Hot cross bun cheesecakes

A creamy dessert that tastes exactly like your favourite Easter bake – the hot cross bun. Top with orange zest, juice and a drizzle of icing for the characteristic cross

  • Prep:15 mins
    Cook:40 mins
    plus chilling
  • Serves 6
  • Easy

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 533
  • fat 31g
  • saturates 19g
  • carbs 55g
  • sugars 44g
  • fibre 1g
  • protein 7g
  • salt 0.9g

Ingredients

  • 150g ginger biscuits
  • 25g sultanas
  • 25g mixed peel
  • 50g butter
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 280g pack cream cheese
  • 25g caster sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 100g mascarpone
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 150g icing sugar
  • ½ orange, zest and juice

Method

  1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter 6 x 150ml capacity ramekins. Place the ginger biscuits in a food processor and blitz until chopped into very small pieces then add the sultanas and mixed peel and blitz again just once or twice to combine.

  2. Melt the butter in a pan, then mix in the cinnamon followed by the biscuit mixture. Divide equally between the ramekins, so the base of each is covered with a layer about 1cm thick. Press down a little with the back of a teaspoon then bake them on a tray in the oven for 10 mins until crisp and golden. Leave to cool, then turn oven down to 150C/130C fan /gas 2.

  3. Whisk together all the cheesecake filling ingredients until smooth. Place the ramekins on a baking tray and pour some mixture into each one, filling to about 1cm below the rim. Carefully slide them into the oven and cook for 25-30 mins until just set. The mixture should still be ever so slightly wobbly when gently tapped. Don’t worry if it dips a little or cracks. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before covering with cling film and putting in the fridge. You can make to this point up to 2 days ahead.

  4. To make the decoration, place the icing sugar into a large bowl and add enough orange juice to make a stiff paste. Transfer to a disposable piping bag and snip off the end. Run a small knife around the edge of the cheesecakes and turn them out onto a board so that the biscuit layer is facing upwards. Use the orange icing mixture to pipe a cross on the top of each one then use a cake slice or palette knife to place onto plates then sprinkle with the orange zest before serving.

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