Marble cheesecake

So I'm finally done with my LPC exams and it feels so good to know that I'm done with exams for the rest of my life (at least I hope so!). I've spent a couple of days at my parents' place now and to celebrate the end of my school year and I decided to bake a lovely cheesecake. I usually make the classic cheesecake, but I wanted to try something new. Most of my favourite cheesecake recipes come from a book called Juustukoogid by Lia Virkus and Angeelika Kang (sorry my dear non-Estonian reads, but this book is only in Estonian) as they are relatively easy to make, don't require a huge array of different ingredients and so far every last one of them has come out absolutely amazing.

As the weather has been really bad here lately - I honestly can't remember the last time it was only +8C in the beginning of June - I wanted something slightly richer and less fruity that I usually would go for in the summer. So we were flicking through the book and a couple of possibilities caught our eye - carrot cake cheesecake, peanut butter cheesecake and Daim chocolate cheesecake to name a few - but the one that really stood out was this Marble cheesecake.

It takes slightly more time to prepare than the other baked cheesecakes I've made because you need to melt the chocolate, but leaving that aside it is as quick and straightforward to make as all the other ones. I love how you could taste a hint of curd cheese / quark (kohupiim - творог) in the cake itself and how the base reminded me of a chocolate version of a cheesecake I used to eat as a child more than 10 years ago. The cake is perfectly balanced - not too chocolatey and not too sweet and perfectly creamy. It makes a perfect teatime treat, which is guaranteed to please everyone. It tastes delicious either on its own or if you want to make it more summery or just add a twist, serve it with a lovely dollop of homemade jam or with fresh berries. 

Ingredients

(Serves 12)
Base:
- 130g butter, melted
- 75ml sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 50g dark chocolate, melted
- 250ml flour
- 1/2 tsp salt

Filling:
- 500g curd / quark / kohupiim / or ricotta cheese
- 500g Philadelphia cream cheese
- 250ml sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar
- 2 tbsp flour
- 4 eggs
- 50ml milk
- 250g sour cream
- 100g dark chocolate, melted

Directions
To make the base whip together warm butter, sugar and vanilla sugar. Then add melted dark chocolate and the egg yolk. Finally add flour and salt. Put the base batter in a lined 24-cm springform tin and cook at 180C (fan) for 15 minutes.

For the filling, mix together curd, cream cheese, sugar, vanilla sugar, flour, eggs, milk and sour cream until smooth and creamy. Then divide the mixture into two parts - keep 2/3 in the same bowl and place 1/3 of it in another bowl and mix that smaller batch with the melted chocolate. Pour the light mixture on top of the base and then top it off with the chocolate mixture. To mix the layers a bit draw 8-shaped circles with a sharp knife, but be careful not to overdo it as you don't want the cake to look muddy.

Bake at 175C (fan) for 1 hour. Then let the cake cool down in the oven with the door open for another hour and then chill the cake overnight (or at least for 5 hours) before serving. In order to make it easier to take it out of the tin place the cake in the freezer for 10 minutes and then place on a serving plate, slice, top the individual slices with fruit / name if you wish and enjoy!

Recipe from a book "Juustukoogid"

  

White chocolate & blueberry cheesecake

I am currently visiting my parents in Estonia and it is nearly impossible to stay over and not make a cheesecake (or two). Although my mum was insisting that I'd make the classic one, I really wanted to try out something new and different. And to my pleasant surprise I made such a good choice that she said that she likes this even more than the other one!

This is slightly different from the other cheesecakes I've made as it uses curd cream (this is the one I used). Curd cream is something I've only seen in Estonia and I know it's available in Scandinavia, the Baltics and Russia as well, but if you don't have curd cream, use ricotta instead.

I love trying out new cheesecakes and have to say that they make a lovely summery dessert, even though they're quite heavy. The fact that you can have berries and the cake is served chilled makes up for the heaviness. This cake is really simple to make and takes a lot less work than the ones I usually make. On top of that the blueberries go so well with the creamy vanilla cake that it just melts in your mouth. And I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that the white chocolate didn't make it too sweet and you can just barely taste it. All in all, a lovely summery dessert that's guaranteed to go down a treat.

