An Unforgettable ANZAC Day Dessert: ANZAC Biscuit Cheesecake

This ANZAC Biscuit baked cheesecake is perfect if you looking for something delicious to serve on ANZAC Day to commemorate the occasion. This cheesecake starts with a home made ANZAC biscuit crust, a creamy vanilla filling and a salted coconut butterscotch sauce on top! This is a pushy recipe Dear Reader.

ANZAC Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that commemorates the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. It is observed every year on April 25th which is the anniversary of the ANZACs landing at Gallipoli during World War I. ANZAC Biscuits are the food most commonly associated with ANZAC Day. These biscuits are made with oats, flour, golden syrup, butter and sugar. They're absolutely delicious and very simple to make. This chewy and a crunchy version of ANZAC biscuit is one of my most popular recipes.

One time a friend brought over an ANZAC biscuit cheesecake. She had made it the night before and we cut into it. While it was nice and she had obviously done a great job, it was way too sweet for both of us (and she's a sweet tooth) and the ANZAC biscuit crust was really thick and solid as the base was one giant ANZAC biscuit so it was hard to eat. I decided to make one with a more balanced sweetness with a thin, perfectly moreish ANZAC biscuit crumb.

Tips For Making This ANZAC Biscuit Cheesecake

1 - I've given directions on how to make the ANZAC biscuit base yourself but you can certainly use store bought ANZAC biscuits if you want to skip this step and make it easier. You may have to add some more melted butter to the base however so that the mixture resembles damp sand.

2 - To get the crust thin and even up the sides I use a straight sided glass. I even call it my "cheesecake glass" haha! It also has a slight rise in the bottom centre of the glass so that it pushes the crumbs up and out and ensures that the corners (which is where it is too often too thick) are thin!

3 - To prevent the cheesecake cracking make sure to use room temperature cream cheese and eggs. You should be able to easily slide a knife through the cream cheese with very little resistance. Also bake the cheesecake in a water bath and once the cheesecake is baked, turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake to cool in the oven. Having said that you don't really have to worry about it cracking as it will have a butterscotch sauce on top!

4 - Cheesecake is always best when it has time to cool in the fridge overnight.

For some reason I always think that a cheesecake is a bit of a bigger production than a regular cake and I'm not sure why. A cheesecake does take longer to cook and once you get a water bath involved it seems intimidating. There's a bit of stop starting while it's cooking and cooling but I just use that time to catch up on things that I haven't been able to. Cheesecake is actually one of the easiest cakes and is always reliably delicious. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever had a bad home made cheesecake ever!

Speaking of catching up on things, I realised how reliant I am on the internet when I meet people that just don't spend any time on the internet at all. When I went to Antarctica I had very little internet and it was expensive - it cost $80USD for 1GB and I use about 1.5GB per day in my normal life. Instagram is the greatest drain of data for me so Mr NQN told me that I should avoid scrolling my feed. It was hard because it's second nature to me and it helps me keep up with what my friends are doing. I started to feel disconnected to people and could only Whatsapp people. Some of my closest relationships involve sending memes all day long.

One day when my internet ran out I started to have a panic attack while I was in my room by myself. "What if something happens to me and I just die in this room by myself? I can't tell anyone that I'm in trouble!" I thought to myself. I started breathing quickly and getting panicked. I threw on some layers and left my room sucking in the air. I had just had a mini panic attack. Once I was connected again I felt like I could relax. I was like a baby with a pacifier.

Once I got back onto land, I spent hours just browsing the internet. There was so much to catch up on and so much to see. Sometimes two or three hours would pass and I would wonder where all the time had gone! So while some people have addictions to shopping, drugs, sex or drink, it's an internet addiction for me.

So tell me Dear Reader, what addictions do you have? Will you be making anything for ANZAC day? Have you ever had a bad home made cheesecake?

ANZAC Biscuit Cheesecake

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 40 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 25 minutes for cake, 20 minutes for biscuits

For Biscuit or Cookie Base

• 1/2 cup/75g/2.7ozs plain flour
• 1/2 cup/45g/1.6ozs. rolled oats
• 1/4 cup/25g/0.9ozs. desiccated coconut
• 1/2 cup/110g/3.9ozs. caster sugar
• 1 tablespoons/15ml/0.5oz. hot water
• 1 tablespoon/25g/1ozs. golden syrup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon/2g bi carb
• 1/4 teaspoon/2g fine salt
• 65g/2.3ozs. melted butter
• 75g/2.6ozs melted butter extra

For Filling

• 750g/1.6lbs cream cheese, full fat, room temperature
• 120g/4ozs caster or superfine sugar
• 1 tablespoon custard powder or fine cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs, room temperature

For Butterscotch Caramel

• 90g/3ozs butter
• 90g/3ozs brown sugar
• 90ml/3flozs coconut cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 160C/320F and line 3 baking trays with parchment. Mix the flour, oats, coconut and caster sugar in a large bowl. Add the hot water to another bowl and then add golden syrup, vanilla, bicarb and salt and add melted butter and whisk.

Step 2 - Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until combined. Make tablespoon amount (or use a 3/4oz ice cream scoop, not a regular one) to shape balls. Place about 6 to a tray an inch apart. Bake for 15 minutes. Important: cool these biscuits for 10 minutes on the tray as they will be very delicate when warm but harden up on cooling.

Step 3 - Line the base and sides of a 20cm/8inch spring form tin. Place 350g/12.3ozs of the ANZAC biscuits in a food processor and process until you get fine crumbs. Mix in the melted butter and press down on the base and sides. I use a straight edged glass to help push the mixture up the sides. It should be thin on the base and sides with no holes. This takes time-around 10 minutes to get it just right. Place in the freezer until needed.

Step 4 - Place the cream cheese, sugar, custard powder, lemon juice and salt in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until smooth. If the cream cheese is soft it won't take long at all, around 30 seconds or so. Scrape down the sides halfway if needed. Then add eggs one at a time mixing well between additions - I whisk them in a small bowl before adding as I find they are better incorporated that way.

Step 5 - Preheat oven to 140°C/284°F fan forced. Put a kettle full of water onto boil. Take the tin out of the freezer and wrap two layers of foil around the tin to prevent any water seeping in. Place it in another baking tray with high sides. Pour the cream cheese filling on top of the frozen crust. Pour the boiling water on the tray around the cheesecake until it reaches halfway up the sides. Carefully slide this into the oven and bake for 1 hour and 10-15 minutes until the centre is still wobbly (it will firm up on cooling). Turn off the heat and allow to cool to room temperature in the oven. Remove the foil but keep the tin clipped and cover and chill in the fridge overnight.

Step 6 - The next day make the caramel sauce. Heat the butter until melted and then stir in the brown sugar, coconut cream, vanilla and salt. Whisk until you get a smooth mixture. Then place in a bowl of ice cubes to cool down (it will become thicker once it cools) stirring so that it cools evenly. Unclip the cheesecake and place on a cake stand or plate. Once the butterscotch mixture reaches a spreadable consistency (you can refrigerate to hasten the process of thickening the caramel) spread over the cake and make swirls with a knife. It is ready to serve.