dessert – The Pudding Queen

Nicely Autumnal-Caramel Apple Crisp Cheesecake

November 15, 2022 Sandra Dennis1 Comment

Last month, for Canadian Thanksgiving, we were invited to take part in a ‘Friendsgiving’ dinner-a really nice idea. One couple provided the turkey, beautifully roasted, one all the trimmings (and the venue) and we provided the desserts. It was a lovely evening.

Now Mark and I are still Thanksgiving newbies (even after 19 years in Canada!) and we have never got used to pumpkin. Pumpkin pie is a total no-no, as far as we are concerned, even if it is traditional. So, what to serve instead of this. I cast around for ideas and came across this recipe for an apple- and streusel-topped baked cheesecake, lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. That sounded suitably autumnal! It’s a bit of a faff to prepare, so definitely in the ‘celebration’ range rather than the everyday pud, but it turned out very nice and was a hit. It’s very filling so a little goes a long way.

I think it might actually be a recipe from back in the UK as it likes digestive biscuits as the base, rather than Graham cracker crumbs (although I have no doubt that those would work, too). I highly recommend using a springform cake tin for this one, it really will be far easier to release it from the tin after baking. Luckily I had treated myself to a set of springform tins (8″, 9″ and 10″) quite recently. The 8″ tin was perfect for this.

The recipe is made in portions. First the caramel sauce, as this needs to cool. Then the biscuit base as this is baked, then cooled. Next the crumble topping, followed by the apple mix. Finally the cheesecake mix. Ingredients are as follows:

Caramel Sauce

1 cup/200 g granulated sugar

⅓ cup water

½ cup/ 120 ml whipping or double cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp salt

Biscuit Base

200g/7 oz digestive biscuits or graham crackers

30 g/2 tbsp granulated sugar

60 g /¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

Crumble Topping

⅓ cup/70 g brown sugar

½ cup/50 g rolled oats

½ cup/ 63g all-purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ cup/ 60 g unsalted butter, melted

Apple Mix

3 medium apples (Granny Smith, for preference), peeled and diced

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

2 tbsp /30 g brown sugar

Cheesecake Mix

700 g/25 oz cream cheese, softened

45 g/3 tbsp granulated sugar

½ tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Zest from 1 lemon

3 eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1½ tbsp. (15 g) all-purpose flour

⅓ cup/ 80 g 14% sour cream

⅓ cup/ 80 g caramel sauce (made earlier)

To make the caramel sauce:

Place sugar and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, without stirring, until the sugar has dissolved and turned a dark golden colour. Remove from the heat. Carefully add the cream (it will bubble up), return to heat and stir constantly until smooth (about 1 minute) remove from heat, add vanilla, butter and salt and stir until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.

To make the biscuit base:

Preheat oven to 350˚F/180˚C/Gas 4

Grease and line the base of an 8” cake tin, preferably springform.

Process the biscuits to crumbs, either in a food processor or by putting them in a plastic bag and beating them with a rolling pin. I used digestives, although I couldn’t get hold of my favourite McVities digestives and had to make do with WalMart ones. They were ok.

Transfer the crumbs to a bowl, add in the sugar and mix well. Add the melted butter and mix well. Press into the base of the cake tin and bake, 10-13 minutes. Allow to cool in the tin on a rack.

To make the crumble topping:

Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pour in the butter and mix. Set aside.

To make the apple topping:

Place the peeled and chopped apples into a bowl. Drizzle lemon juice over the apples, then add the sugar and spices, and mix well. Set aside

To make the cheesecake filling:

Preheat oven to 300˚F/150˚C/Gas 1-2

Beat the cheese until light and fluffy. While beating, add sugar, salt, cinnamon and lemon zest. I found it easier to use the stand mixer for this bit, but remember to keep cleaning down the sides of the bowl.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition.