Ingredients
(Serves 12/16)
Base:
- 300g Digestive biscuits
- 150g butter

Filling:
- 500g Philadelphia cream cheese
-  380g vanilla curd cream (quark cream)
- 1 dl sugar
- 2 dl flour
- 1,5 tsp vanilla sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 dl cream
- 200g white chocolate
- 2 dl blueberries

Directions
First preheat the oven to 175C and line a round springform tin with baking paper. Then prepare the base. Crush the digestive biscuits and melt the butter. Mix together and press into the baking tin. Bake for 10 minutes and then set aside.

To make the filling, whip the cream cheese and curd cream. Then add sugar, flour and vanilla sugar. Add the eggs one by one and finally add in the cream. Melt the white sugar in a bain marie and add into the filling mixture.

Pour the mixture on top of the base, top it off with blueberries, cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Then leave it in the oven for another 30 minutes with the door open. After that place in the fridge and chill properly before serving.

Salted caramel swirl cheesecake pots

Today I'm sharing something sweet with you for a change. I'd love to state that salted caramel is the new big thing but I'd be lying. It's been around for quite a while and ever since I tried it the very first time I've been in love. Laduree salted caramel macaroons, Artisan du Chocolat salted caramels, salted caramel latte ice-cream from Cold Stone Creamery, Charbonnel et Walker Sea Salted Caramel truffles ... This list could go on and on. The combination of sweet and salty is something that everyone I know has fallen deeply in love with. And trust me, once you try it there's no going back.

I've made the salted caramel macaroons three times now (I'll share the recipe with you soon), but today I want to share a recipe of a cheesecake incorporating salted caramel. I tried looking for recipes only for salted caramel cheesecake, but all the ones I found weren't what I was after and so after the countless hours I spent on the internet I decided to improvise. After making the Chocolate swirl cheesecake it hit me - just substitute the chocolate for generous amount of salted caramel and voila! And that's exactly what I did (in addition to serving the cheesecakes as individual portions).

This smooth and creamy cheesecake makes a perfect end for dinner or just to have as a treat on its own - perfect for any occasion and you can't go wrong with this combination.

Ingredients
(Makes 8 servings)
- 175 caster sugar
- 450g soft cream cheese (Philadelphia)
- 1 vanilla pod
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 175g creme fraiche
- 475g double cream
- 8 digestive biscuit
- 25g butter, melted

- 340g caster sugar
- 280ml double cream, room temperature
- 80g lightly salted butter
- 220g unsalted butter

Instructions
Start off by making the biscuit base. For that, crush the digestive biscuits into small crumbs and mix together with the melted butter. Mix well and then divide between the 8 small glasses or bowls you intend to serve the dessert out of.

Then make the salted caramel. To make the caramel, place the 340g caster sugar in a heavy bottomed pan and allow to melt without stirring. Once you have nice golden caramel (the darker it gets the more bitter it becomes) add the salted butter, double cream and unsalted butter. Mix well and then set aside to cool.

For the filling, mix the caster sugar, cream cheese and seeds from the vanilla pod together. In another bowl whisk the lemon juice with the cream and creme fraiche to soft peaks. Then fold everything together.

To assemble, place a layer of cream cheese filling on the biscuit base, then drizzle with a layer of salted caramel and repeat it until you have three layers of both. Then place a knife through each pot and mix the layers through nicely (but do not smudge the colour). Chill in the fridge for at least 5 hours before serving.

Cheesecake filling taken from Chocolate swirl cheesecake recipe from BBC Goodfood

Chocolate swirl cheesecake

I went home to visit my parents for two weeks and I decided to use the chance to do some serious baking and cooking - it is so much easier to cook for many people and I didn't have to worry about cakes going off because to be honest, eating a cake just between the two of us before it goes off is a bit tricky, especially if you don't want to have cake for all three meals of the day.

My mum is a huge cheesecake fan (who isn't?) and as my dad likes them as well, because they are quite fresh and not sweet, I decided to try out a new cake. And it turned out so nice that I made if for my cousin's 18th birthday as well - and everyone loved it.

I've made quite a few different cheesecakes over the years and I have to admit that this one is by far the easiest and the quickest I've made. It takes just 15-20 minutes to put everything together and then all you need to do is to chill it for at least 5 hours (or preferably overnight). I love how the dark chocolate gives a little twist to the creamy and moist cheesecake. I'm in love with this cheesecake and have already come up with an idea how to vary it and obviously will keep you updated as to how that goes.

