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Actress and Celebrity Masterchef winner Lisa Faulkner shows Jenni how to cook the perfect cheesecake, from her book 'Recipes from my Mother for my Daughter'.

Vanilla Cheesecake

There are two main types of cheesecake - baked and non-baked. Lisa Faulkner's vanilla cheesecake is a light, fluffy, no-bake recipe with a crisp crunchy base.

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Tips and techniques

1. To crush the digestive biscuits, put them in a polythene bag. Tie or seal the bag, then bash with a rolling pin. Be sure to squeeze the air out of the bag first, otherwise it will pop.
2. If you don't have a springform tin you can use any flan dish, but leave the cheesecake in the dish to serve, otherwise it may fall apart.
3. Beat the cheese mixture until it is really soft.
4. When you whisk the cream mixture, you are adding in air which will help it set, so keep whisking until it is firm. And when you add it to the cheese mixture, fold gently with a metal spoon to avoid knocking the air out again.
5. For a slightly lower-calorie version you can use less butter (aim for around half the weight of the biscuits), and you can substitute full-fat cream cheese with half-fat cream cheese.

Ingredients

• 85g (3.5 oz) butter
• 1 dessertspoon caster sugar
• 140g (4.5 oz) digestive biscuits, crushed
• Fruit to finish
• Strong coffee or espresso, to serve
• 425g (15oz) cream cheese
• 160g (5.5 oz) caster sugar
• Grated rind of 1 lemon
• 160 ml (5.5 fl oz) soured cream
• 160 ml (5.5 fl oz) double cream
• A splash of vanilla extract

Preparation method

Melt the butter and the sugar together in a saucepan over a gentle heat and then pour into a bowl containing the crushed biscuits. Mix thoroughly.

Line a 23 cm (9 inch) springform cake tin with greaseproof paper. Spoon the biscuit mixture into the tin and press it down to form a firm, well-packed base. Leave in the fridge to set for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Beat the cream cheese in a bowl to soften it and then add half the sugar and the lemon rind. In a separate bowl, mix the soured cream, double cream, the remaining sugar and the vanilla extract together and then whisk until it forms firm peaks - you should be able to turn the bowl over your head and the mixture be firm enough to stay put.

Fold the cream cheese mixture into the cream and then pour it all onto the chilled biscuit base. Chill for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

To serve

You can top with fruit, if liked, and serve with little cups of strong coffee or espresso.

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