Cranberry cheesecake cake

This cranberry cheesecake cake is a wonderful winter bake featuring a light butter cake, a creamy cheesecake layer and tart fresh cranberries. It’s simple to make, beautifully delicate, and the cranberries perfectly balance the sweetness of the cake. A light dusting of icing sugar is all it needs to look elegant. Perfect both as an everyday treat and for festive occasions.

Ingredients for the cake:

• 125 g butter
• 150 g caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 8 g vanillin sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 180 g plain flour
• 60 g potato starch
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• 90 g sour cream

All the ingredients should be at room temperature. Mix together the flour, potato starch and baking powder and set aside.

Place the butter, sugar and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Sift the dry ingredients directly into the butter mixture, add the sour cream and gently fold together with a spatula until just combined.

Grease and line a 23 × 30 cm baking tin with baking paper. Spread the batter evenly into the tin.

Ingredients for the cheesecake layer:

• 400 g full-fat or semi-fat curd cheese, finely ground three times
• 50 g butter
• 2 large egg yolks
• 110 g caster sugar
• 8 g vanilla sugar
• 2 teaspoons potato starch

All the ingredients should be at room temperature.

Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, beating until combined. Add the curd cheese and potato starch and mix until smooth and fully incorporated. Spoon the cheesecake mixture over the cake batter and gently spread it into an even layer. Scatter the cranberries evenly over the top.

Additionally:

• 250 g fresh cranberries
• icing sugar, for dusting

Bake at 170°C for about 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven, allow to cool, dust generously with icing sugar, then slice and serve.

Enjoy!