We’ve had our wood-fired kitchen range off for the past few sunny days as we’ve been having barbecues in the garden each evening. So I was looking for a no-bake cake to make for this week’s Cakes & Bakes recipe.
I found a great chilled marble chocolate cheesecake recipe in Mary Berry’s At Home cookbook. I’ve rechristened it white and dark chocolate cheesecake. I hope you don’t mind, Mrs Berry!
The cheese and double cream were whipped together. Next, the vanilla extract and white chocolate (which I melted over a bowl of water that I boiled in the kettle) were added. I got Justin to do the melted dark chocolate marbling stage – he has a much better technique than me!
It was then chilled in the fridge for a few hours – no cooking required. After that, I went right round the edge with a hot knife so that it slipped out of its loose-bottomed tin. If you stand the base of the tin on top of a can (of beans, for example) it makes this stage much easier.
The cheesecake was creamy and airy, light as a cloud. Not over-sweet or sickly as there was no added sugar. Another successful cheesecake creation!
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- 100g/oz dark chocolate digestive biscuits, crushed
- 50g/oz butter, melted
- 200g/oz Belgian white chocolate, chopped
- 300ml/fl oz double cream
- 300g/oz full-fat cream cheese
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 100g/oz dark chocolate
- Line the base of a 20cm/8in round, deep spring-form tin with a circle of baking parchment
- To make the base, mix the crushed biscuits with the melted butter and press into the base of the tin. Level using the back of a spoon
- To make the filling, put the chopped white chocolate in to a bowl and sit over a pan of just hot water. Leave to melt (but don't allow it to get too hot), stirring occasionally, then set aside to cool a little
- Reserve 3 tablespoons of the double cream
- Pour the remainder into a large bowl, then add the cream cheese and vanilla. Whisk, using an electric hand whisk, until smooth
- Add the melted white chocolate and whisk again until smooth and thick
- Spoon about 6 tablespoons of the white chocolate filling into a mixing bowl
- Spoon the remaining mixture into the tin and smooth over the top
- Chill for 30 minutes
- Add the reserved double cream to the reserved white chocolate mixture and mix together until smooth. Spoon over the set mixture in the tin
- Melt the dark chocolate as before and then drizzle over the top of the cheesecake and use the blade of a knife or skewer to swirl the toppings together
- Chill for a minimum of 2 hours, turn out and cut into wedges to serve
Lime and ginger cheesecake
For the past few weeks, we’ve been referring to this delicious, no-bake lime and ginger cheesecake as ‘Diane’s Cheesecake’.
It’s actually a BBC Good Food recipe, but on our last visit to our good friends Diane & Doon, it was served as dessert after a lovely meal… so now it’s always going to be Diane’s Cheesecake! We told them at the time that it would have to feature in our weekly Cakes & Bakes slot – so here it is… and, “Hi guys!”.
It’s a straightforward recipe which can be prepared well in advance, so perfect for dinner parties and the like. A perfect end to all types of meal from spicy curries & noodles to rich pasta dishes & roasts.
It’s clean, light and zingy – and despite containing no added sugar, the cheesecake is plenty sweet enough from the stem ginger syrup. The flavours combine beautifully – and it’s a very attractive dish too with bright, fresh colours.
It comes very highly recommended… so give it a go!
Click here to save the recipe on Pinterest!
- 225g/8oz ginger biscuits, ground
- 115g/4oz unsalted butter, melted
- 300g/10½oz full fat soft cheese
- 250ml/8¾fl oz double cream
- 2 limes, juice and zest
- 4 tbsp ginger syrup
- 8 pieces stem ginger, chopped
- a few pieces of crystallised ginger
- Mix the ground biscuits with the melted butter and press into the base of a 20cm/8" loose-base or spring-form cake tin using the back of a spoon
- Chill in the fridge for about an hour
- Lightly whip the cream and then mix in the cream cheese, ginger syrup and lime juice
- Add the chopped stem ginger and lime zest and mix in thoroughly
- Spoon onto the biscuit base and spread evenly over the surface. Knock the tin on the worktop a couple of times to remove air bubbles
- Cover and chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours until firm
- Carefully remove the cheesecake from the mould on to a serving plate
- Sprinkle a small amount of lime zest and crystallised ginger over the top
- Slice and serve
Cakes & Bakes: No-bake Nutella cheesecake
I’ve been pining for my stove and oven; there’s been no home-made bread, cakes or biscuits for almost 2 months.
