Lemon Cheesecake with Cinnamon Doughnuts

Vanilla sponge:

Lemon cheesecake:

To finish:

Vanilla sponge:
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20 cm springform pan with baking paper. 

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Beat the eggs and the castor sugar until creamy and pale.

Beat the oil, hot milk, vanilla essence and lemon essence together. Add the lemon zest.

Add to the egg mixture and then to the dry ingredients. Mix in gently.

Pour into the prepared springform pan and bake for 20 minutes or until skewer inserted comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the pan. Turn out, remove paper and flip over onto the base of the pan.

Cut a 65 cm long piece of baking paper and fold in three lengthways. Spray the one side with baking spray.

Position around the cake and replace the ring with the sprayed side facing inside. Reclamp to secure.

Lemon cheesecake:
Mix the jelly with the boiling water and leave to cool.

Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest together. Mix with the cooled jelly mixture.

Whip the cream until stiff. Gently fold into the cream cheese mixture.

Spoon on top of the prepared cake in the pan. Refrigerate until set.

Release springform pan. Carefully pull the paper off and transfer cake to a serving plate using a spatula.

To finish:
Decorate with doughnuts and strawberries. Drizzle with caramel.

HINTS & TIPS:

• Use a metal spoon for folding the cream into the jelly and cream cheese mixture, to ensure a light and fluffy cheesecake layer.
• Use sliced koeksisters instead of cinnamon doughnuts to decorate.
• Use orange essence, zest and jelly instead of lemon essence, zest and jelly for an orange variation.
• For easy drizzling of caramel sauce, place caramel drizzle in a small zip lock bag. Snip off a small corner of the bag before drizzling over.