Add the vanilla, flour and sour cream, beat until smooth. I swapped to the hand mixer for this bit as my stand mixer isn’t particularly powerful, and it’s a thick mixture. A better stand mixer would probably power through this.

Add the caramel sauce and beat until incorporated.

Place the cheesecake filling on top of the biscuit base and smooth the top.

*Cheesecake layer on top of the biscuit base.*

Place the apple mixture on top of the cheesecake. Note that there may be liquid associated with the apple, I left this in the bowl.

Place the oat crumble on top of the apple.

Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour, then turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake in the oven for a further hour.

After removing the cake from the oven, leave to cool in the tin on a rack, then refrigerate, in the tin, overnight.

Remove the cheesecake from the tin, remove the base and the parchment lining and place on a serving plate. Pour the remaining caramel sauce over the cake, allowing some to drizzle over the sides.

I served this with a choice of thick pouring cream and/or good quality french vanilla ice cream. Highly recommended as a ‘different’ Thanksgiving dessert, and not as complicated to make as it might seem.

Keeps in the refrigerator for several days.

Fresh and Fruity-Strawberry Banana Butterscotch Salad

July 26, 2021July 18, 2021 Sandra DennisLeave a comment

It’s strawberry time! Well, actually it has been for a while so there are cheap local strawberries in the shops and we do enjoy a few strawberries. Well, it is fruit, so healthy, yes? Mostly we do the ‘Wimbledon’ thing, of strawberries and cream, using whipping cream as a substitute for double cream, which is unknown here (for those who don’t know, British double cream, 48% fat, is thick and luscious and wonderful on desserts-35% whipping cream is but a pale substitute!). However, I had half a carton of strawberries left. They were just getting to that over-ripe stage, still edible but not as pretty, so I thought they might benefit from some sort of treatment.

I remembered a recipe I’ve had in my files for years. It’s another of those ones from the UK that I cut out of a magazine nearly 30 years ago, but I haven’t made it lately. It makes a good buffet table dessert in the summer so maybe I’ll remember it if we ever have another buffet party (Covid-willing!). It is called Strawberry Banana Toffee Salad, and it does what it says on the tin! It is very sweet, fruity and delicious.

Well, I reviewed the recipe and it was a bit complicated for a quick afternoon dessert, however, I don’t mind adapting. I remembered a recipe for ‘butter sauce’ that our friend, Sandra (yes, another one!) had given me last Christmas. Basically it uses 1 measure of butter, 1 of sugar and 1 of cream, with a little vanilla extract to taste, to make a light butterscotch sauce. I reckoned that would make a nice addition to the strawberries, and it is quite quick to make.

So, I’ll provide my amended recipe and then, below, the original recipe, because it is really jolly good. The amended recipe certainly tasted alright, though.

Amended Recipe: Serves 2-3 people

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp granulated sugar

3 tbsp whipping cream

Vanilla extract, to taste

1-2 bananas, peeled and chopped

½ large pack (½ quart) strawberries, hulled and halved

200 ml (approx.) whipping cream

1-2 tsp lemon juice (or to taste)

1 tbsp granulated sugar

To make the sauce: Place the butter, sugar and cream into a saucepan. Add vanilla extract to taste. Heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, then a rolling boil until slightly thickened and golden in colour (a few minutes only-I think the longer you leave it, the more ‘toffee’ it will get, but beware of burning!). Transfer to a container and cool.

Place the banana and strawberries in a serving bowl. If liked, add a little lemon juice to the bananas (especially if the salad won’t be served immediately). Pour over the butterscotch sauce and place in the refrigerator to cool.

Whip the cream with sugar and lemon juice until stiff. Layer over the fruit mixture.

Simple but quite effective.

