Melopita (Greek honey cheesecake)

Preparation

Packed with creamy ricotta and fragrant Cretan honey, this is one of the easiest – and most flavoursome – cakes you’ll ever make.

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C, fan 140°C, gas 3 and fully line a 20cm springform cake tin with baking paper. Put the eggs and 175g of the honey in a large bowl and whisk until light and frothy. Add the creamy ricotta, vanilla and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon for warmth. Zest the lemon and add to the mix. Continue to whisk until you have a smooth, light batter. Transfer to the cake tin and bake in the oven for 1 hour until set but still quite wobbly in the middle.

2. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6 and bake for a further 10 minutes to brown the crust. Switch the oven off but leave the cheesecake inside the oven as it cools down, to avoid it cracking.
   

3. When cool, heat the remaining honey and cinnamon until runny. Pour the sticky mixture over the cheesecake before serving for sweetness.

Note: Preparation and cooking time not inclusive of cooling time.