Easy Peasy Cheats Cheesecake (Peach Cheesecake)

I first tried this cheesecake while Simon and I were staying at my Nana’s place in Tauranga – she loves it and had made it especially for us (and she might even be able to view the recipe on her iPad we were setting up for her – exciting!).  It uses a pre-made cheesecake mix so there really is no fuss; just make the base, whip up the filling and you’re basically done. 
My Nana had made it using apricots, which I ate and really liked, but I’m not usually an apricot fan so in my mind I was thinking of what else it could be made with.  Funnily enough, my Nana said my Dad hates apricots too, so my Mum and her didn’t tell him what was in the cheesecake and he happily ate quite a bit when my parents visited on a previous occasion!  Anyway, I re-made the cheesecake using peaches and it was delicious.  You can use whatever canned fruit you like in this cheesecake and I am sure it will be delicious!
This is the perfect dessert to whip up if you want to receive a lot of praise without a lot of effort!

Ingredients:
200g biscuits (I used Arnotts Farmbake White Chocolate ones, but something like SuperWine’s or similar will work well too)
75g butter, melted
410g can of fruit (I’ve tried apricots and peaches, but any fruit will work)
500g pottle of cheesecake filling (I used Meadow Fresh)
Zest of one lemon or the grated rind of half an orange

Method:
Place the biscuits in a food processor and process until crumbed (alternatively, place in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin).
Mix through the melted butter, then press into a 20cm circular loose-bottomed tin.
Drain the can of fruit and chop the fruit roughly.
Prepare the cheesecake filling according to packet directions.
Mix the fruit and the cheesecake mix together to combine.
Spread the cheesecake mixture over the prepared biscuit base.  Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until set.  Garnish the top of the cheesecake by sprinkling the lemon zest over the top.  Cut into wedges and serve.

Blueberry Cheesecake

Believe it or not, this Blueberry Cheesecake was inspired by a Broccoli Salad!  I absolutely recommend you try the Broccoli salad, it’s one of Simon and mines faves.  The recipe calls for Blueberries, which is something I haven’t really eaten in the past and we had been leaving them out of the salad because they haven’t been in season.  But, they are in season now, and I am loving them!

This is a no-bake cheesecake and is packed full of blueberry – none of that plain cheesecake business with a few blueberries scattered on top, or a swirl of syrup (although, I have done that too!), this one has blueberries all the way through.  Which, has got to be good for you right, considering they are super high in antioxidants?

I topped my cheesecake with a thin layer of plain cheesecake mix with blueberry jam swirled through it.  I also made candied lemon peel to sprinkle over the top to pick up on the lemon juice that is in the cheesecake - I’ll include how to make this in the recipe below.  However, if you can’t be bothered with the extra work, I think spreading some whipped cream over the top and decorating with some extra blueberries or simply grating some white chocolate over the top would be perfect (this would be amazing if you use the same biscuits that I did for the base).

Ingredients:
Base:
350g biscuits (I used Farmbake’s White Choc variety and they were delish!)
80g butter, melted

Filling:
3 teaspoons gelatine
¼ cup boiling water
375g cream cheese
½ cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup cream
3 cups blueberries (this worked out to be three small punnets from the supermarket)

Topping:
¾ cup of cheesecake mixture (reserved from main recipe)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 teaspoons blueberry jam

Candied lemon peel:
3 lemons
4 cups water
2 cups white sugar, or as needed

Method:
Grease a 20cm round tin.  Place the biscuits into a food processor and process to a fine crumb.  Mix through the melted butter.  Press into the base of the prepared tin and place in the refrigerator to set.

In a glass, sprinkle the gelatine into the quarter cup of boiling water.  Mix until dissolved, then set aside.

Using a hand beater or stand mixer, in a large bowl beat together the cream cheese, caster sugar, vanilla essence and one tablespoon of lemon juice.  Once the mixture is a smooth buttery texture, add in the cream and gelatine and beat until the mixture is smooth again. 
At this point, if you want to create a marbled effect on the top of the cake as I have one, reserve three quarters of a cup of the cheesecake mixture into a small bowl and set aside.
Using a blender, puree the blueberries (some bits of skin will still remain).  Pour the blueberry puree into the main cheesecake mix and stir through until combined.
Pour the mixture over the prepared base and place into the refrigerator to set.

