Get ready to experience cheesecake like never before! From a decadent chocolate cheesecake to a yummy cheesecake pie, here are 3 fun and yummy twists on your favourite dessert!
3-ingredient Chocolate cheesecake
Serves 10-12
Ingredients
700g white chocolate, chopped
750g medium-fat cream cheese, room temperature
6 eggs, separated
Pinch of fine salt
Melted white chocolate, for serving (optional)
Honeycomb, for serving
Method
- Preheat the oven to 150°C.
- Grease and line two 20cm springform cake tins. Set
- Melt chocolate over a double-boiler or in the microwave. Cool slightly.
- Combine the melted chocolate and cream cheese, stirring well.
- Fold in egg yolks and salt. Set
- Whisk egg whites to stiff peaks. Stir in ⅓ of egg whites into cream cheese mixture, combining completely. Fold in remaining egg whites using a large metal spoon. Divide the mixture between prepared cake tins.
- Bake for 1 ½ hours or until cake springs back in the centre when pressed lightly.
- Cool in the tins for 20 minutes before transferring to the fridge to cool completely.
- Serve topped with melted chocolate and honeycomb, if you like.
Take it to the next level with honeycomb
Combine 1 cup (200g) sugar, ¼ cup (60ml) golden syrup and a pinch of salt in a large pot over medium heat. Stir every 2-3 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer for 12-15 minutes until mixture turns an amber colour. Remove from heat and vigorously whisk in 2 tsp (10ml) bicarbonate of soda until well incorporated and mixture is foamy. (Careful, the mixture expands four-fold.) Pour into a lined baking tin and leave to set for 30-60 minutes. Break into chunks and serve on top of cheesecake.
Recipe & styling: Gail Damon
Photograph: Zhann Solomon
Boozy layered cheesecake cups
Makes 8
Ingredients
200g Tennis biscuits
60g butter
500g cream cheese
385g condensed milk
60ml fresh lemon juice
60ml Cointreau (or other orange liqueur)
500g strawberries, quartered
1 Tbsp sugar
Method
- In a food processor, blitz biscuits and butter until a coarse crumble forms.
- In a bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add condensed milk, lemon juice and Cointreau.
- In a separate bowl, toss the strawberries and sugar.
- Layer the crumble at the bottom of each jar, followed by the cream cheese and then the strawberries. Repeat the layers.
Recipe & styling: Caro Alberts
Photograph: Kendall-Leigh Nash // HMimages.co.za
Cherry cheesecake pie
Serves 8
Ingredients
200g packet digestive biscuits, crushed
80g butter, melted
500g smooth cream cheese
1 cup castor sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp cornflour
½ tsp almond essence
200g cherry jam
100g fresh cherries, halved and pitted
400g roll shortcrust pastry
⅓ cup flaked almonds
Method
- Preheat oven to 150°C. Line a 20 cm loose-bottomed cake tin with baking paper and spray with cooking spray.
- In one bowl, mix the crushed biscuits with the melted butter. Press the mixture into the cake tin.
- In another bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, cornflour and almond essence with an electric beater until smooth.
- Pour the mixture over the biscuit base. Bake for 1 hour. The cheesecake is done when the sides are set, but the middle is still a bit wobbly. If it is too wobbly, return to the oven for another 15 minutes. Then remove from the oven and set aside until cooled completely.
- Turn up the oven to 180°C.
- Spread the jam evenly over the cooled cheesecake. Scatter the cherries on top.
- Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to 3mm thick. Cut out a circle about the same size as the cheesecake. Cut a pattern out of the pastry with a cookie cutter.
- Place the pastry over the cheesecake so that the filling shows through. Fold the pastry down over the edges.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes, until golden. Garnish the cherry cheesecake pie with flaked almonds and serve with whipped cream.
Recipe & styling: Diane Heierli
Photograph: Christoph Heierli
Also read: 3 yummy chocolate recipes for all your sweet cravings
