Raspberry Cheesecake and Doughnuts... Sort Of

When it comes to desserts I like to look at things differently. I was planning an American themed dinner party and, truth be told, the sort of desserts you find in the US aren't exactly what you would call delicate... But they are delicious. Having been lucky enough to go to New York a few times, I knew that I wanted play around with a cheesecake because New York cheesecake is one of those dishes that calls to my soul. So, with this in mind, I set about fancying up cheesecake and this is what I came up with.

A mound of crunchy crumble, two quenelles of tangy yet sweet cheesecake filling, some sugar-coated, fresh from the pan, still warm mini doughnuts and a generous dollop of sour raspberry sauce. Utter joy.

Raspberry Cheesecake and Doughnuts... Sort Of

Serves 4

For the crumble:

100g butter, diced and brought to room temperature 

100g plain flour 

100g caster sugar

For the cheesecake filling:

250g full-fat cream cheese 

250ml double cream 

125g crème fraîche 

125g caster sugar 

seeds scraped from 1 split vanilla pod

For the mini doughnuts: 

250g strong white flour 

pinch salt 

50g caster sugar, plus extra for dusting

30g butter, softened 

1 tsp fast-action yeast 

vegetable oil, for deep frying

For the raspberry sauce:

400g frozen raspberries

For the crumble, preheat an oven to 160C/320F/Gas 3. Mix the sugar and flour together, then use your fingers to rub in the butter until the mixture forms a crumble-like texture. Line a baking tray with parchment and sprinkle the crumble mixture over, place into the oven for 10 minutes or until crunchy. Leave to cool. Once cooled, break into pieces blitz in a food processor until it resembles breadcrumbs.

For the cheesecake filling, combine the soft cheese, cream, crème fraîche, sugar and vanilla seeds in a large bowl. Whisk together well until thick, cover and refrigerate until needed.

For the mini doughnuts, combine the flour, salt, and caster sugar in a large bowl. Mix in the butter, 150ml water and yeast until the mixture comes together to form a smooth dough. Cover with cling film and set aside in a warm place for about an hour, or until doubled in size. 

Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and roll each into a ball. Line a baking tray with baking parchment and place the dough balls onto it, leaving plenty of room between each ball. Cover with a tea towel and set aside in a warm place to prove for a further 20 minutes. 

When the dough has proved, heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 150C/320F. Alternatively, heat the oil in a deep, heavy-based saucepan until a breadcrumb sizzles and turns brown when dropped into it. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) Carefully lower the doughnuts into the hot oil in batches and deep-fry for 3-4 minutes, or until golden-brown. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on kitchen paper. When the excess oil has drained off the doughnuts, place them onto a plate and dust with the remaining caster sugar until completely coated.

Make a sauce by blending the raspberries to a purée in a food processor. Pass through a sieve and discard any seeds.

To serve, pile the crumble into a line across the centre of a plate. Spoon two generous dollops (or quenelles, if you're fancy) onto each side of the crumble line, place the doughnuts on either side of the crumble and spoon sauce around the side.