To make the candied lemon peel, boil 2 cups of water in a small saucepan.
While the water is heating up, remove the rind from the lemons and cut it into thin strips.  I find the easiest way to do this is to use a vegetable peeler and peel off the skin, then cut it into thin strips using a small knife. 
Once the water is boiling, add the lemon peel strips.  Boil for about 5 minutes, until tender.  Remove peels from the water.  Replace the water with 2 new cups of water and stir in the sugar. Return to a boil, add the peels, and boil for about 15-20 minutes until the peels translucent.  Stir regularly as the mixture can burn. 
Taste a piece of the peel – if it is bitter tasting, change the water and sugar so you have a fresh pot and re-boil the peel.  Continue to do this until you are satisfied with the flavour.  Drain and allow to dry either on a wire rack or on a paper towel.

To make the thin marbled layer on the top of the cheesecake mix a teaspoon of lemon juice through the reserved cheesecake mixture.  Once the top of the blueberry portion of the cheesecake in the tin has set across the top, gently spread the plain mix across the top in a thin layer.  Dollop blobs of the jam randomly around the top of the cake.  Using a skewer or a fork, rake through the jam blobs to swirl them into the cheesecake mixture.  Place into the refrigerator for 5 minutes before topping with the candied lemon peel and extra blueberries.  Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight before cutting into wedges and serving.

Nutella Cheesecake

I love Nutella.  I love Cheesecake.  So, I combined the two to make a delectable dessert.  I am in love.  I don’t think I need to say anymore – the pictures speak for themselves.


Ingredients:
250g biscuits (I used Choc Chip Fudge Cookies by Farmbake)
80g butter, melted
250g cream cheese, softened
½ cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup cream
1 cup Nutella
3 teaspoons gelatine, dissolved in ¼ cup boiling water
¼ cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
1 x 30g flake chocolate bar

Method:
Place the biscuits in a food processor and process into fine crumbs.  Add the butter and process to combine.  Press the mixture in to a greased 20cm round spring-form tin and chill in the refrigerator.
Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and Nutella together with an electric mixer until smooth, then beat in the cream.  Stir through the gelatine. 
Pour the filling over the cookie base.  Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes so that the top of the cake sets. 
Crumble the flake chocolate bar over the top of the cheesecake.  Sprinkle over the chopped hazelnuts.  Return the cheesecake to the refrigerator and leave for 3 hours or until set.  Cut into wedges and serve with fresh whipped cream or your favourite ice cream.

Lemon Cheesecake

I made this cheesecake in early January and it is absolutely delicious. The refreshing zing of lemon cuts through the richness of the cheesecake and somehow makes it feel less naughty. I made my cheesecake by making slight changes to Mel's 'Lemon Cheesecake Slice' recipe and setting it in a cake tin as opposed to a slice tin. This is a perfect weekend dessert and my vanilla ice cream was the perfect accompaniment for it.

Ingredients:

Base

200g round wine biscuits

100g butter, melted

Cheesecake

250g cream cheese, room temperature

3 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind

395g condensed milk

⅓ cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon gelatine

2 teaspoons hot water

Method:

Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin and line with baking paper. 

Process the biscuits and in a food processor until fine. 

Add the butter and mix through to combine. 

Press the mixture into the prepared tin and put into the refrigerator to set for 30 minutes.

Beat the cream cheese and lemon rind in a medium sized bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. 

Add the condensed milk and juice, beat until smooth. 

Sprinkle the gelatine over the hot water and then stir to dissolve. 

Add the gelatine to the cream cheese mixture and beat the mixture again. 

Pour the cream cheese mixture over the base. 

Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight to set, before cutting into slices and serving.

Decorate with lemon zest and serve with some refreshing vanilla ice cream for the perfect summer dessert.

