Carrot and Ginger Cake Cheesecake

Method

For the sponges:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4.
2. Grease 2 x 23cm (9 inch) cake tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment. Grease the parchment.
3. Measure all the ingredients for the cake into a large bowl and beat well until thoroughly blended and smooth.
4. Turn into the prepared tin and level the surface.
5. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 1 hour until the cake is well risen and shrinking away from the sides of the tin.
6. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then peel off the parchment, and cool on a wire rack.
7. For the icing, measure all the ingredients, except the walnuts, into a bowl or into a food processor, and blitz until smooth. Spread over the top of the cake with a spatula and decorate the top with the walnut halves. Chill a little before serving and store in the fridge as the topping is soft.

For the icing:
1. Place all the ingredients, except the pecans and stem ginger, into a bowl, and whisk until smooth.
2. Add the ginger, and stir to combine.
Set aside until time to assemble, please see below.

For the cheesecake:
1. Heat the oven to 220C/ 200C fan/ gas 7.
2. Line the base and sides of a 23cm springform tin with parchment paper, and grease with melted butter.
In a food mixer or with an electric whisk, beat 900g full-fat soft cheese at medium low speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.
3. Slowly, a cupful at a time, add 250g golden caster sugar, then 3 tbsp plain flour and a pinch of salt, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure all is well combined.
4. Add vanilla extract, lemon zest and lemon juice.
5. Whisk in 3 large eggs and 1 yolk, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl and whisk.
6. Gradually add 200ml of the soured cream, reserve the rest.
7. Whisk to blend, careful to not over beat, it just needs incorporating into the batter
8. Pour the filling into the cake tin.
9. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
10. Reduce oven temperature to 110C/ 90C fan/ gas ¼ and bake for a further 45 minutes. The sides should be set and the middle should have a slight wobble visible.
11. Turn off the oven, and leave the cheesecake in the oven to cool down for 2 hours.
12. Do not worry if the surface cracks, as it will be hidden by the cake layer.

Assemble the cake:
1. Place one carrot cake layer on a serving plate.
2. Top with chilled cheesecake layer, then second carrot cake layer.
3. Spread the icing over the top of the cake with a spatula, allowing it to fall over the sides if desired (more syrup will mean the icing has a looser consistency to achieve this, if desired)
4. Decorate with pecans and crystallised ginger.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.