Original Toffee Salad Recipe: serves 4-6

50 g/ 2 oz/ ¼ cup/ ½ stick butter

175 g/ 6 oz/ I cup soft brown sugar

125 g/ 4 oz golden syrup*

150 ml/¼ pint single cream**

5 large bananas, peeled and chopped

15 ml/ 1 tbsp lemon juice

700 g/1½ lb strawberries, hulled and halved

2 oranges, peeled and segmented, reserve any juice

25 g/1 oz chopped pistachios or hazelnuts (optional)***

* Golden syrup isn’t commonly found here. I’ve had reasonable results substituting runny honey. For those who like the taste, maple syrup might work nicely, too.
**Single cream is another of those UK things. In Canada it’s probably closest to 18% cream. In Australia and the US it might be known as light cream. Oh. the fun of international cookery!
***I’ve never added the nuts, it isn’t necessary for the taste and some people don’t enjoy them.

To make the sauce: heat the butter, sugar and syrup/honey gently, in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to simmering point and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cream and simmer again, for a further 2 minutes. Beat well and then transfer to a container and leave to cool.

Toss the chopped bananas in the lemon juice. Mix bananas, strawberries, orange segments and any remaining orange juice in a serving bowl. Pour over the sauce and top with nuts, if using. Serve chilled with cream, whipped cream or a good vanilla ice cream to accompany. Yum!

Fruity and Filling-Apple Berry Cobbler

July 18, 2021 Sandra DennisLeave a comment

I fancied making a dessert for after dinner, but I was a bit short of time, and ingredients to be honest (I’m due a supermarket visit). I often seem to leave it till the last minute before deciding that dessert would be nice. So, with my fairly limited choice of ingredients, and my even more limited time available, what should I make?

Well, I’d found a peach berry cobbler recipe which was supposed to be cooked on a camp fire. Now, I wasn’t about to build a fire in the back yard. We are English and have never really understood the North American campfire thing-despite my long and successful career in the Girl Guides when I was a teenager-but I thought it would work ok in the oven. It looked pretty simple to do and would fit in my short timeline. I didn’t have any peaches to use but a couple of eating apples would make an acceptable substitute. My berry fruits were frozen, but a quick zap in the microwave, on reduced power, fixed that. So, it was a plan. I’ll give my converted recipe, for 2-4 people, depending on appetite.

The Recipe:

Two small eating apples, peeled and chopped

1½ cups frozen mixed berry fruits, thawed*

90 g/ 3 oz granulated sugar

1½ tbsp. cornstarch/cornflour

1 tbsp lemon juice

½ tsp vanilla extract

Pinch salt

½ cup/65 g/2 oz all-purpose (plain) flour

50 g/ 2 oz/ ¼ cup/ ½ stick butter, cold, cut into pieces

1 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

65 ml/ ¼ cup buttermilk**

½ tsp vanilla extract

* my mix was raspberry, blackberry and blueberry. Fresh berries, of a similar mix, would also work.
** of course I had no buttermilk, so made it by adding lemon juice to milk, 1 tsp of lemon juice made up to 250 ml/1 cup with milk (reduce quantities, accordingly) and left to stand for a few minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350˚F/180˚C/Gas 4.

In a large bowl, mix together the apples, berries, 90 g granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Transfer to a suitable baking dish (note, for a camp fire the recipe recommends a cast iron skillet but for the oven I used a Pyrex bowl). Set aside.

Place the flour, granulated sugar (1 tbsp), baking powder and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

Add the butter and rub in with your hands to incorporate, until the butter pieces are pea-sized. Then add the buttermilk and vanilla, and stir until just combined. Spoon onto the top of the fruit mixture. Sprinkle a little more sugar over the top.

I found the cobbler mixture to be a bit sloppy and it didn’t really cover the whole of the fruit. Well, this didn’t look that good, but never say die. It went into the oven, uncovered, and I hoped for the best.

The camp fire version specifies that it is to be covered with foil for cooking and states that it will be about 20 minutes before the biscuit mixture is cooked through and the fruit is bubbling. I didn’t really know for the oven but kept an eye on it. It seemed to take about 25-30 minutes before the fruit was nicely bubbly and the topping browned.