Spiced Chocolate Dessert Cake

Max and I had a lovely but very busy weekend up in Auckland, visiting Shane who is working up there while I stay in New Plymouth selling our house as we are re-locating (yup, again). We also had the bonus of catching up with some of family and having a family dinner with two of my three sisters at Mum’s house. This cake is what I whipped up for our dessert and YAY(!!) if you are gluten free as this is one you can all enjoy too!

Ingredients:
100 grams dark chocolate
100 grams butter, chopped into pieces
75 grams almond meal
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 heaped teaspoon masala spice
1 teaspoon coffee powder
1 tablespoon hot water
3 eggs, whites and yolks separated

Method:
Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin. Pre heat oven to 160°C fan bake.
In a double boiler melt chocolate and butter and stir occasionally to combine.
In a large bowl place almond meal, sugar, masala and stir to combine. In the centre drop in coffee and hot water.
Add chocolate mixture to almond meal mixture and stir to combine.
Add in egg yolks one at a time.
Beat egg whites into soft peaks with an electric mixer and fold through chocolate mix.
Bake in your pre-heated oven for 45 minutes. Remove and place on a wire rack until cooled and then place in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours before serving (can be made a day ahead).
Serve with berry sauce and cream.

Cheesecake Mousse

This is a quick and easy dessert to prepare as a treat but is impressive enough to serve to dinner guests. You can prepare it in advance or whip it up when the mood strikes and eat straight away.

Ingredients:
250 grams cream cheese, softened
150 ml cream, softly whipped
2 teaspoons lemon juice
¼ cup icing sugar
10 round wine biscuits or similar
berry or passionfruit sauce to top

Method:
Place your biscuits in a snap lock bag and beat with a rolling pin to break them up. Divide the crumbs between 4 serving glasses. (If you are feeling fancy and want to make it a little more like a ‘real’ cheesecake you could melt a little butter and mix with the crumbs.)
Place cream cheese in the bowl of your mixer and beat using a whisk attachment for 2-3 minutes.
Add lemon juice and sift in icing sugar and mix until combined.
Add half the cream and continue to mix until combined. Fold in the remaining cream.
Place the cream cheese mixture in a piping bag and pipe into the centre of each of your serving glasses.
* If preparing in advance I twist the top of my piping bag and place in in a tall glass and refrigerate until needed. Removing it 5 or so minutes before I want to pipe the mix out.
Top each serve with a sauce of your choice.

Easy peasy! Even though it is so simple I think it actually looks a little more sophisticated and special than a slice of cheesecake with the bonus that it is much easier to make. Enjoy x

Mint Chocolate Cheesecake

In New Zealand the 6th February is a public holiday as it is the day that our Treaty was signed between the British and the Maori back in 1840 (Haha, look at my history teacher training coming out!).  This year the 6th of Feb happened to be a Monday which meant a long weekend baby!  Simon and I headed up North to my families beach house in Ruakaka.  The weather was pretty rubbish so there wasn’t much swimming going on.  However, I had a relaxing time reading my book and baking (I made Neenish tarts too, which will be posted up soon).  On the Sunday I felt like making something rich and indulgent.  I decided upon a mint cheesecake.  I didn’t have any recipes with me though (and there’s pretty much zero cell phone coverage and no internet), so I made this one up!  I was pretty impressed with the result too and will be making it again :)

Base:
1 cup biscuit crumbs (we use Farmbake Choc Chip Fudge Cookies)
⅓ cup butter, melted

Filling:
250g cream cheese
⅓ cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon gelatine
2 teaspoons hot water
1 cup cream
¼ teaspoon green food colouring
1 teaspoon peppermint essence
5 – 6 mint slice biscuits, roughly chopped
1 Cadbury mint bubbly chocolate bar, crumbled (optional decoration)

Combine the biscuit crumbs and butter.  Press into the base of a 20cm round spring form tin and then chill.  Whip the cream until it holds its shape, then refrigerate.
Beat the cream cheese, caster sugar, food colouring, peppermint and vanilla essence together until smooth.
Sprinkle the gelatine over the hot water and then stir to dissolve.  Add the gelatine to the cream cheese mixture and beat the mixture again. 
Add the mint slice biscuits and whipped cream, fold the cream through.
Cover the biscuit base with the cream cheese mixture and smooth out the top.  Refrigerate for at least two hours or until set.  Sprinkle the Mint Bubbly chocolate bar over the top to decorate.

