Baked Cheesecake Smothered in Salted Caramel

Remove the base of a round, deep 20cm (8 inch) springform cake tin and cover with foil, grease with a little oil and replace back into the tin.

Grind the broken cookies in a food processor until it resembles sand. Stir through the melted butter and press into the base and up the sides of the cake tin. Place in the refrigerator for 15 – 20 minutes to set.

Preheat the oven to 170C (340F).

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, caster sugar, vanilla and lemon juice until smooth and well combined. Add the eggs a little at a time until smooth.

Pour into the base and bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until cheesecake is set and slightly coloured on the surface. Remove from the oven leave on a rack to cool. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or longer to chill. Once chilled, gently remove sides and base of the cake tin.

For the Caramel:

In a medium saucepan, place the sugar in the centre. Drizzle a little water around edges of saucepan (around 4 tablespoons) surrounding the sugar. Turn the heat on to medium. Let the sugar melt and start to bubble.

The edges nearest the water will melt and bubble first. Disperse the sugar in the centre with a spoon if needed. Otherwise do not stir, rather, swirl the saucepan as the caramel starts to turn golden and sugar melts. Watch closely, as the caramel starts to colour, take it  off the heat before it burns and add butter, stir and add cream. Return to a low heat, add salt and let it bubble for another 30 seconds. Allow to cool.

When caramel and cheesecake are cold, place the cake on a large plate and pour the caramel over the cake. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.