Ingredients

For the base

• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) (0.5 fl oz) golden syrup
• 100 g (3½ oz) melted butter
• 225 g (8 oz) oat biscuits (such as "Hob Nobs"), crushed.

Cheesecake mix

• 30 g (1 oz) butter
• 4 tablespoons (50 g or 2 oz) caster sugar
• 4 chopped bananas
• 4 leaves gelatine
• 4 tablespoons (60 ml or 2 fl oz) banana liqueur
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 75 g (3 oz) caster sugar
• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) mascarpone
• 250 g (9 oz) soft cheese
• 2 bananas, thinly sliced
• 30 g (1 oz) icing sugar

Sauce to serve with cheesecake

• 300 ml (½ pt) double cream
• 50 g (2 oz) Demerara sugar
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml or 0.32 fl oz) black treacle
• 1 chopped banana
• Handful of crushed pecan nuts

Specialist equipment

• 25 cm (10 in) loose bottomed flan tin
• Blow torch
• Blender
• Electric whisk

Method

The base

1. Melt the butter in a pan, add the golden syrup and stir in the crushed biscuits.

2. Press the mixture into the base of the flan tin and set aside to cool.

Cheesecake mix

1. Melt the butter and caster sugar in a non stick frying pan. Add the chopped bananas and coat them in the mixture, keeping them on the move in the pan until golden.
2. Leave to cool for 5–10 minutes and blend thoroughly to obtain a smooth purée.
3. Soak the gelatine leaves in water for 1–2 minutes.
4. Gently warm the banana liqueur in a pan (do not boil as this will stop the gelatine from setting). Squeeze out the excess water from the softened gelatine and add to the warmed liqueur. Remove from heat and stir until the gelatine has dissolved.
5. Using an electric whisk, cream the egg yolks and the sugar until pale. Add the mascarpone and soft cheeses, banana purée and liqueur (with gelatine). Mix thoroughly with a spatula until smooth.
6. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold into the cheesecake mixture. Pour the mixture over the chilled base and leave it to set in the fridge for 2 hours.Take it out of the tin and top it with the sliced banana. Sprinkle icing sugar over it and glaze it, using a blow torch.

Sauce

1. Place all the ingredients in a pan and boil until smooth.
2. As it cools, add the diced banana and a handful of crushed pecan nuts.

Did you know?

Athletes swear by bananas for their slow energy release. Famously popular with tennis players, if you want a quick fix for flagging energy levels, there’s no better snack than a banana. They contain three natural sugars — sucrose, fructose and glucose — and, combined with the starch, a banana gives both an instant as well as a sustained boost of energy.

Content last updated: 17/05/2007

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