Hope all my fellow Kiwi’s had a great long weekend!

Dirk’s Lemon Meringue Pie

Simon’s work mate Dirk reckons he can make a pretty good Lemon Meringue Pie.  Since I love lemony deserts I kept this little factoid in my memory, reminded Simon numerous times, and what do ya know?…  during the weekend we went and hung out with Dirk while he made us a Lemon Meringue Pie.  The pie was awesomely good and I got the recipe :) 

  Dirk and Dayle in action! 

You will need:

250g packet plain biscuits, crushed
3 tablespoons sugar
3 eggs
395g can sweetened condensed milk
½ cup lemon juice (approx. 3 lemons)
3 tablespoons caster sugar
170g margarine, melted

Grease a 17.5cm x 28cm baking dish.  Mix the biscuits, sugar and the melted butter together.  Press the biscuit mixture into the prepared dish.

Separate the eggs.  Add the yolks to the condensed milk and mix until combined.  Add the lemon juice and mix again.  Pour over the biscuit base and bake in a 180˚C oven for 10 minutes, until brown.

Beat the egg whites until stiff.  Add the caster sugar and beat again until stiff. 

 
Spoon the meringue mixture over the lemon filling.  Bake in a 170˚C oven for approximately 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Above is a piece of Dirk’s pie, which we ate warm because Simon and I were impatient.  So good.  Although, cold is just as yum too :)

Thanks Dirk!

Summer Treat: Ice Cream Cake

 
I saw this in one of the weekly woman’s magazines a couple of weeks ago and decided to give it a go when we had Melissa and Simon over for a BBQ last weekend.

To make you will need:

1 small chocolate swiss roll
1L vanilla ice cream
1L chocolate ice cream
1 family sized bag of maltesers (155g)
100g of dark chocolate chopped
⅔ cup of cream
1 small handful of chocolate chips to decorate

1. Grease a 24cm round spring form cake tin then line the sides and base with baking paper.
2. Cut the swiss roll into pieces, approx 2-3cm thick each and arrange in a single layer over the bottom of the tin (tip – I broke up the left over pieces to fill any gaps).
3. Place the vanilla ice cream in a bowl and let it stand until it reaches room temperature and has just softened.  Mix it with a wooden spoon, add maltesers and stir through. Spoon this mixture over the chocolate swiss roll and place in the freezer until firm.
4. Place the chocolate ice cream in a bowl and again stand until it has reached room temperature and just softened. Mix with a wooden spoon and place it on top of the vanilla layer. Take extra care to make sure the top of the chocolate layer is smooth and place in the freezer until firm.
5. Place chocolate and cream in in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over the saucepan of simmering water and stir until smooth, remove and cool then pour over the frozen chocolate ice cream and return quickly to the freezer where it must be left until set.
6. To serve you will need to remove the cake from the pan and slide it on to a serving plate. Decorate with the chocolate chips and let it stand for 5 minutes to soften slightly before cutting.

This cake can be made up to 4 days in advance and is sure to impress.  Enjoy!

Pecan Pie

After making my inspiration collage on pecan pie, I finally built up the courage to give making one a go :)  It was really easy – I don’t know what I was so scared of.  The butterscotch sauce that you make to pour over the pecans is divine – I kept eating it while I was trying to cool it down to add the eggs in.  I suspect this pie is not very friendly on the hips, but you know what, it tastes too good to pass up.

Serves about 10.

Sweet short pastry:
2 cups standard flour
1 ¼ cups icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
250g cold butter, cubed
2 –3 tablespoons icy water

Place all the ingredients – except the water – into a food processor.  Pulse until combined.
With the motor running, add enough water to the dough to form a ball.
Press into a greased 25cm round flan pan.  Chill for 1 hour.

