Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake with Hot Brandy Sauce
1 cup plain flour
1/3 cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
125g butter
1 tablespoon BBCC HEAVENLY HABANERO CHILLI SAUCE
500g cream cheese
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
2 large green apples, peeled and thinly sliced
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
hot brandy sauce (page 61)
whipped cream (optional)
BRANDY SAUCE
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
6 tablespoons caster sugar
2 tablespoons BBCC HEAVENLY HABANERO CHILLI SAUCE
2 tablespoons apple juice
3 tablespoons brandy
2 tablespoons cream
makes 1½ cups
Combine flour, sugar and vanilla in a processor. Cut in butter by pulsing until the mixture has the consistency of coarse meal. Press into bottom and up sides of a 23 cm springform pan. Bake at 180°C for 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature and increase oven to 200°C. Pass the chilli sauce through a sieve and place in processor along with cream cheese and sugar. Blend until smooth. Add eggs and process until well combined. Spoon into crust. Mix apples with sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Spoon over cream cheese layer, spreading evenly, and sprinkle with walnuts. Bake for 15 minutes. Lower oven to 180°C and continue baking for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool cake to room temperature. Serve with a drizzle of hot brandy sauce and whipped cream.
MAKES serves 6
ADVANCE PREPARATION
Cheesecake can be made 2 days in advance and refrigerated. Bring cake to room temperature and heat sauce before serving.
BRANDY SAUCE
Melt butter in a saucepan and stir in brown and caster sugars. Pour the chilli sauce through a sieve into the pan and add remaining ingredients, stirring continuously while mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and serve warm over cheesecake.
ADVANCE PREPARATION
Sauce will keep for a week refrigerated.
VARIATIONS
Add ½ cup chopped toasted macadamias or pecans to the sauce just before serving.