Consequently, when I came across Nigella’s no-bake Nutella cheesecake recipe, I knew it was the one to make for this week’s Cakes & Bakes recipe.
I’ve not unpacked many of my kitchen appliances – just the yoghurt maker, toaster, microwave and slow-cooker. I had to grind my digestive biscuits with a pestle & mortar; they did a ‘fine’ job!
Surprisingly, Nutella is something that, we only discovered today, neither of us remembers ever buying or tasting before. What’s wrong with us? What a treat we’ve been missing out on!
Even without the aid of electrical appliances to do all the hard work, this recipe was quick and simple to prepare. And it’s just so delicious and morish… definitely one that will be made again & again.
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- 250g/8¾oz digestive biscuits
- 75g/2⅔oz soft unsalted butter
- 1 x 400g jar Nutella (at room temperature)
- 100g/3½oz chopped toasted hazelnuts
- 500g/17⅔oz cream cheese (at room temperature)
- 60g/2oz icing sugar (sifted)
- Break the digestive biscuits into the bowl of a processor, add the butter and a 15ml tablespoon of Nutella and blitz until it begins to clump
- Add 25g/3 tablespoons of the hazelnuts and continue to pulse until you have a damp, sandy mixture
- Tip into a 23cm/9" round spring-form cake tin and press into the base either using your hands or the back of a spoon. Place in the fridge to chill.
- Beat the cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth and then add the remaining Nutella to the cream cheese mixture. Continue beating until combined
- Take the spring-form out of the fridge and carefully smooth the Nutella mixture over the base
- Scatter the remaining chopped hazelnuts on top to cover and place the tin in the fridge for at least four hours or overnight
- Serve straight from the fridge for best results
Cakes & Bakes: Chocolate haggis
It was Burns Night at the weekend – do you celebrate? I’m vegetarian and have never, ever tasted real haggis. Apparently, you can get vegan haggis in the supermarket these days. I much prefer the idea of this version – chocolate haggis!
This is a quick, no-bake, after dinner treat that packs a real punch. The added sultanas get a short soak in whisky (note the lack of an ‘e’ in the name, thus making it genuine Scottish rather than Irish ‘whiskey’).
The added shortbread ups the Scottishness – or you can make your own – try my previously published recipe.
This recipe can easily be modified to make it non-alcoholic – just use a few drops of whisky essence instead. If you’re not averse to the inclusion of alcohol – just not a big whisky drinker – you can buy little alcohol miniatures rather than a full-sized bottle. Also, if you’re worried about the raw egg, you can swap it for about a tablespoon of melted coconut oil.
This chocolate haggis is pretty intense, you’ll probably only need a single, 1cm slice per person.
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Chocolate haggis
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp Scotch whisky
- 50 g/1¾oz sultanas
- 100 g/3½oz butter
- 100 g/3½oz cocoa powder
- 1 egg
- 100 g/3½oz caster sugar
- 150 g/5oz Scottish shortbread
- 50 g/1¾oz mixed nuts chopped
Instructions
- Put the sultanas and whisky into a small bowl and leave to soak whilst you prepare the remaining ingredients
- Melt the butter in a saucepan, then sieve in the cocoa powder and stir until you have a smooth paste
- In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar and egg together until pale and creamy
- Place the shortbread in a zip lock bag and bash it with a rolling pin. You want a mixture of chunks and crumbs
- Combine the chocolate mixture with the sugar/egg mix and stir in the shortbread, chopped mixed nuts and the whisky soaked sultanas, plus any remaining whisky
- Lay out a double thickness of cling film and tip the chocolate mixture out onto it, forming a haggis shape
- Roll up and continue to manipulate into shape, tying a knot at each end of the cling film
- Chill in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight to harden
- Remove the cling film, slice and serve alongside a wee dram
Run a sharp knife under hot water before slicing the haggis. This will give you clean, even portions.