Filling:
350g pecans, chopped coarsely
1 vanilla bean
2 cups cream
1 ¾ cups brown sugar
100g butter
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat the oven to 170˚C.  Place an oven tray in the middle of the oven to heat.
Place the pecans onto the uncooked pastry base.
Slice the vanilla bean in half and place it with all the ingredients – except the eggs – in a saucepan.  Heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves to make a butterscotch sauce.  Remove the vanilla bean, cool the sauce and add the eggs.

Pour the sauce over the pecans.  Place the flan pan in the oven tray and fan bake for 1 ¼ hours or until the pie has just set.  Serve in wedges.

 

Done.  Easy as pie aye?

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

Want chocolate cake?  Want it now?  Try this…

 
An email got sent around school last week with this recipe.  I decided to save it and give it a try.  I’m thinking that this quick little cake would make an excellent last minute dessert served up with cream. It is super easy to make and quite similar to the mini steamed puddings I have posted about.

Serves 1 (well, probably 2!)

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
A small splash of vanilla extract
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

Place the dry ingredients into a large microwave safe mug and mix well.  Add the egg, milk and oil, and mix thoroughly.  Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract and mix again.

Place into the microwave and cook for 2 and a half minutes at 1000 watts.  The cake may rise up over the top of the mug – this is normal.  Allow to cool a little and turn out onto a plate if desired.

Mint Chocolate Truffles

I LOVE these truffles.  So, I decided that my birthday was the perfect excuse to make some :)

Makes: 40 approximately

2 x packets of Mint Slice biscuits
250g regular cream cheese
375g dark chocolate melts

Place the biscuits in a food processor and grind them up.  Add the cream cheese and mix well.  It does not matter if there are bits of biscuit still intact.  Place the mixture in the freezer until it has hardened (approx. 20 minutes).

Line a tray with non-stick baking paper or tin foil.  Spoon out little balls of the mixture and line the tray (if the mixture is too soft and will not roll into balls easily, place back into the freezer to harden some more).  Place the tray back into the freezer for at least another 10 minutes. 
Melt the chocolate.  Using a fork, dip each frozen truffle into the chocolate and allow to set (If the chocolate is taking ages to set, put the truffles back in the freezer for a while to make the mixture really cold).  Personally, I have a system going where I get all my forks out and dip each truffle in the chocolate so they are half covered. Then, once the chocolate has set I take them off the forks and hand dip the other side.  To prevent the truffles from rolling around while the chocolate on the other half is setting I find placing them on teaspoons does the trick.

Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.  To prevent the chocolate sweating, do not store in the fridge or freezer – however this means that the filling will be soft.

*I use Griffins Mint Treat biscuits because they have mint oil in them which gives the truffles a stronger flavour.
** I noticed on a packet of Country Goodness Cream Cheese that they suggest making truffles, but they simply state to use ‘chocolate biscuits’ – I’m intrigued to know if anyone has tried any other variations on these truffles.  Please leave a comment and let me know.

Mini Steamed Self Saucing Puddings - made in the microwave

 
These Mini Steamed Puddings are easy to make and are so yummy!  This is a recipe I learnt while I was at intermediate school, so it is a really simple one and great to get kids involved in baking.  They are really quick to make, just a quick zap in the microwave and they are done.  Both jam and golden syrup make the perfect sauce, I really can’t choose which one I like best.  Either way, the puddings are a perfect hot treat on a cold Winter’s night.

 
Serves 2.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons jam or golden syrup
½ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
25g butter
2 tablespoons sugar
½ egg (use a whole egg, halve later)
¼ cup milk

Method:
Wet the inside of two mugs leaving a splash of water in the bottom.  Add the jam or golden syrup.
Sift the flour and baking powder together in a medium sized bowl.  Rub in the butter and sugar to the flour mixture, to make a fine crumb.
Whisk an egg, then halve.  Add the milk and egg to the flour mixture and mix well.
Half fill the mugs with the batter. Cover with glad wrap leaving a small opening.
Microwave on high for 1 and a half minutes or until the mixture is springy to touch (time based on a 1100 watt microwave).
Stand for two minutes before turning out and serving.