Well, it certainly looked a lot better coming out than it did going in!

The cobbler was crisp and the fruit hot and syrupy. I served it with a dollop of thick cold cream and it went down very nicely. Definitely worth remembering when in a bind for pudding.

Easy Elegance-Lime Semifreddo Cheesecake

March 28, 2021March 28, 2021 Sandra DennisLeave a comment

‘Semifreddo’ apparently means ‘partly cold’ in Italian, so it is a good description of this no-bake cheesecake that is frozen then allowed to slightly thaw before serving. However, a real ‘semifreddo’ is apparently a sort of mousse, or custard, involving beaten eggs-sounds like fun and something I might have a go at, one day. Instead, this cheesecake is a very good dinner party dessert, especially as it can be made up to 3 months in advance and then just brought out 30-minutes before serving, along with a tasty fruit compote. Deceptively simple, it has proved to be popular with my guests, to the extent of my being asked for the recipe! So, here goes:

Ingredients for the cheesecake

The Recipe:
Base
140 g/5 oz digestive biscuits or graham cracker crumbs*
75 g/2.7 oz butter, melted

Cheesecake filling
1 tin (300 ml) sweetened condensed milk
1 block/250 g/8 oz full-fat cream cheese, softened
150 ml/5 fl oz double cream, whipping cream or heavy cream**
Finely grated zest of 3 limes***
Juice of 2 limes, or to taste ****

Fruit compote
200 g/7 oz fresh or frozen berry fruit (cranberries, blueberries, etc.)*****
100 g/3.5 oz caster or fine granulated sugar******
1 tbsp ground arrowroot or cornflour/cornstarch
150 ml/5 fl oz water, plus additional for cornflour/arrowroot

* this British recipe uses digestive biscuits, the default cheesecake base in the UK, but graham cracker crumbs should work just as well.

** I used whipping cream, the highest fat cream available here

***I omitted this, since we prefer a smoother finish

****I used ReaLime juice and ended up adding a little more as I like a stronger lime taste

*****I used a frozen berry mix containing blackberries, raspberries and blueberries

******The recipe suggests golden caster sugar, which would impart a slightly caramel taste, but isn’t available here. I used golden yellow sugar.

Using a 1lb/ 900g loaf tin (I have a Pyrex one), line with foil, pushing it into the base and corners but leaving plenty overhanging the sides.

If using digestives or intact graham crackers, place the biscuits into a strong plastic bag and beat with a rolling pin to form fine crumbs,

Mix the biscuit crumbs with the melted butter then place in the lined tin, pressing down to make a smooth layer. Chill whilst making the filling.

Place the cheese, condensed milk and cream into a bowl and beat together until smooth and thickened.
Add the grated zest (if using) and lime juice, to taste and beat again until soft peaks start to be formed.

P1340403 cheese condensed milk and cream

Spoon over the crumb base, smooth slightly, then loosely fold over the foil, fastening tightly to exclude as much air as possible. Add a further layer of foil and then place in a freezer bag (I used the one I’d crushed the biscuits in!) and transfer to the freezer.

Freeze overnight, or up to 3 months.

For the compote, place the fruit, sugar and 150 ml cold water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook, 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The berries should retain some shape. Mix the cornflour/starch or arrowroot with a little cold water to form a paste. Add to the fruit syrup and stir well. Cook for a further 2 minutes then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Chill or freeze, up to 3 months.

To serve, take the frozen cheesecake out of the freezer and remove the plastic bag and top layer of foil. The recipe suggests turning out the cheesecake, upside down and serving it this way, but I prefer to have the creamy layer uppermost. I find that after 15 minutes, I can peel away the final layer of foil and the cheesecake remains firm enough to be manoeuvered, right-way up, onto a plate. A dusting of icing sugar, and/or some lime zest, makes a nice decoration.

