Custard Apple & Ricotta Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust:

• 6 ginger biscuits (80 g)
• 1 tbsp butter, melted (20 g) To decorate

Filling:

• 500 g smooth ricotta
• 500 g cream cheese (two blocks)
• 4 eggs
• 1⁄3 cup granulated sugar (75 g)
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp lime zest
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Pinch sea salt
• 1/4 cup plain flour (40 g)
• 1 cup custard apple flesh – approximately 1 medium custard apple

Topping (Optional):

• 1/2 cup custard apple, extra
• 1 tsp lime zest
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 2 ginger biscuits, crumbled

Method

• Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush a round 23 cm springform tin with a bit of the melted butter.
• Crush or blitz the ginger biscuits to a fine meal. Scoop 2 tbsp of crumbs into the buttered tin and spread the biscuit meal around the sides, allowing any extra to settle in the base. Combine remaining butter and biscuit crumbs in a bowl and stir until just mixed. Press the mixture into the base of the tin, then pop the pan into the refrigerator while you make the filling.
• In a food processor, blend ricotta and cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs, sugar, juice, zest, vanilla and salt to the processor – blend again until thick and smooth. Stir through custard apple, then fold in flour.
• Pour mixture into prepared pan and gently crisscross a knife through the batter to break any air bubbles. Smooth the top of the cheesecake and place tin on a baking tray.
• Bake cheesecake for 45 minutes, then turn the heat off, prop the door open a centimetre or so with the end of a wooden spoon, and leave the cheesecake to cool in the oven for a further 1 hour.
• Remove cake from oven, place on a rack and cool completely before releasing the side of the pan. Top cake with extra custard apple segments, zest and crumbled biscuit to serve.

Tips:

• Smooth ricotta is usually found in the dairy aisle instead of the deli section of the supermarket. 
• You can also use an electric hand blender to make the filling instead of a food processor, however it may not be quite as smooth