Delicious Banoffee Cheesecake

We love a good cheesecake and this one is something extra special. Banana and toffee are always a winning combination, and pairing them with cheesecake makes an incredibly delicious and decadent dessert. The flavours are rich yet light with creamy and airy cheesecake, sweet toffee and a fresh banana to finish it off. Make it for a special occasion to impress your guests, or splash out and make it for yourself this weekend – you deserve it!

Ingredients

• 70g unsalted butter, melted
• 3 teaspoons powdered gelatine
• 100g wholemeal biscuits, broken
• 2 eggs, separated
• 75g caster sugar
• 225g mascarpone
• 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds removed
• 300ml thick cream, whipped
• 2 bananas, sliced
• 50g flaked almonds, roasted

Toffee sauce

• 150ml thickened cream
• 75g unsalted butter
• 150g brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

1. Use a little of the melted butter to brush the base and sides of a 20cm springform pan. Line the base with baking paper.

2. Dissolve gelatine in 2 tablespoons hot water. Set aside. Crush the biscuits in a food processor. Combine remaining butter with biscuit crumbs and press into the base of the pan.

3. Place egg yolks, two-thirds of the sugar, the mascarpone and the seeds from the vanilla bean in an electric mixer and beat until pale. Add the gelatine and whipped cream. Beat eggwhites and remaining sugar in a bowl until stiff peaks form, then fold into the cheese mixture. Spoon over the base, then refrigerate overnight.

4. To make the toffee sauce, place all ingredients in a pan over low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Then increase heat to high and cook for a further 2 minutes. Set aside to cool, then refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving.

5. To serve, arrange banana slices on top of the cake, drizzle with the sauce and sprinkle with almonds.