We will celebrate our national bard, Robert Burns, on January 25.
Haggis, neeps and tatties along with a dram – or two – of whisky is the traditional way of remembering him. However, this dessert recipe from Drambuie is a Scottish take on a traditional classic to round off your meal.
A delicious twist on a classic Burns Night dessert, this tempting cheesecake features Drambuie-steeped toasted oats and Scottish raspberries, renowned for being the best, and is the perfect accompaniment to a Drambuie Iced Espresso.
The perfect drink for raising a toast to the famous poet after dinner.
Drambuie Burns Night cranachan cheesecake
Serves 8
You will need:
- 1 x 7-inch springform cake tin with deep sides
Ingredients
For the base:
- 125g digestive biscuits
- 40g rolled oats
- 85g butter
For the toasted oats:
- 75g rolled oats
- 75ml Drambuie liqueur
For the cheesecake filling:
- 500g cream cheese (full fat)
- 85g set honey (preferable
- Scottish heather honey)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tbsp soured cream
- 2 tbsp Drambuie liqueur
- 175ml double cream (48% fat)
- 150g fresh raspberries (do not use frozen)
For the raspberry topping:
- 200g fresh raspberries
- 1½ tbsp caster sugar
- 1½ tsp cornflour
- 1½ tsp water
Method
- To prepare the base, blitz the biscuits in a food processor until they resemble fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the oats and pulse a few times until they are broken down but still have a little texture.
- Melt the butter and stir in the biscuit and oat mixture. If the removable base of your cake tin has a lip around the edge, then flip it over and use the flatter side. Secure in place with the springform mechanism and line the base with a circle of baking parchment.
- Press the biscuit base into the tin. Spread it around and press it down firmly using the back of a spoon.
- Put it into the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
- Put the oats into a dry frying pan and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently until they begin to pick up colour and turn golden.
- Take off the heat, tip into a bowl and pour in the Drambuie. Mix well then set aside to cool and soak up the liqueur for at least 30 minutes.
- To make the cheesecake filling, in a medium bowl beat the cream cheese, honey and salt together with electric beaters until smooth. Next beat in the Drambuie and soured cream.
- Pour the double cream into the batter and beat for 1-2 minutes until the cream is mixed in and the batter turns thick – it should need encouragement to fall from a spoon (a firm shake or tapping the spoon on the side of the bowl).
- To assemble the cheesecake, spoon half of the batter over the base of the cheesecake ensuring it reaches to the edges.
Press the raspberries in and scatter two-thirds of the oats over the top. - Spoon the remaining batter over the top of the cheesecake, spread it to the edges and level the top using a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Cover carefully and transfer to the fridge for at least six hours to set fully.
When the cheesecake has fully set, unmould it from the tin by running a thin sharp knife around the edge of the cheesecake before releasing the spring mechanism. Slide it carefully on to a serving plate and return it to the fridge. - To make the topping, reserve 50g of the raspberries, then roughly chop the rest and put into a small saucepan with the water, sugar and cornflour.
- Cook over a gentle heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the raspberries break down and the sauce thickens and becomes clear.
- Suspend a sieve over a bowl and pass the topping through the sieve, pressing the fruit down using the back of a spoon to extract all the sauce. Let it cool for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, quarter the reserved raspberries, then toss them in the sauce.
Spoon the topping over the cheesecake, leaving a 1-2cm border around the edge of the cheesecake. - Carefully scatter the remaining toasted oats around the border. Either serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 48 hours before serving.