The compote needs to thaw and can then be served cold or warmed up slightly, alongside the slices of cheesecake and maybe a drop of whipped cream. Enjoy!

Take Two Apples-Eve’s Pudding

August 21, 2020August 22, 2020 Sandra DennisLeave a comment

I’m fussy about apples. I enjoy a crisp, sweet, almost tart apple but am not fond of those that feel ‘mushy’ when you bite in, so I loathe Golden Delicious, Red Delicious and their ilk. I really like Honeycrisp, but they are horribly expensive right now, Ambrosia, Pink Lady, Juici, etc. I thought I liked Royal Gala, but a recent purchase put me off them. So, I had two apples from the batch that I knew I wouldn’t eat, not raw. What to do with them?

Normally, my go-to would be an apple crumble or apple crisp, but I fancied trying something different, so I dug out an old recipe from my collection, for Eve’s Pudding. It’s a recipe I found when we lived in the UK, so it starts with ‘peel and slice 1lb of Bramley apples’! Ah, the Bramley, the best cooking apple anywhere (not really one for eating, though). Now we live in North America, no-one seems to understand the concept of a baking apple, one that you can’t really eat raw, and you never ever see Bramleys. They really do make the best apples for pies and the like, keeping their form and taste through stewing and baking. I suppose the closest we get would be a Granny Smith. I have a soft spot for Bramleys since the first tree was grown in the village of Southwell, in Nottinghamshire, after a young girl planted an apple pip in her garden-and, of course, we used to live in Nottingham. Anyhow, Bramleys will always need a preliminary cook, stewing in a little water and then adding sugar, before incorporating them in a pie.

The positive to using an eating apple is that you can generally skip the stewing phase, especially using a softer apple like Royal Gala. That makes it a quicker dish to prepare. In this case I just peeled and cored the two apples, and added pieces to a greased 6 in diameter glass oven dish. To make it more interesting, and why not, I added a 1/4 tsp of cinnamon, a handful of sultana raisins and 3 tsp of raw sugar granules, and added 3 tsp of water, too.

Apples, raisins, sugar, cinnamon and water

Eve’s Pudding is topped with a light sponge, made with equal amounts of soft margarine, granulated/caster sugar and self-raising flour, and a single large egg, very simple. The sponge mix is placed on the top of the apple layer, then the whole thing placed in the oven to bake.

The pudding is ready when the sponge is risen and golden, about 20-30 minutes. The pud is best served hot, with cream, custard or even ice cream, as we did. I put a generous scoop of caramel fudge ice cream with each portion, and it went down very well.

Just out of the oven

Fluffy sponge, fruity layer

A healthy portion

A la mode!

The recipe

I will give you the original UK version, and my amended version. This serves 3-4 people (or two, with very healthy appetites!)

Original	Amended
1 lb/400 g Bramley apples, peeled and sliced	2 eating apples, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp sugar	Handful sultana raisins
	¼ tsp cinnamon
	3 tsp raw or demerara-type sugar
	3 tsp cold water
2 oz/50 g caster sugar	2 oz/50 g granulated sugar
2 oz/50 g soft margarine	2 oz/50 g soft margarine (Imperial)
1 egg, size 2	1 egg, large
2oz/50 g self-raising flour	2oz/50 g self-raising flour (Cake and Pastry flour)

Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F/gas 4, although I did set mine to 350F convection (fan), because I was cooking something else that needed a slightly higher temperature, but it worked out fine anyway.

If using the original recipe, place the sliced cooking apples into a saucepan with a little water, and stew until tender. Add the 2 tbsp sugar and place the stewed apples into a prepared, greased oven dish. if following the amended version, toss the cut apple slices with the raw sugar, cinnamon and raisins, transfer to a greased oven dish and add the water.

