Cake Ingredients:
600g of Hobnobs/Graham crackers, 100g unsalted butter melted, 800g cream cheese, 225g caster sugar, 2 eggs, 50g cornflour/cornstarch, 250ml whipping cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
25cm/10-inch cake pan, greased and baselined with parchment paper
10-12 slices
Note: I took 2 days to make this cake.
This was a very big and rich cake. It was the pièce de résistance for the little tea party I hosted on the 4th January 2013. After the first attempt, I halved the size of the ingredients to bake a smaller cake for Lady J’s birthday party on the 19th January 2013. Both times, it was a hit. Have a go!
Note: you can make your own dulce de leche or purchase a jar from the store. I couldn’t find any dulce de leche in the supermarkets so I decided to substitute that ingredient with salted caramel.
1. Preheat the oven to 125°C (240ºF) Gas 1.
2. Make the Crust. Crush the biscuits until you get fine crumbs. To do this I put the biscuits in a bag & bashed it with a rolling pin or smack it with a wooden spoon. Then, I put the crumbs into a bowl and crumble the biscuits to a finer texture. This can take about 30-40 minutes. Be patient, put on a nice song and dance on the spot while your hands are busy. The texture feels like sand between your fingers. Just imagine yourself at a sweet beach!
3. Add the melted butter, the amount you will need varies. Test by grabbing the mixture and squeezing into your hand to make a ball, then releasing your hand. The mixture should hold its shape but also fall apart when touched slightly. If it doesn’t hold its shape, add more butter otherwise the biscuit will dissolve into the cheesecake and you will have no crust.If it holds the shape too well, add more biscuits to absorb the butter, otherwise your crust will be too hard.
4. Press the mixture down into a prepared cake tin & pat down until level.
5. Put the cream cheese and sugar in a bowl and beat until well mixed and the sugar has been dissolved.
6. Slowly incorporate the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until throughly combined before adding the next. Scrape the side of the bowl regularly to make sure that everything is incorporated. Sift the cornflour/cornstarch into the mixture and stir until throughly combined.
7.Add the cream and vanilla extract and mix until combined.Pour the mixture into the pan over the crust. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour until the middle is slightly jiggly and the top doesn’t look shiny or wet anymore.
8.Remove from the oven and and let cool in the pan for 1 hour. Note: Refrigerate overnight.
10.Unmould the cheesecake by turning it upside down on a plate or board, then uprighting it again.
yummy.
Topping
Ingredients:
Fudge Icing + store bought caramel/dulce de leche + 5 tablespoons shredded coconut (do not replace with desiccated coconut) lightly toasted + 75 g pecan halves slightly toasted and crushed + melted dark or semi sweet chocolate for drizzling.
1. Spread a layer of fudge Icing over the cheesecake. Warn the dulce de leche/caramel slightly and drizzle over the fudge icing in generous dollops. Sprinkle in the pecans, coconuts & melted chocolate all over.
Fudge Icing
250ml whipping cream, 65g golden syrup, 350g dark chocolate (70% cocoa) chopped into pea sized pieces, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 75g unsalted butter cut into cubes and chilled.
Note: Do adjust the amount you need accordingly.
1.Put the cream + golden syrup into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
2.Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. As soon as the cream mixture comes to a boil, immediately pour it over the chocolate. Set aside for 1 minute.
3. Using a small balloon whisk placed in the middle of the bowl, stir with very small motions. Don’t stray from the middle of the bowl. You are making an emulsion by whisking a large amount of chocolate at the bottom of the bowl & slowly adding small amounts of cream to it. Stirring in larger motions will incorporate more cream than necessary and will result in a grainy texture. Do not incorporate air as, as that will result in shortening the life of the icing. Keep stirring in small motions-it will look like nothing is happening until eventually, a thick, glossy mixture forms. Gradually stir in wider motions to incorporate more cream into the emulsion until it’s fully combined.
4.Add the vanilla extract and butter & mix until it is well combined. Set aside to let the chocolate stiffen into a firm consistency before using.
Source:
jo adores 