Very Vanilla & Honey Baked Cheesecake

Ever put something in the oven and had no idea what it would turn out like?

Last night I played about inventing recipes with a tub of the creamiest honey and vanilla greek yoghurt which I was very lucky to receive for free from Greek Gods Lucky me hey? The challenge was to create a recipe fit for a Greek God or at least for a loved up couple.. Hmmm. I had several ideas.. Chocolate, honey and vanilla mousse or perhaps honey and vanilla ice cream but finally I decided to see if I could create a baked cheesecake using yoghurt instead of cream/cream cheese. Well I am happy to say it worked! Woohoo.

I only had the one attempt and already I know what to do differently next time. I would double my filling recipe as I prefer a deeper cheesecake. I would add some ginger biscuits in place of half of the digestives for some extra zing but really it was beautiful. Just as creamy and delicious as a traditional cheesecake but with a lighter, fresher texture if that makes sense?

Anyway without further ado here is the recipe for my Very Vanilla & Honey Greek Yoghurt Cheesecake:

You will need:

For the base:

16 digestive biscuits
100g butter melted

For the filling:
Approx 450g or 2 cups of Greek Gods honey & vanilla yoghurt
150g or 2/3 cup of caster sugar ( I used my homemade vanilla sugar)
2 whole medium eggs
1 tbsp of cornflour
1 Vanilla pod – seeds scraped out ( or 2 tsp of vanilla extract or paste)

Preheat oven to gas mark 3 or 180.
Brush a little melted butter from your 100g over base of a 23cm springform tin and line the base only with baking parchment. Mix your digestives in a food processer until there are no big chunks then add your butter and mix until all butter is combined with your biscuit mix. Spoon into base of tin and level with back of spoon until flat. Bake uncovered in oven for 15 minutes and then leave to cool while you prepare your filling.

No longer weaning but still using my babycook!

I like mixing by hand

Tip your yoghurt, sugar, eggs, vanilla and flour into a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
Pour onto your base ( which should have cooled for a min of 5 mins ) and bake for approx 30 minutes. Your cheesecake should look set with a slight jiggle in the middle and be starting to come away from side of tin. Do not overbake or the top will crack. Leave to cool in tin and then once cool chill in the fridge ( still in tin ) for at least 3 hours. When you are ready to serve remove the side of tin very carefully! Slice and plate up before drizzling some warmed honey over each slice. Enjoy!

I damaged the top by testing for a jiggle with my finger

Yum!

My verdict: it definitely feels less naughty than a normal cheesecake but just as indulgent to taste.

Myself and my OH enjoyed it with lots to spare and I’m sure he loves me that little bit more now 😉

I would recommend the yoghurt on its own too.. Creamy and sweet!

*This is my entry into the Greek Gods recipe competition