Category: chocolate

White chocolate and Strawberry Cheesecake (no bake)

We all love cheesecake!

This was a request from the Facebook page, you can use dark chocolate but i find the flavour of white chocolate works a bit better with the strawberry and slight sourness from the cheese.

Recipe!

Ingredients (serves 8)

For the base

  • 1 pack of biscuits (i like to use hobnobs)
  • 100-200g butter (depending how buttery you like the biscuit base, using more than 150g can make the base go soggy though)

For the filling

  • 200-400g strawberries, sliced (thickish, about 4 slices per strawberry)
  • 200g White chocolate
  • About 400g soft cream cheese
  • 50-100g icing sugar
  • 200ml double cream
  • Fresh mint or basil leaves (optional, to decorate)

Prep and cooking (30 minutes)

  1. First smash the biscuits up, easiest if you’ve got a food processor just blend them with a blade attachment, if not chuck them in a sealy bag and wrap a towel around it and smash it with a rolling pin.
  2. Put the biscuit dust into a mixing bowl and melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat.
  3. Mix the butter with the biscuit until it holds together.
  4. Line a cake tin with baking paper and layer the biscuit over the bottom, push down with a wooden spoon or your hands to compact it into the cheesecake base, cover with cling film and put in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
  5. Whilst it’s cooling down make the filling, melt the chocolate over a bain marie on the stovetop (saucepan with small amount of water in and a bowl over the top, using the steam to heat) or in a microwave, if using a microwave be careful not to burn the chocolate.
  6. In a seperate mixing bowl whisk the cream cheese with the sugar, add 1-2 tbsp of boiling water and whisk until its nice and smooth.
  7. Now pour in the melted chocolate with 2-3 tbsp of the cream and mix well.
  8. Put a layer of strawberry slices over the biscuit base and then cover with the cream cheese mixture and spread out evenly.
  9. Whip the rest of the cream and layer this on top of the chocolate/cheese filling.
  10. Arrange the rest of the strawberries on top, decorate with mint or basil leaves if using.
  11. Eat the damn thing.

More recipes soon!

Cookies; something to make with the kids on lockdown

This recipe is a request from the Facebook page.

Cookies are great to make with kids, they’re easy, quick and delicious (and kids love them!)

To the recipe, this is a sightly simplified version to make it easier for the kids.

Ingredients (Makes 15-20 cookies)

  • 300g plain flour
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 200g butter (melted)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 100-200g chocolate chips or broken up chocolate bars

Prep and cooking (30 minutes)

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan).
  2. Mix the melted butter, vanilla extract and sugar together with a wooden spoon in a mixing bowl.
  3. Sift the flour and baking powder and mix well.
  4. Add the chocolate chips and mix.
  5. Line a baking tray (or trays) with baking paper.
  6. Roll the cookie dough into small balls (you should get 15-20) and flatten them slightly onto the baking tray leaving about 2 inches between them.
  7. Bake for 15-20 minutes (it depends on the size) until the edges start to turn slightly golden.
  8. Enjoy! (I prefer them when they’re still warm).

More recipes soon!

Chocolate Crémeux Recipe

(above image from Gordons Restaurant with Rooms)

If you like chocolate, you’ll love this.

I’ve been asked for a recipe for something sweet and chocolatey, and this definitely fits the bill!

As you would expect using a better quality chocolate ends up with a better tasting desert.

Lets get to it!

Ingredients (serves 6-8)

For the base

  • 30g butter
  • 50g self raising flour
  • 30g demarara sugar
  • 1 or 2 tsp cocoa powder

For the filling

  • 1 egg
  • 100ml whipping cream
  • 150ml whole milk
  • 150g dark chocolate (min.70% cocoa solids)

Prep and Cooking (45+ minutes)

  1. First make the base, preheat the oven to 160-170°c (fan) and line a baking tray with baking paper and place a tart ring on top (if you don’t have a tart ring you can use the outer part of a cake tin that holds the base in place).
  2. Mix the butter, sugar, flour and cocoa powder to make a crumble and layer over the bottom of the tart ring to create the base, cook for 10-15 minutes, remove from oven and leave to cool.
  3. Now for the filling, make a bain marie with a bowl and saucepan of water to melt the chocolate in, whilst it’s melting bring the milk and cream to a boil and beat the egg in a seperate bowl.
  4. As the milk and cream comes up to boil remove it from the heat and slowly pour it over the egg whilst whisking constantly, then slowly pour this into the chocolate mixture whilst whisking.
  5. Pour the mixture over the base, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
  6. Enjoy! try not to put yourself ito a diabetic coma with these things..

More recipes soon!