Happy Mother's Day

So I was thinking of the recipe I want to share for mother’s day, I thought I definitely want to share a dessert recipe. Something as sweet as mothers! When it came to choosing the dessert, I picked this fabulous baked cheesecake for a couple of reasons: First, my mum loves cheesecake, and for mother’s day I wanted to share her favourite dessert. Second, many of you had sent me emails requesting my baked cheesecake recipe and I thought to grant your wish for mother’s day; kind of like my little mother’s day gift to you. So I am sharing this recipe in celebration of all of you Mums out there, wishing you a fabulous day filled with the love of your children 🙂

This baked cheesecake recipe is deliciousness at its best! The crunchy crust made out of a mixture of nuts and cookies is amazing both in texture and flavour. It crunches and oozes in caramel and nut goodness, making you want more and more of it. I love cheesecake crust, so I always make sure to make it thicker than usual, which is always commended by my guests. They seem to agree that crust shouldn’t be too thin, and should be a substantial part of the experience. However, if you are one for thin crusts, go ahead and make it to the thickness you desire.

I strongly advise you to go only for mascarpone cheese as it is more creamy and less cheesy, a preferred option for desserts. Some of the worst cheesecake experiences I have had, included a cheese type that produced a flavour that is more on the savoury and processed cheese side, which I find very offsetting. The cheese filling in this recipe is sweet but not overly, and the addition of the vanilla seeds makes the flavour Divine. As the filling cooks, the eggs help in creating a volume and texture, a breed between cakey and gelatinous. It is a heavenly filling, good enough on its own. As such you don’t really need to have a topping for it. So you can serve it as is, or with fresh fruits, and if you want to go for a topping then coulis work perfectly here. Strawberry, raspberry, blueberry… all are suitable options. I have included for you a fresh strawberry sauce here as an option, this sauce method works well with different berries too, so feel free to adapt to you preference/mood.

BTW, you can make this recipe into mini cheesecakes for those afternoon teas and desserts buffets.

Back in the day when I used to do catering, this cheesecake was a best seller. It is a crowd pleaser and a must keep in your recipe collection. Give it a try, and I am telling you, you will want to hang on to it…

Here is how it goes…

Ingredients

For Crust

  • ¼ cup finely chopped pecans
  • ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts
  • ¼ cup finely chopped almonds
  • ¾ cup crushed vanilla sugar cookies
  • 2 tbsp butter, melted

For Filling

  • (all at room temperature) 750g Mascarpone cream cheese
  • 1 1/3 cup sugar
  • 5 large eggs
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Seeds of 1 vanilla pod
  • 2 tsp lemon juice

For Fresh Strawberry Sauce

  • 4 cups fresh strawberries
  • 1/2 cup caster sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tsp orange zest
  • 2 tbsp orange juice (optional)
  • 1 cup extra of fresh strawberries for garnish (optional)

Prepare crust mix the nuts and crackers with the butter. Press against the bottom and sides of a greased spring form pan. Set aside.

Keeping the mixer on ‘low’ throughout, beat the cream cheese until light & fluffy. Gradually add the sugar, and beat until creamy. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. When eggs have been mixed into the cream cheese, add the flour, vanilla and lemon juice. Mix well.

Pour cream cheese into the prepared pan, place in a preheated (350F) oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

When the time is up, open the oven door and leave in the oven for 1 more hour. Remove the cheesecake from the oven, let it cool completely before placing in the fridge.

Once completely cooled, place the cheesecake in the fridge for 24 hours to mature and set the flavours, this will make it richer and much better as the flavours cure in the fridge.

Right before serving, and if you do not wish to serve it plain, you can arrange assorted fresh berries on top in whichever design you fancy. You can also sprinkle the tops with icing sugar. Otherwise you can serve topped with the strawberry sauce that is then topped with fresh strawberries…

Serve cold and enjoy.

 

For Fresh Strawberry Sauce

This can be made with blueberries, raspberries or blackberries if you like

 

Combine all the ingredients together in a large saucepan, and cook till the strawberries are soft and the liquid is thickened (about 10-15 minutes).

Remove from the heat, and let the sauce cool down.

Using an immersion blender, liquidize the sauce, and spoon over the cheesecake.

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