Cheesecake with fresh berries (V)

This is a great summer dessert: a hybrid between a New York cheesecake and the German baked versions with quark. Feel free to experiment with different types of fruit - either baked into the cake, or bake the cake plain and add fresh fruit, or even jam to decorate the top afterwards.

Serves 8

For the base

200g butter biscuits

100g butter

1 tsp brown sugar

For the cake

150g sugar

1.5 tbsp flour

1 tbsp cornflour

225g cream cheese

50g butter, softened

225g quark

2 eggs

1 tbsp lemon juice

0.5 tsp vanilla extract

200g fresh berries (e.g. raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, or a mixture)

Heat the oven to 160°C/325°F/gas 3. Butter a 20cm round cake tin (springform will make your life easier, but is not necessary).

First, make the base. Blitz the biscuit to fine crumbs in a food processor (or my putting them into a large plastic bag and bashing them with a rolling pin. Melt the butter in a pan and combine with the biscuit crumbs and sugar. Pack into the base of the cake tin.

For the cake, beat the cream cheese, butter and quark together with an electric whisk until creamy and softened. Whisk in the sugar, flour and cornflour, and finally the eggs, vanilla extract and lemon juice, until well mixed. Pour into the cake tin, over the biscuit base, and scatter with the fresh berries.

Bake for about 50 minutes until set, except for a slight wobble in the centre. Rotate the tin occasionally in the oven, if it is not browning evenly.

Leave to cool, slice and serve. It is best at room temperature, but can be refrigerated and will keep well in the fridge for up to three days.