Ingredients
(Serves 9-12, depends on the size of the slices)
- 175g caster sugar (or normal white sugar)
- 450g Philadelphia cheese (I used a mixture or low fat and full fat)
- 1 vanilla pod (can be substituted with 1 tsp vanilla sugar)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 175g creme fraiche (or 10% sour cream)
- 475ml double cream

- 150g good quality dark chocolate
- 125ml double cream

- 8 digestive biscuits
- 25g butter, melted

Directions
First, line a 22cm springform tin with baking paper and then prepare the chocolate swirl. For that, cut the chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl together with 125ml double cream and place the bowl over hot (or even simmering) water and let it melt. When it all has melted, take the bowl off the hot water and set aside to let it cool a bit.

To prepare the base, crush 8 digestive biscuits and mix the crumbs with 25g melted butter. Feel free to double to biscuit and butter quantity if you prefer a bit thicker base, but I prefer the thinner base version (I've tried both). When all the crumbs are evenly covered with the butter, put the mixture into the cake tin and press down firmly.

Lastly, prepare the filling itself. For that take two bowls. In one mix together the sugar, Philadelphia cheese and the seeds from the vanilla pod, then set aside. In another bowl (a bigger one) whist together lemon juice, cream and creme fraiche (10% sour cream) until it forms soft peaks. Then add the cream cheese mixture to the double cream mixture and mix well.

To finish the cake, spoon a layer of the cream cheese mixture on the biscuit base, then swirl 1/3 of the chocolate and repeat this three times so you end up with three layers of chocolate and three layers of cream cheese mixture. And to create the swirl stick a knife blade into the cheesecake and swirl the cheesecake. Just don't try to smooth the surface as that would create a muddy effect.

What I did for my cousin's birthday was that I just created two layers of chocolate and three layers of cream cheese and then swirled the mixture. After that I piped his name and some decorations on the cake with the leftover 1/3 chocolate mixture.

When everything is ready, chill the cake for at least 5 hours (preferably overnight) and keep chilled until you need to cut it. I've also discovered that if you place the cheesecake in the freezer for like 15-20 minutes before serving it is a lot easier to take it out of the springform tin and the chances that the biscuit base will break are reduced.

Recipe adapted from Gordon's cheesecake recipe on BBC Good Food 

 

Individual classic cheesecakes

I know I shouldn't say this but I think that this is the best dessert I have ever made so far. I love cheesecakes, as you already know by now, and this time I fiddled around with my favourite cheesecake filling and decided to make it in individual portions, rather than as a cake and instead of normal base use the digestive biscuits. Needless to say that I became hooked from the first bite.

And as usual, I couldn't wait for the cakes to cool down and had one fresh out of the oven. I usually don't do it to cheesecakes, but trust me I have muffins and cookies the moment I take them out. To my pleasant surprise it tasted amazing and reminded me of the cheesecake I ate as a kid back home and I haven't had it, or anything close to it, since they took the cake off production. My mum used to buy it as a treat and then we microwaved it hot and ate - one of the most delicious things I had had at that point. However, although they are delicious when they are hot, they are absolutely divine when they have cooled down properly in the fridge. The amazingly silky smooth filling and the crunchy base really make you feel like you're in cheesecake heaven - and there's no way you want to come back down from there.

Perfect recipe to treat yourself or the loved ones, serve at a dinner party or just have for breakfast with your morning coffee. Every time of the day and every occasion is suitable for eating cheesecake... Serve with ice-cream, with melted chocolate, fresh berries, some strawberry jam or enjoy them just on their own - they are delicious either way.

These muffins actually freeze well, so you can make a batch and put some in the freezer for future consumption (cause if you eat them all in one go your waistline is not going to be very happy). Just remember to take them out half a day before and defrost them in the fridge (to keep the smooth consistency). Although they are the best without being frozen, they are still really-really good after that as well.

Ingredients
(Makes 10-12)
For the base:
- 150g digestive biscuits, crushed
- 75g butter, melted

For the filling:
- 150ml sugar
- 1 tbsp flour
- 400g Philadelphia cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla sugar
- 150ml cream

Directions
Line a 12 hole muffin pan with muffin liners. Mix the melted butter with the crushed biscuits and divide evenly between the muffin holes. Press the mixture hard to form a solid base for the muffins and place the muffin pan into the fridge for 30 minutes or so.

