Tamarillo Gingernut Cheesecake

Preheat the oven to 160°C regular oven or 140°C fanbake. Line the bottom of a round 20cm springform cake tin with baking paper.

Break up the gingernuts a bit and place them in a food processor. It helps if you have slightly soft gingernuts. Blend them until they become fine crumbs. Add in the melted butter and mix until it becomes a clumpy mixture. Tip the mixture into the lined cake tin and use the back of a spoon to spread it out. Make sure you get crumb about ¾ of the way up the sides of the tin.

Beat the cream cheese until just smooth. (I use a stand mixer for this). Add in the sugar and the flour and beat until combined. Add in the sour cream, the vanilla and the lemon zest and beat until just combined. Lastly add eggs in one at a time, beating for only a few seconds in between each addition.

Pour the mixture into the cake tin and drop pieces of chopped tamarillo on top.

Bake the cheesecake in the middle of the oven for approximately 1 hour, until the top is slightly puffed and only very lightly browned. Turn off the oven and open the door a crack. Let the cheesecake cool right down for about an hour in the oven. When the cheesecake has nearly finished cooling, begin the topping.

Combine the chopped tamarillo, lemon juice and sugar in a pot over low-medium heat. Cook the tamarillo for around 4-5 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and they are softening. In a bowl, mix the water and cornflour to create a slurry. Add this mixture to the tamarillos and bring it to a boil. Keep whisking as the mixture bubbles and thickens. Once thick, remove it from the heat.

Spoon the mixture onto the cheesecake and use a spatula or knife to spread it out carefully. Refrigerate the cheesecake in the pan for at least 6 hours, or overnight.