Cheesecake with speculoos

This recipe will yield a 24 cm cheesecake, enough for about 12 servings.

You’ll need a springform pan and a container large enough to fit it for the water bath

Base

grease and line the springform with parchment paper
crush the speculoos cookies finely (a high speed blender works well, or use your hands if you need to)
melt the butter
mix the butter with the cookie crumbs
press the mixture firmly into the springform pan

beat the cream cheese, sugar, and speculoos paste together until creamy
add the eggs one at a time, mixing briefly after each addition (don’t overmix)
in a separate bowl, mix the sour cream and vanilla extract
add the sour cream mixture to the cream cheese mixture while mixing
gently fold in the flour
pour the batter into the prepared base and smooth the top
preheat the oven to 150°C
prepare your tray for the water bath (optional, but prevents cracking)
line the springform with aluminium foil to prevent water seeping in
place the springform pan in the tray with water
bake for about 60 minutes until the edges arefirm, but the center should still be jiggly when shaken
stop the oven and let the cake cool down with the oven door open slightly
once it’s cooled to room temperature, remove from the oven and refrigerate for at least 4 hours