat together the cream cheese and the butter until smooth – it is important that both are at room temperature to ensure that the mix will be lump free. When smooth and well combined, add the cream, sugar, vanilla and cornflour (cornstarch). Mix until smooth, then beat in the eggs. Pour over the base, removing any air bubbles that rise to the surface.
Bake in the cooler oven for up to 2 hours, checking after the first hour, then again 30 minutes later. The cheesecake should have a slight wobble towards the centre when ready. Only remove from the oven at this point if you feel that it has set sufficiently, otherwise continue to cook for longer. That said, it is worth bearing in mind that the cheesecake will continue to set as it is cools. Remove from the oven but do leave it in the tin (pan) until completely cooled. Refrain from putting the cheesecake in the fridge as it will change the consistency completely, losing its luxury.
Wash and prepare the fruit, halving any larger berries. Add to a pan along with the sugar and water and gently simmer for 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and add a few drops of lemon juice – a certain level of tartness is a welcome contrast to the richness of the cheesecake.
Slice and serve with some of the fruit spooned over the top.

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