As children, my brother and I would sit in the back of the car, in the front passenger seat our grandmother would while away the journey telling stories as our mother drove us to see one of our various relatives. One often visited aunt was ‘Aunty Vicky.’

Aunty Vicky’s house was always full of children, noisy fun and cake.  If we were lucky she would make,.. (Imagine the sounds of trumpets), Cheesecake!

Here is my take on Aunty Vicky’s Cheesecake.

Aunty Vicky’s Cheesecake

For the Base:

250g digestive biscuit

350g Mascarpone cheese

100g melted butter

350g soft cheese

284ml pot double cream

100g icing sugar

1 vanilla pod

For the topping:

400g Blueberries

3 tablespoons of caster sugar

Splash of water

1. The Biscuit Base: Butter and line a 23cm loose-bottomed tin. Put the biscuit crumbs in a bowl and mix together with the melted butter. Make sure you mix the butter and biscuit completely. Pour this mixture into the tin and press down all over to get a flat and even surface. Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours to set firmly.

2. The Filling: Remove the vanilla seeds from the pod by scraping the seeds out using a knife. Put the vanilla seeds, soft cheese, icing sugar in a bowl, and then use an electric mixer to beat it all together. Pour in the double cream and continue beating until the mixture is completely combined. When it’s all mixed together, pour/spoon the mixture all over the biscuit base, make sure there are no air bubbles. Leave it overnight in the fridge to set.

3. Topping: Put a few blueberries to one side for decoration. Put the remaining blueberries in a pan together with the sugar and a spoonful of water. Put on a low to medium heat for ten minutes.  Leave to cool.

4. Topping: Bring the cheesecake to room temperature. Put the base on top of a can and slowly ease the sides of the tin down. Finally, put the cake on the serving plate. Ensure the topping is cold before spooning some onto the centre of the cake. I then put the whole blueberries in the centre of the puree before sprinkling on icing sugar. I spoon on extra puree with each serving.

Then brace yourself because people will be fighting over the last bit.