Base:

Preheat the oven to 140°C /275°F/gas 1.

Start by greasing and lining a 25 cm/10 inch spring-form cake tin with baking paper. 

Crush the biscuits with a rolling pin or in a food processor and melt the butter in a saucepan. 

Mix butter and biscuits together and press into the tin evenly using the back of a spoon.

Filling:

Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, soured cream and flour together until smooth. 

Whisk the eggs in, one at a time, until well combined.

Fill the cake tin with the mixture, place on a tray and bake for 60-80 minutes, or until the cheesecake is just set and lightly puffed up and golden at the sides.

Leave to cool in the tin.

Pecan Topping:

Scatter the pecans on a lined baking tray and toast at 140°C /275°F/gas 1 for 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them as they can burn easily.

For the caramel, put the sugar in a saucepan with enough water to just cover it. Heat gently until dissolved, and then turn the heat up to a simmer. Do not stir, but swirl occasionally to ensure that the sugar is cooking evenly. Be careful! Sugar reaches temperatures of 160°C /320°F and can cause very bad burns.

When the sugar is caramel coloured, turn off the heat, add the pecans carefully, stirring until they are coated, and pour onto a lined baking tray to cool. Do not touch the nuts. When they have cooled, break into chunks or chop roughly.

Butterscotch sauce:

Put the butter, sugars and golden syrup into a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Stir and bubble lightly for 5 minutes.

Add cream and vanilla extract. Boil for another minute, and turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly.

To finish the cheesecake, pour the slightly warmed sauce over the cheesecake and scatter the nuts over the top. Keep the cheesecake in the fridge until you want to eat it.

Recipe Courtesy of  Rachel Davies