Sugar et al

Because Life is a blend of flavours...

Raspberry flavoured Maltesers Cheesecake

23|08|2018

Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Maltesers. As always all opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

Maltesers Cheesecake
Apparently Valentine’s Day came twice this year! The first one back in February, was a low key affair but when I had the opportunity to taste these new Raspberry flavoured Maltesers, it was love at first sight. Or you may call it love at first bite. Look at the packaging folks! It’s pink and red 🙂 Armed with these delicious little bombs bursting with flavour and even my pink personalised Maltesers apron, I knew I was about to whip up a delicious storm.

Maltesers Cheesecake

Maltesers Cheesecake

Since I can’t have enough of the chocolate – raspberry flavour combo, I thought a cheesecake would be a great way of enjoying them. I’ve not only used them as a decoration on top of the cheesecake but also in the filling. A little warning though, these are addictive so refrain from eating them before they go into the cheesecake. What I was pleasantly surprised though was that they held up to baking really well and turned into gooey puddles of yumminess.

Maltesers Cheesecake

Maltesers Cheesecake

The cheesecake is soft, creamy and melt-in-your mouth while the Maltesers add a welcoming little crunch that complements it really well. The best part is that it is simple to put together, whether you are a seasoned baker or just experimenting in the kitchen. No matter the reason or the occasion, this cheesecake is sure to blow your guests away. But don’t restrict yourself to just this cheesecake. Slices, tarts, cake and even fudge would be absolutely great with Maltesers.
They’re so good, the sky is the limit!

Maltesers Cheesecake

Raspberry Maltesers Cheesecake
Makes an 8 inch round cheesecake

250 g digestive biscuits
100 g unsalted butter, melted
250 g X 2 tubs cream cheese
¾ cup castor sugar
½ cup sour cream
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
hint of pink food gel colour (optional)
½ cup fresh or frozen raspberries, slightly crushed with the back of a fork
1 pack Raspberry flavoured Maltesers (divided)

Method:-Process biscuits in a food processor until they resemble fine crumbs. Add melted butter and mix together. Place an 8 inch spring-form pan over a baking tray. Pour the biscuit mixture onto the spring- form pan and press down evenly over the base with your fingers to form the crust. Place the baking tray in the fridge and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 160 degrees C (140 degrees C if using a fan forced oven). Process the cream cheese, sugar and sour cream until smooth. Add eggs one at a time and continue to whisk until well blended. Add the vanilla extract and food colour (if using). Mix well. Fold in half the Raspberry Flavoured Maltesers and the fresh/frozen raspberries. Carefully pour the cheesecake mixture into the prepared pan.
Place the baking tray with the spring-form pan into the preheated oven. Bake for 55 minutes to an hour or until the sides are set but the centre is a bit wobbly. It is best to switch the oven off at this stage with the door slightly ajar and let the cheesecake cool inside the oven (this will ensure the cheesecake does not crack). Refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

When ready to serve, drizzle with chocolate sauce (home-made or store-bought). Decorate with the remaining Raspberry Flavoured Maltesers, fresh raspberries and edible flowers. If using flowers that are not edible or you are unsure of the source, make sure you wrap the steps in baking paper before placing them on the cake. Slice and enjoy!

Easy Tiramisu Cups

14|08|2018

Light, easy and deliciously coffee-ish Tiramisu cups. Egg-less and quick to put together. 

easy tiramisu cups

Sometimes it is so nice to forget about seasons and seasonal produce and just think of DESSERT! Aka sweet, creamy, indulgent, moist, gooey, addictive….you get my point? Dessert without planning, without complicated ingredients, without neat layers or perfectly piped tops. Just the pleasure we derive from a simple but seriously delicious treat. I am huge fan of the classic Tiramisu  but two things I don’t enjoy are that they call for raw eggs and they do involve a few dishes and some work. Absolutely worth it for the gorgeous flavour and texture they turn out to be but not every time one would have the zeal to go through the entire process. I choose to still make it by cutting out the complicated steps, keeping it’s core ingredients intact and converting them into more-ish little portions that are so easy to whip up.

easy tiramisu cups

Texturally these are creamy but light. When we did away with the eggs, we also took away some of the richness of the dessert and gave them an airy, moist texture. But the king is always the coffee. A intense shot of espresso does wonders as much as a good quality instant coffee. For the sake of convenience and accessibility, I have included instant coffee in my recipe . If you have a coffee machine, do make it with strong black coffee. The after taste is unbeatable!

