Bake Off star Stacey Hart’s cheesecake fit for the Royal wedding!

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s big day coincides with the start of Shavuot, so we asked Great British Bake Off finalist Stacey Hart to rustle up a special cheesecake for the occasion!

Equipment

• Eight-inch lined springform cake tin
• Eight-inch cake tin sprayed on the outside and
  covered with parchment
• Lined baking tray
• Stand mixer

Ingredients

For the base

• 300g ginger biscuits (crushed in a freezer bag into fine breadcrumbs)
• 125g Melted butter

For the cheesecake

• 300 ml double cream
• 2 tsp Vanilla bean paste
• 1 tsp Pitaya powder
• 360g Philadelphia cheese
• 70g Icing Sugar

Pavlova

• 90g Egg whites (room temp)
• ¼ tsp Cream of tartar
• 180g Caster sugar
• Cream for pavlova
• 200ml double cream
• 250-300g mixed berries

Method

1. In a bowl, combine the crushed biscuits and melted butter.
2. Pour into the lined cake tin and push down and even out to the edges.
3. Refrigerate to set for around 45 mins.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the cream together with the vanilla essence and pitaya powder (or food colouring, if preferred) until stiff peaks are formed.
5. In a separate bowl, mix together the cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth.
6. Whisk into the whipped cream.
7. Spoon on top of the base, even out and refrigerate for three hours.
8. Make the meringue: Start whipping the egg whites slowly and then speed up to get the mixture to soft peaks.
9. Spoon in the caster sugar a spoon at a time (allowing the meringue to become full again after each addition).
10. When all the sugar has been added, whisk for another 10 mins until all the sugar is dissolved and the meringue is super thick.
11. On a lined baking tray, make an outline of a circle on the other side to follow, if you like.
12. Spoon out half the meringue and use the back of a spoon to shape it into a nest.
13. Put this in the oven and bake at 100 degrees conventional oven for around 45 mins.
14. Leave the meringue to cool.
15. When you are ready to serve, assemble the cake.
16. Whip the double cream into soft peaks.
17. Place the pavlova nest on top of the cheesecake.
18. Add the whipped cream and arrange fruit on top.
19. Serve and enjoy! Mazeltov Harry and Meghan!

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