Banana Cheesecake with Salted Caramel

Instructions for the crust

• 1
  First, prepare the mold. Since we will be baking the cheesecake in a water bath, we must wrap the cake mold with a diameter of 24 cm very well in several layers of aluminum foil to prevent water from seeping into the mold. Place baking paper at the bottom inside the mold.
• 2
  Melt the butter and let it cool slightly. Meanwhile, grind the biscuits, add the butter and mix. Transfer the mixture to a mold, spread it over the entire surface, and press it down well with the flat bottom of a glass. Bake for 10 minutes in an oven preheated to 165°C.

Instructions for the cheesecake

• 1
  While the crust is cooling, prepare the curd mixture.
• 2
  Grind the curd three times in a meat grinder or chop it in a food processor; the curd will be finer and smoother but not as runny as the one in tubs.
• 3
  Sift the flour with the starch and mix with salt. Blend the bananas into a puree. Whisk the curd with eggs and sugar until smooth, add the banana puree, and gradually add the prepared dry ingredients while stirring constantly. Do not incorporate too much air into the mixture, so mix only very briefly. Pour the mixture into the mold over the prepared crust. Smooth it on the surface. Cover the mold with aluminum foil so that it does not touch the curd mixture. This will keep the cheesecake white after baking.
• 4
  Place the mold in a larger container (a baking tray with higher edges), pour boiling water into the container, which must reach halfway up the height of the cake mold. Bake for 75 minutes on the middle rack in an oven preheated to 150°C without a fan. The baked cheesecake should be smooth and firm on the surface, and it should spring back when touched with a finger.

Instructions for the salted caramel topping

• 1
  In a saucepan with a thicker bottom, mix the sugar with 65 g of water and heat over low heat until the sugar dissolves and begins to turn golden, do not stir the sugar. If you have a thermometer, the caramel should reach a maximum of 170°C.
• 2
  Remove the saucepan from the burner and add butter and cream, stir, return to low heat, and cook while stirring constantly until the caramel begins to thicken. Finally, stir salt into the caramel. Pour the still-warm caramel over the cake and refrigerate, preferably overnight.

Instructions for caramelized walnuts

• 1
  Chop the walnuts into larger pieces, lightly toast them dry in a pan, remove the pan from the burner, and add a tablespoon of honey, stir to coat the walnuts in honey. Immediately remove the walnuts from the pan, place them on a piece of baking paper, and let them cool.

Instructions for caramelized bananas

• 1
  Melt the sugar over low heat in a pan. Slice the banana into thicker rounds and place them in the melted sugar, heat briefly until the sugar begins to caramelize. Turn the bananas several times to coat them in caramel. Remove them onto baking paper and let them cool.
• 2
  Before serving, remove the cheesecake from the mold and decorate with caramelized walnuts and bananas.