Our ruby-red Jubilee cheesecake recipe gives a nod to Her Majesty’s favourite cocktail with its Dubonnet and gin jelly topping.
Ingredients
For the shortbread base
90g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to grease
90g plain flour
45g caster sugar
45g semolina
For the filling
200g white chocolate, chopped, plus extra to serve
500g full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature (we used Philadelphia; see Know How)
180g mascarpone, at room temperature
250ml double cream, chilled
70g Scottish heather honey (see Know How)
For the Dubonnet jelly topping
3 gelatine leaves (platinum grade)
200ml Dubonnet
4 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp gin
1 tbsp grenadine
3-4 dashes orange or lemon bitters (optional)
Fresh raspberries to serve (optional)
Method
For the shortbread base, whizz all the ingredients with a pinch of salt in a food processor until the mixture comes together into a soft dough. Press the mixture into the prepared tin to make an even layer. Chill for 20 minutes until firm. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 160°C fan/gas 4, then bake the base for 30 minutes until light golden. Set aside to cool completely.
For the filling, melt the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, then set aside for a few minutes to cool. Meanwhile, combine the cream cheese and mascarpone in a large bowl and beat until smooth. Add the cooled chocolate and beat again until well combined.
In another bowl, whip the cream and honey to soft peaks (that flop over when you lift out the whisk). Gently fold the honey cream into the chocolate mix, then spoon it evenly over the base and level the top. Cover and chill for 3 hours until firm.
For the Dubonnet jelly topping, soak the gelatine leaves in a small bowl of cold water for 5 minutes. Put 100ml Dubonnet and the sugar in a small pan and heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Squeeze the gelatine leaves to remove any excess water, then stir them into the hot Dubonnet mixture until fully dissolved. Stir in the remaining Dubonnet, gin, grenadine and bitters, if using. Set aside until cool, then pour over the chilled cheesecake. Cover and chill again for at least 4 hours or until set (see Make Ahead). Decorate with fresh fruit and chocolate curls to serve, if you like.
