cheesecake Archives - Page 5 of 5

I wanted to start this post by saying Thank You! It’s been a year only, yet I feel I have done this all my life. I don’t remember having a single day in this year that I didn’t enjoy coming up with recipes, styling them, photographing them and blogging about them. And this experience has certainly left a desire in me to do more. To create, share, bond, grow!

This has been such an eventful phase in my life. Exploring blogging and uncovering a whole new world out there while discovering facets of my own personality that were unknown to me. I came across incredible bloggers who inspired me every day. I found friendship across the globe. So many of them made me feel like I’d go out for coffee with them every other day had we been aligned geographically.

Caramelised White Chocolate is my favourite thing in the world. I created a recipe around it during my first few days of blogging and have been wanting to do another one ever since. So I thought it was only appropriate that I make a cake around that. If you are new to caramelised white chocolate, it’s the most delicious thing one can taste. The chocolate caramelises on cooking slowly in the oven and turns into a light brown shade. It is very similar in taste to Dulce de Leche. I use David Lebovitz’s method of making this and have had success each and every time.

Putting the cheesecake together is a breeze. I made the base out of chocolate cookies. Then it’s a matter of mixing the components and placing it in the refrigerator to set. I contemplated the addition of a dark chocolate ganache topping. I wanted the white chocolate to shine in the recipe so I skipped the ganache and added a good dusting of cocoa. Good enough to look like a layer on top. We are enjoying berry season at the moment so it was easy for me to visualise my cheesecake. But if you don’t want to use berries, use shavings of dark chocolate, Maltesers (or a mix of other candies) or pretty swirls of whipped cream.

There is more cake coming up on my blog. The celebration has just started. Well to be honest, I am all for Sugar. I love cakes and desserts. But I have to think about how to get them finished since I don’t allow my pre-schoolers to indulge…let’s say over-indulge. Now, with family around there is enough reason to bake cakes.

Thank you once again for the wonderful year gone by. I am so excited to have started another one with you..another year of Sugar…..et al!

No Bake Caramelised White Chocolate Cheesecake with Berries
Serves 8-10

220 g chocolate cookies
50g butter, melted
2 tbsp. boiling water
3 teaspoons gelatine powder
300 ml thickened or heavy cream
500g cream cheese, softened
3 tbsp. Castor sugar (more if you prefer it sweeter, taste as you go)
1 cup caramelised white chocolate (recipe from David Lebovitz, here)
generous dusting of cocoa powder, to serve
Berries, to serve (or chocolate shavings, chocolate ganache or whipped cream)

Grease a 19 cm round Springform pan. Line the base and sides with baking paper.
Place the cookies in a food processor. Process until fine crumbs. Add melted butter and mix to combine. Using your fingertips, press biscuit mixture over base of prepared pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.

Pour boiling water into a small bowl. Sprinkle over gelatine. Using a fork, whisk until gelatine is dissolved. Set aside to cool slightly.

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Add in the caramelised white chocolate and combine. Stir gelatine mixture through cream cheese mixture to combine. In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold through cream in the cream cheese mixture, gradually. Spoon over the base of the cookie mixture. Smooth out the surface with a palette knife or the back of a spoon. Cover. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until set. Sprinkle generously with cocoa. Serve with berries.

If you have been with me for a while now, you would know how much I like dressing up my desserts. Layers, swirls, drizzles, sprinkles…I can go on adding elements as long as they balance each other out. It’s like my favourite playtime fun as a little girl…dressing up my dolls in pink,with lace and frills, matching hairclips and shoes and so. I come up with ideas and love watching it all come together. Some turn out as I visualised, some don’t but there’s always a learning somewhere.

Till about a couple of years ago my desserts would never go below 4 layers. I had the time and the patience. It’s a different situation now with two little heads constantly peeping into the refrigerator and wanting to know when they can eat. The refrigerator door is opened and re-opened at frequent intervals. The reason.. ‘ I’m checking if it has set’. I am loving the latest additions to the vocabulary. However, the more important reason is that I have ‘borrowed’ Oreo cookies for my dessert. So you understand, everybody has an equal claim to it.

This is a big dessert but not really heavy. The cheesecake is on the richer side on account of the cream cheese so I decided to go with a lighter mousse. I have not used my usual egg-cream mousse recipe here, though personally I prefer that one. You can easily leave out the top layer and serve it with some fresh strawberries instead. Oreos are great even when they are crushed and they add a lovely texture to the cheesecake. The different layers can be made simultaneously and refrigerated to be assembled later or they can be made as and when the layer below is setting.

No Bake Oreo Cheesecake Strawberry Mousse Duo
Yields 4

For the Oreo crust
150 g Oreo biscuits, divided (half to be used for the crust and half for the cheesecake)
40 g butter, melted

For the cheesecake
200 g cream cheese, room temperature
2 tbsp castor sugar
1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks
1 tsp powdered gelatine
1 tbsp warm water

For the strawberry mousse
1 cup strawberries, hulled and chopped
3 tbsp castor sugar
1 tsp powdered gelatine
1 tbsp warm water
1 cup whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks
2 drops pink food colouring

Process biscuits until they resemble fine breadcrumbs. Remove half the mixture and keep aside. To the remaining half, add the melted butter and process to combine. Place 3 ring moulds on a baking tray. Divide the mixture between the ring moulds and press against the base and edge to form the crust. Refrigerate for 30 mins or until firm

Meanwhile, make the Oreo cheesecake. Soak the gelatine in warm water and microwave for 10 seconds for it to dissolve completely. With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in the cream and the biscuit crumbs. Add the gelatine and mix to combine. Pour the mixture into the ring moulds on top of the crust till half filled. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until set. Reserve (refrigerate) the rest for top layer to pipe onto the strawberry mousse.

For the strawberry mousse, process strawberries and sugar to a smooth pulp. Strain and keep aside. Dissolve gelatine in warm water and microwave fo 10 seconds to dissolve completely. Cool and add to strawberry pulp. Fold the strawberry pulp slowly into the whipped cream. Add 2 drops of food coloring and mix well till colour is uniform. Pour over the chilled Oreo cheesecake. Refrigerate till set, about 3-4 hours.

To serve: Release the dessert by gently lifting the ring moulds and applying gentle pressure from below. Fill up a piping bag with the reserved Oreo cheesecake. Pipe onto the strawberry mousse and decorate with sprinkles. Refrigerate till set.

Note: If you do not have ring moulds or mousse rings at home, you can layer the dessert in serving glasses.