The Ultimate Party Cheesecake

Apologies for not posting in a long time! But I hope I've made up for it with this yummy recipe!

Line a 23cm springform cake tin (8inch sides) with baking paper at the bottom.

Cheesecake Base
100g digestive biscuits
150g ginger nut biscuits
75g butter
2 tbsp soft brown sugar

Crush all the biscuits either in a food processor or using a food bag and rolling pin. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Once melted remove from the heat and add the crushed biscuits and sugar. Mixing to make sure it is fully incorporated. Then put into the baking tin using a spoon to press it down gently until it has formed a dense base. This will take 5-10mins. Then refrigerate.

Cheesecake Filling
800g full fat soft cream cheese
800ml double cream
2 lemons zest
75g icing sugar

Put the soft cream cheese and lemon zest in your largest bowl. Then mix together, but don't over mix otherwise it will go too soft.
Then in another large bowl add the double cream and sift the icing sugar on top. Then using an electric whisk or hand whisk, whisk the cream and sugar together until you have a slightly thinner consistency to that of the cream cheese. But don't over whip otherwise the cream will split and go hard and grainy.
Then add the cream to the cream cheese mix and very carefully incorporate the two mixtures. Make sure to be gentle and not to over stir it!
Then remove the base from the fridge and add the mixture on top. Make sure to get the mixture at the bottom of the tin so you don't get any holes when you take it out. Then smooth the top and put it back in the refrigerator for at least 4hrs or overnight. (You can put it in the freezer for 30mins if time is against you!)

Chocolate ganache
75g dark/milk chocolate in small chunks
90ml double cream

Heat the cream in a saucepan until it's close to simmering (starts to get a skin on the top) then remove from the heat and add the chocolate chunks and stir continuously until all the chocolate is melted. You want a dripping consistency so if it's not runny enough add a splash of milk or more chocolate if it's too runny. Then using a spoon add the ganache around the top edges of the cheesecake and allow the chocolate to drip down.

Now place your chocolate bars on how you would like them displayed. Store in the fridge until needed. Remove from the fridge 10mins before serving to warm up a bit. But don't leave it for hours as it will go a bit soft.

Enjoy!

Flapjack Oat Crumble Topping

With Winter coming soon, get ready to make the very traditional English crumble. This has a fantastic twist that gives it a gooey texture like flapjack.

Serves 6 (with a thick crumble topping)

Ingredients
170g Plain Flour\Wholemeal Flour
170g Rolled Oats
75g Butter
130g-150g Soft brown sugar (depending on how tart your fruit is)
2-3 tablespoons Golden syrup

Method

1. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips. You want to make sure you don't melt the butter. It should resemble breadcrumbs.
2. Now rub the oats into the flour and butter mixture.
3. Once completely mixed, stir in the sugar using a spoon.
4. Add the golden syrup gradually and not it large clumps. Move it evenly around the bowl.
5. Mix the golden syrup into the crumble mixture so that it forms small balls of mixture.
6. Add to the top of your favourite fruit: apple, apple and blackberry, blackcurrant, raspberry etc. 

Hot Apple Sponge Pudding - the easiest and quickest pudding in the world!

 

This is a very simple yummy pudding to make. This is one of my favourite puddings to make last minute when invited to my friends for dinner. I love saying "I will bring the pudding". This can be made with different fruit, if you're not a fan of apples or to make your life easier.

 

Filling

x4 large Bramley Apples

1 lemon

sugar to taste

 

Alternative Fillings

Peaches - x2 tins of sliced peaches drained with a little juice

Pears - x3 tins of halved pears drained

 

 

Sponge
Ingredients:
113g self-raising flour
113g caster sugar
113g butter (or margarine for a lighter sponge)
4 eggs
couple of drops of vanilla essence

Equipment
Medium size baking dish
Peeler
Saucepan
Bowl or Food Mixer
Scales
Teaspoon, Tablespoon, Mixing Spoon
Spatula
Sharp knife
 

Method

Apple

1. Peel the apples, cut out the core and slice the apple (about 5mm thick) into a saucepan.
2. Add half the juice of a lemon
3. Put onto a low heat and let it cook. Only stir a few times, otherwise the apples will mush. Once they are soft, but over half of them have kept their form, take them off the heat. Add any caster sugar to taste, but a tart sauce is better as you are adding a sweet sponge and sweet custard.

Sponge

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 3, 325°F (170°C).
2. Mix together the sugar and butter until it's light and fluffy.
3. Add all the other ingredients at the same time and mix thoroughly.
4. If the mixture falls of the spoon when tapped on the side of the bowl, it's the right consistency. If not, add a tablespoon of milk and try again.

Assemble & Cook

1. Put the cooked apple into your medium sized cooking dish. Level off the mixture.
2. Then add the sponge mixture over the top of the cooked apple.
3. Place on the middle shelf of the oven
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes, but don't open the oven to check until it looks a golden colour. Otherwise the sponge will sink.
5. To check if the sponge is cooked, press lightly on the top of the sponge and then if it bounces back, it is ready.
6. Remove from oven onto a cooling wire rack.
7. To serve, remove the apple sponge from the dish. Turn the apple sponge upside down so the sponge is on the bottom and the apple is on the top.
8. Serve with hot custard.