“WOW, this cheesecake tastes heavenly and is one of the best desserts we’ve ever created,” say Caribbean food experts, Craig and Shaun McAnuff.
”We’re huge fans of this dish, inspired by the traditional version from New York, which has a big Caribbean population. The filling is whipped together with cream, bananas and other sweet gems, and layered over a crunchy crust base.
“After baking, the cheesecake is decorated with mouth-watering banana fritters on top. Yup, we’re drooling as we speak, and we bet you are too!”
Jamaican banana fritter topped cheesecake
Equipment
- 23cm springform cake tin
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Saucepan or frying pan
Ingredients
For the base:
- 120 g digestive biscuits crushed
- 60 g butter melted, plus extra for greasing
For the filling:
- 400 g full-fat cream cheese
- 200 g soft light brown sugar
- 200 g sour cream
- 100 g double cream
- 3 eggs beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100 g plain flour
- 2 tsp cornflour
- 3 ripe bananas
- 2 tsp lemon juice
For the topping:
- 1 qauntity banaba fritter mixture (see below)
- Vegetable oil for shallow-frying
- 300 ml double cream whipped to soft peaks
- Handful of sliced strawberries and blueberries to decorate
- Icing sugar to dust
For the banana fritter mixture:
- 4 overripe bananas (or plantain) mashed
- 120 g soft brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 250 g plain flour
- 80 ml water
- Vegetable oil for shallow frying
Method
- Preheat your oven to 160°C Fan/180°C/Gas 4. Lightly butter a 23cm springform cake tin. Place the crushed biscuits in a bowl and stir in the melted butter. Tip the mixture into the greased tin and spread it evenly over the base, compacting it down. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then leave to cool.
- For the filling, combine the cream cheese and sugar in a bowl. Stir in the sour cream and double cream. Whisk in the eggs, then add the vanilla, plain flour and cornflour and mix to combine. Mash the bananas in a bowl with the lemon juice, then stir into the filling mixture. Spoon the filling over the cooled base and level it out. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C Fan/220°C/ Gas 7. Bake the cheesecake for 10 minutes, then turn down the oven temperature to 120°C Fan/140°C/Gas 1 and bake for a further 45 minutes to one hour, or until the centre has just a slight wobble. Switch off the oven and let the cheesecake cool inside for two hours.
- For the topping, heat vegetable oil in a pan to the depth of about 5cm. Using a tablespoon, drop walnut-sized spoonfuls of the banana fritter mixture (just mix all the ingredients together) into the hot oil and fry for two minutes or until golden. Spread the whipped cream over the top of the cheesecake. Dot the banana fritters over the cream, then scatter over the berries and dust with icing sugar.
Nutrition
Original Flava: Caribbean Recipes From Home by Craig and Shaun McAnuff, photography by Matt Russell, is published by Bloomsbury.
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