Michelle Darmody: How to make an American-style baked cheesecake — and mistakes to avoid

"We had versions with chocolate peanut butter cups, cherries in syrup, colourful candy sweets, but my favourite was always the simple vanilla. It was baked to perfection each time with a dark golden top and a creamy, yet crumbly interior rich in flavour."

Michelle Darmody's baked cheesecake.

When I was growing up in Ireland a cheesecake was set with gelatine and put in the fridge to firm up. The notion of baking a cheesecake had not hit our shores. 

It was only when I went to work on the east coast of America, that I first discovered the delights of a baked cheesecake.