 

Easy Tiramisu Cups
Serves 3

1/2 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup castor sugar
120 g mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon Kahlua (optional)
6-7 sponge finger biscuits (or sponge cake slices)
1 tablespoon instant coffee
1/2 cup boiling water
3 tbsp cocoa powder

Beat cream and sugar until soft peaks. Add the mascarpone cheese and beat until just combined but with stiff peaks. Fold in Kahlua if using. Refrigerate until needed.
When ready to assemble, place the coffee and boiling water in a shallow dish and mix to combine.
Spoon 1 tablespoon of the mascarpone mixture into serving glasses. Dip sponge finger biscuits into the coffee and layer on top of the cream. Dust with cocoa powder. Repeat the layers until you have reached the top. Pipe whipped cream and dust with more cocoa powder. Enjoy chilled!

Eggless Mango Mousse

4|07|2018

Mango season!!! Alas, not here. But everywhere else it is mango season. Yeah being down under sometimes does make me feel a teeny bit isolated from the rest of the world in terms of food and seasons. But the virtual world more than makes up for it and I am able to share my favourite recipes for the northern hemisphere to enjoy. I had shot a few mango creations back in our summer days for my stock photo agency. Food images however, don’t make sense to me without a delicious recipe or the story they narrate. So I always take the opportunity to make something quick and easy that I could photograph as well as serve to my friends. And of course, any excuse to eat mangoes or for that matter, even mousse!

eggless mango mousse

This is one of the easiest mousse recipes I have tried out. Actually, I’ve eaten this kind of mousse a number of times back in India where patisseries and cafes would usually avoid the egg in desserts as they would cater to many vegetarian customers. Since the quantity of fruit puree is significantly higher to the quantity of cream, the fruit literally sings in your mouth. The cream is only there to give the eggless mango mousse a body and some extra creaminess. The colour and sweetness of this mousse will vary according to the type/variety of mangoes used.

I miss summer a lot and keep telling myself that Spring is around the corner. Hope you guys on the other side of the world are getting to eat heaps of mangoes and cherries. Enjoy them for me too:-)

eggless mango mousse

Eggless Mango Mousse
Serves 3

1.5 cups pureed mango (about 2 large mangoes)
1/3 cup castor sugar (or according to taste)
1 tsp powdered gelatine
1/2 cup whipping/heavy cream

Place the mango puree, sugar and powdered gelatine in a medium saucepan and cook over low heat until gelatine dissolves. Cool to room temperature.

In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks (peaks start to form but fall back in the bowl when lifted with a whisk/spoon). Add the mango puree to the cream and fold in till well blended.
Pour into serving glasses. Chill for 3-4 hours. When ready to serve, top with whipped cream, fresh mangoes, fresh basil or grated white chocolate. Enjoy!

Cappuccino Cheesecake

26|06|2018

If you are a coffee lover, take your caffeine addiction to a whole new level with this cheesecake. A simple cookie crust with a creamy coffee spiked filling and some luscious whipped cream on top, this is like a delicious coffee hug in these cold winter nights. I’m not sure if I say this every winter, but this year I really do feel like curling up inside my blanket and never coming out. School holidays are about to begin next week and I’m actually looking forward to sleeping in. Talking about holidays, it is the perfect time to whip up some new creations so I’m looking forward to that too. Is there anything you want me to create or perhaps see in this space?

If you’ve been with me for a while, you know  that I’m a big fan of baked cheesecakes. They are always forgiving and flexible. You could go with your choice of cookies for the crust, substitute sour cream with yogurt and add more coffee if you like. I’ve even made a version of this with a shot of espresso some time ago. While the coffee connoisseurs loved it, others found it too strong. So here I’ve just stuck to instant coffee.

I hope you all are enjoying the seasons in your part of the world. The great thing about coffee though is that it can be enjoyed all year round!

 

Cappuccino Cheesecake
Makes an 8 inch round cheesecake

250 g pack digestive biscuits
100 g unsalted butter, melted
250 x 2 tubs cream cheese
3/4 cups castor sugar (or more if you like it sweeter)
1/2 cup sour cream
3 large eggs
1.5 tablespoons instant coffee dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water
whipped cream, to decorate
cocoa powder, to dust
cocoa nibs, to decorate

Process biscuits in a food processor until they resemble fine crumbs. Add melted butter and mix together. Place an 8 inch spring form pan over a baking tray. Pour the biscuit mixture onto the Spring form pan and press down evenly over the base with your fingers to form the crust. Place the baking tray in the fridge and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 160 degrees C (140 degrees C for fan-forced ovens) Process the cream cheese, sugar and sour cream until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time and continue to whisk until well blended. Add the coffee mixture and beat till combined. Pour the cheesecake mixture onto the prepared crust.
Carefully place the baking tray into the oven and bake for 55 minutes to an hour or until the sides are set and the centre is till a bit wobbly. Switch off the oven, leave the door ajar and let the cheesecake cool inside the oven (this will ensure that the cheesecake does not crack). Refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

When ready to serve, dollop or pipe whipped cream. Dust with powdered cocoa.