Preheat the oven to 150C. To make the filling, put all the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until the mixture is smooth and even. Divide it between the muffin holes and bake for around 20 to 25 minutes. Leave them out to cool down and then put in the fridge (or freezer if freezing them) until they have completely chilled.

Chocolate cheesecake

Over the last weekend we had a huge celebration at home - all of us had something to celebrate and all the relatives and family friends were over at ours ... and I was put in charge of desserts (this explains why the blog is flooded with desserts right now). As I am a proper chocoholic, the combination of cheesecake and chocolate sounds like heaven to me and as I noticed, I'm not the only one who thinks that way.

I made the cheesecake with Geisha chocolates ( http://www.fazer.com/Brands/Geisha/About-Geisha-/ ) but as I have not yet seen them in the UK and I do not think it is possible to order them online, any other chocolate sweet would do just as well - one could even use real truffles in the cake for an extra special occasion.

As the cake is made with dark chocolate (way to fool the mind to thinking that what you're eating is actually healthy and good for you) it is not too sweet. Just a perfect balance between sweet and bitterness put in a silky smooth texture with a hint of sweetness created by addition of Geisha. When I was enjoying my tiny slice of it only one thing passed through my mind: "It's way too good to be true." But it was so true and so good ... the only bad thing was that the cake didn't last long enough.

Ingredients
(Serves 12)
Base:
- 150g cocoa biscuits
- 50g butter, melted

Filling:
- 175g good quality dark chocolate, melted
- 500g Philadelphia cheese
- 2 dl sugar
- 3 eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 1.5 dl sour cream
- 100g Geisha (or any other) chocolates

- Decorate with physalises, icing sugar, chocolate leaves and anything else of liking.

Directions
Preheat the oven to 180C and line a 24-cm springform tin with baking parchment.

For the base, crush the biscuits and mix together with melted butter. Then press the crumbled biscuits into the tin and set aside.

To make the filling, melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot water and then let it cool down a bit. Mix Philadelphia, sugar, eggs, egg yolks and sour cream until smooth. Then add the chocolate. Last, halve the Geisha chocolates and mix them into the rest of the mixture. Pour it on the base and bake for 1 hour. Chill for overnight and decorate right before serving.

Recipe from a book "Juustukoogid"

Classic cheesecake

Cheesecakes are one of my favourite cakes and over the years this one has become the one which I bake for every occasion and which always finishes first. I've made this covered in chocolate or decorated with different berries and every single time it has come out absolutely amazing. However, I think that it is the best when just served with some physalises - their distinct taste and slight sourness complement the smooth texture and sweetness of the cake just right.

Whenever I make this cake I always remember one of my dear friends, who told me that if I ever set up my own cafe or bakery, he would make sure that I won't go out of business as long as this cake was available. This really sums up all I can say about the cake ... apart from the fact that I could finish one off just by myself without a problem. One of my all time favourites - it has been that since the first time I made it and will most definitely be on the list for many-many years to come.

Ingredients
(Serves 12)
Base:
- 2 eggs
- 0.75 dl flour
- 0.75 dl sugar
- 50g butter, melted

Filling:
- 2.5 dl sugar
- 2 tbsp flour
- 800g Philadelphia cream cheese (2 full fat, 2 medium fat ones)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar
- 3 dl cream

- Handful of physalises, to decorate (or any other fruit, chocolate etc)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 200C. For the base, place sugar and eggs in a bowl and place the bowl over hot water and whisk until the mixture is fluffy. Let it cool down, sieve in the flour and add the melted butter and mix well. Line a 24cm spring form cake tin with baking parchment and pour the base into the tin. Bake for 15 minutes.

For the filling, mix flour and sugar in a bowl. Add Philadelphia cheese and whip until mixed well. Then add eggs, vanilla sugar and cream. Make sure the filling is smooth, without any clumps and mixed well. Pour the mixture on the base and cover with aluminium foil. Bake at 175C for around 1 hour and 5 minutes. Before taking the cake out, check that it is ready - it is not supposed to be liquid in the middle.

Let it cool down and then place on a plate. Chill the cake before serving (preferably overnight in the fridge) and decorate it either after putting on a plate or right before serving.

