Cheesecake. Let’s think on that for a moment.
Cheese + cake. In other words pure deliciousness. So when PHILLY asked if I
would participate in a bloggers cheesecake challenge – to come up with a
Christmas inspired cheesecake - you can imagine I couldn’t say yes fast
enough*.
Any food obsessed Instagram follower would know
there is a huge trend for layered cakes, their tops bursting with edible bits
and bobs. They make for a great photo and an even greater eating opportunity
but for some reason this hasn’t translated to the good ole cheesecake. So I
made it my personal mission to layer up a no bake cheesecake. I thought about
this cheesecake adventure long and hard, and here’s what I did. Can I
introduce you to the
spiced chocolate and hazelnut cheesecake with salted caramel popcorn and brandy
caramel. It's delicious any way you slice it.
*In the interests of full disclosure this post isn’t sponsored but thanks to PHILIDELPHIA Australia for supplying
me with the cream cheese to make this cake!
Spiced Christmas
cheesecake with hazelnut, ginger and brandy caramel
Ingredients
Cheesecake
250g
gingersnap biscuits
150g
butter, melted
1 ½ tbsp.
mixed spice
750g PHILADELPHIA block cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup
caster sugar
450ml cream,
whipped to soft peak
1 1/2
vanilla bean, seeds scraped
4 1/2 tsp gelatine
powder
2 tbsp boiling
water
10 hazelnut
chocolates, roughly crumbled
Brown sugar meringue
40g light
brown sugar
2 eggwhites
50g caster
sugar
Brandy caramel
320g brown
sugar
300ml
pouring cream
80g
coarsely chopped butter
40g golden
syrup
40ml brandy
Topping
Caramelised
popcorn
Christmas
wafers
Gingersnap
biscuits
Hazelnut
chocolates
Extra dark
chocolate, melted, for drizzling
Method
Grease a high sided 25cm-round (base) spring form pan.
Place the biscuits in a food processor and blitz to a fine crumb. Add
the melted butter and process until combined. Add the mixture to the tin and
press over the base. Cover and refrigerate.
Add the PHILLY cream cheese, mixed spice, caster sugar and vanilla bean seeds to
the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk until combined and the spices are fully
incorporated. Separate a third of the mixture and place in the fridge for later
use.
Place 3 teaspoons of the gelatine powder in a small bowl. Top with 1 ½
tablespoons of boiling water and using a fork, whisk briskly until the powder
has melted. Working quickly pour this mixture into the cream cheese mixture and
mix until combined. Gently fold through the whipped cream then pour the mixture
into the tin over the biscuit base. Tap the bottom to release any air bubbles
then level top with a spatula. Cover and place cheesecake in the fridge until
set, preferably overnight. Remove the remaining cheesecake mixture from the
fridge and bring to room temperature. Place in a mixing bowl. Place remaining
gelatine powder in a small bowl and top with remaining amount of boiling water,
whisking with a fork. Add to the cream cheese mixture and whisk until fully
incorporated.
Top the set cheesecake section with the crumbled hazelnut chocolates.
Scoop the cheesecake mixture over the top and return the cake to the fridge.
Preheat oven to 120C.
For the meringue, beat the eggwhites until soft peaks form. Add the
caster sugar, gradually beating until the whites are glossy and the sugar has
dissolved. With motor still running, slowly add the brown sugar. Line a biscuit
tray with baking paper. Spoon a large blob onto the tray and using the back of
a spoon smooth the meringue to create a flat layer. This makes more than you
need for the cheesecake so with any remaining mixture, make normal meringues
for later use. Bake meringue for about 50 minutes or until cooked and when
tapped you get a nice hollow sound. Allow to cool before breaking into random
sized shards and drizzling over the melted chocolate.
For brandy caramel, stir ingredients in a saucepan until sugar
dissolves, bring to the boil and cook until thick and syrupy (5-10 minutes).
Add a pinch of salt and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
Using a spoon, gently scoop the caramel over the top of the cold
cheesecake, using your spoon to push it over the sides to create a drip effect.
Immediately return to the fridge to lightly set. With the brandy in the caramel
it won’t set as solidly as normal caramel but don’t worry, it layers and pools
gloriously round the base of the cheesecake.
Top the cheesecake with the topping ingredients – as much or as little
as you like. Best served on the day of making.
Here is the first layer topped with hazelnut chocolates |
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