My Instant Pot cheesecake was such a triumph that I had to do something special with it. So this Cheesecake is topped with homemade Salted Tahini Caramel, gooseberries & toasted flaked almonds. It’s a culmination of my love for tahini (and middle eastern ingredients), deep dark & buttery caramel, salty desserts and gorgeous gooseberries that not only look beautiful – this sweet, yet tart berry works a dream with this combination. Why tahini you may ask? It adds another layer of flavour and mouthfeel to the salty dark caramel that I can’t quite explain. My palate loves it. Use it or lose it. Your choice.
There’s definitely an Autumnal mood going on here – so let’s just say, it’s Autumn somewhere in the world right now – particularly, my home – Cape Town, South Africa.
The topping options are endless. Think Lemon curd and Fresh berries, Caramel & Bruleed Bananas, Passionfruit Curd or Coulis, Chocolate Ganache & Strawberries, Crème Fraiche, Grilled Peaches & Honey – whatever inspires you, whatever the season is, whatever you have in your kitchen – You do You!
I simply used my usual go to cheesecake recipe I’ve been using for years and tried it out in the Instant Pot. Once again, my mind was blown – the results were perfect! For those who don’t own an Instant Pot, I’ve got you covered on how to bake this cheesecake in an oven. The main thing is, you need a 7 inch (perfect for an Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker) or 20 cm springform baking tin.
Cheesecake with Salted Tahini Caramel, Gooseberries & Toasted Flaked Almonds
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- 7 inch or 20 cm springform baking tin
Ingredients
Cheesecake
- 150 g gingersnap biscuits
- 50 g melted butter
- 500 g full fat cream cheese room temperature
- 100 g caster sugar
- 15 ml corn flour
- ½ lemon juice and zest
- 125 ml cream room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 5 ml vanilla essence
- pinch of salt
Salted Tahini Caramel Sauce (Makes +- 250 ml)
- 200 g caster sugar
- 85 g butter cut into cubes
- 125 ml cream heated
- 30 ml tahini optional
- 5 ml Malden salt to taste
Toppings
- 50 g flaked almonds toasted
- 125 g gooseberries optional
- Malden salt for sprinkling
Instructions
The Cheesecake
- Place biscuits into a blender and crush until fine. Add to a bowl and mix in the melted butter until well combined.
- Line the bottom and sides of your springform tin with baking paper. Press the buttery crumbs evenly into the lined tin to make a solid base. Pop in the freezer while preparing the cheesecake filling.
- Add the cream cheese, sugar, corn flour, lemon, cream, eggs and vanilla to a large bowl. Whisk vigorously by hand until well combined and smooth. You can use a hand beater too - just don't overbeat it. Season with a pinch of salt.
- Pour the cheesecake mixture into the chilled prepared springform tin. Gently cover with foil.
- Place the trivet into the Instant Pot and pour in 250 ml boiling water.
- Carefully add tin into pot onto the trivet.
- Seal with the lid and press Cake or Pressure Cook setting and choose High pressure for 28 minutes.
- Release the steam and remove lid. Take tin out immediately. Remove foil and with a paper towel, dab any moisture droplets on the surface of your cake. It should be jiggly - don't panic! Leave in the tin and allow to cool to room temperature before covering and chilling in the fridge for at least 8 hours. This allows it to firm up to achieve that ultra creamy texture.
- OVEN OPTION: Prepare everything the same way, simply bake, uncovered in a 170°C oven for 35 - 40 minutes (depending on tin depth). Chill the same way.
Salted Tahini Caramel
- Heat sugar with 15 ml water over low heat in medium heavy based pot.
- Once 90% of the sugar has dissolved and turned into a golden brown colour ( I like to brown my sugar a bit more for flavour) - remove form the heat and whisk in the butter bit by bit.
- Meanwhile, heat the cream and tahini together in the microwave. It is important that this is very warm.
- Return pot back to the heat and add heated cream and tahini and whisk vigorously until well combined and smooth.
- Season with Malden salt.
- Allow to cool completely before serving.
Adorn
- Carefully remove cheesecake from the tin and slide onto a serving plate.
- Spread a generous layer of salted tahini caramel onto the cake.
- Top with gooseberries and toasted almonds.
- Sprinkle with Malden Salt.
- Enjoy!
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