This cake lasts few days and as usually for cheesecakes only gets better with time - but usually there is none left for the day after so I can't really verify that.

Recipe from a book "Juustukoogid"

Raspberry ricotta cake

Baking has been one of my passions for as long as I can remember and whenever I host an event I always bake something - muffins, cakes or biscuits. It is quite easy to come up with ideas when it is just few friends who are coming over, however, when it will be more than 10 people it gets a bit more tricky. Usually, most cakes serve around 10-12 slices and I rarely have the time to make more than one. Also, muffin trays only have 12 holes and therefore until now I've been stuck with making several batches to make sure there's plenty of food for everyone.

This weekend we had a nice get-together in our flat. At first we were supposed to go out and have a nice picnic in the park, but weather was typically British and therefore we had no choice but to stay indoors. When deciding what to make, I wanted to make sure that I would not have to slave in the kitchen for hours and that one batch would be enough for everyone, I got a really clever idea - I should bake a cake in a way they are made back in Estonia. So, instead of messing about with a  round cake tin I decided to make a nice and big cake in the baking tray. The result was delicious - ricotta gave the cake the required freshness and a bit sour raspberries balanced out the sweet crust. Will definitely make this again during summer!

Ingredients
(Serves 1 large baking tray)
Base:
- 400g butter, at room temperature
- 2 dl sugar
- 2 eggs
- 12 dl white flour

Filling:
- 2 dl sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla sugar
- 5 eggs
- 800g ricotta cheese
- 2 dl sour cream
- 2 dl raspberries

Directions
Heat the oven to 200C. For the base, mix together butter and sugar. Then add eggs and flour and mix until the dough is smooth. Put 3/4 of the dough on a baking paper lined large baking tray and even it out, so that it cover whole of the tray.

For the filling, whisk the eggs together with sugar. Add ricotta and sour cream and mix until smooth. Pour the mixture on top of the dough, sprinkle over with raspberries and top it off with crumbs of the remaining 1/4 of the dough. Cook for 30 minutes or until ready.

Serve either hot from the oven or let it cool down and chill it in the fridge and serve cold.

Pictures taken by my dear friend K.

Chocolate cheesecake muffins

When it comes to desserts and sweet things, chocolate is unarguably my all time favourite. However, over the years I have tried out new and interesting desserts and chocolate has acquired few competitors:- macaroons, cheesecakes, cupcakes, muffins, special flavoured ice-cream... To be honest, this list could probably go on forever as I have an insatiable sweet tooth. So, whenever I am confronted with a desserts menu it always takes me ages to make up my mind - I want it all and at the same time!

Fortunately for me, some geniuses have come up with the idea of mixing all good things into one dessert. For example, I do not know a single person who does not like chocolate chip ice-cream (= ice-cream, chocolate, biscuits). Therefore, at least for me and my boyfriend (and for a quite few of my friends) these chocolate-cheesecake muffins tick most boxes when it comes to dessert - they have just enough of everything in them! The combination of chocolate and cheesecake just make those muffins melt in your mouth. They are great for picnics and parties (as they are fancy enough) and for satisfying all cravings at once. And just to top it off - they are soo easy and quick to make that there is never a good enough excuse not to give in to the temptation.

Ingredients
(Makes 12)
Chocolate mixture:
- 3.5 dl flour
- 0.5 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp baking soda
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 125g unsalted butter
- 2.5 dl dark demerara sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1.25 dl hot chocolate powder
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar
- 1.5 dl semi-skimmed milk

Filling:
- 300g Philadelphia cheese
- 0.75 dl sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar
- 1 egg

Directions
Heat the oven to 175C. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a big bowl. Whisk warm (at room temperature) butter with demerara sugar and add eggs on at a time. Then add the hot chocolate powder and vanilla sugar to the egg mixture. Finally, add milk and the dry ingredients and mix until smooth.

For the cheesecake filling, whisk together room temperature Philadelphia cheese, egg and the vanilla sugar.

Put muffin cases in a 12-hole muffin tin and fill with the chocolate mixture halfway. Then add 2 spoonfuls of filling on one side and then add chocolate mixture to the other side.

Bake for 25 minutes (or until ready), let them cool down and keep in the fridge until serving.

Recipe from a book "Juustukoogid"