Cream the margarine and sugar, using an electric hand mixer, until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and then add the flour, beating until incorporated. Layer the cake mixture over the apples, place the whole in the oven and bake until risen, firm and golden in colour. The recipe gives 30 minutes for this, but at the slightly higher temperature I was using it took about 20 minutes. Serve immediately, with your preferred ‘side’.

It made a nice change to apple crumble, and was almost as easy to make. I’ll keep the recipe handy for the next time I buy the wrong apples!

Eve’s Pudding, with lashings of ice cream!

For those without self-raising flour handy, it can be substituted with plain/all-purpose flour mixed with baking powder at a ratio of 2 tsp baking powder to 150g/6 oz/ 1 cup flour. Whisk or sieve the two together, to make sure that the baking powder is evenly distributed through the flour, before measuring out the amount needed for the recipe.

The Accidental Cheesecake-Tropical Fruit Chiffon!

August 8, 2020 Sandra DennisLeave a comment

I found a recipe called ‘Tropical Fruit Chiffon Pie’, which sounded nice. Now all I needed was a special occasion to give it a go. Well, one was coming up, it was very special to us as it was the 10th anniversary of our becoming Canadian citizens. A great excuse for asking a couple of friends over for dinner (in our Covid-19 bubble) and making a nice pud.

The recipe called for a refrigerated shortcrust pie crust. This might have worked if I’d been able to get a pre-formed one, or even a pre-baked one, but instead I had to make do with a round of refrigerated pastry to place in a pie dish and blind bake. I used to have baking beans, pottery pebbles in a plastic tub, but it appears that these have gone missing over the years, maybe during one of the two big house moves we have done-from the UK to Canada, and then from Montreal to Nova Scotia. Whatever, the instructions on the packet said to line an ungreased glass pie dish with the pastry round, folding the edges over to make a thicker crust (done), prick it all over with a fork, and then bake for 10-15 minutes. No need for baking beans, apparently. What could go wrong?

My pie crust shrank to about the size of a loonie coin (pound coin to those in the UK). It was tiny, a little shrivelled thing in the bottom of the pie dish and totally useless to carry a filling. Disaster! I could have given it another go, I had another pastry round available (it would need defrosting) but I couldn’t see that it would be any better the second time. Time for plan B, time for the cracker-crumb base.

I greased and lined an 8-inch loose-bottomed cake tin with baking parchment. Hopefully this would be big enough to fit the same amount of filling as the 9-inch pie plate. To make sure, I extended the parchment lining well above the edge of the rim. Then I dug out a packet of Graham cookie crumbs, left over from a previous project. Lucky I had them in!

Graham cookie crumbs seem to be the default crumb base ingredient in North America, where UK bakers would probably get to work on a packet of digestive biscuits (McVities for preference) with a rolling pin. I’ve done my share of that (Milk Choc Digestives for a chocolate cheesecake are the tops!) but this time I went with what I had available. Adding a little sugar and a dollop of melted butter (I always have unsalted butter in the fridge, and keep some in the freezer, too) and I soon had a crumb base pressed into the bottom of my cake tin.

Now for the topping mixture. It was based on cream cheese and jelly (jello) for firmness, and incorporated pineapple and mandarin oranges for the tropical taste. There was supposed to be a dash of coconut essence, too, but neither of my local supermarkets could come up with that ingredient. Sometimes, living in rural Nova Scotia can be limiting. Not knowing quite what to do, I picked up a can of coconut milk, in order to improvise.

The instructions called for an 8 oz can of crushed pineapple in syrup. Hmm, couldn’t find any, but I did find a can in juice, so that would have to do. To be honest, I think the syrup would have been far too sweet, I even cut down the sugar added to the recipe, too, and it turned out plenty sweet enough. I’d definitely opt for fruit in juice. The drained pineapple juice was to be made up to 1 cup (250 ml) with water, heated to just boiling and then used to make the lemon jelly (jello). Because of my lack of coconut essence, I made up my juice with coconut milk. It added a little coconut flavour without overwhelming,

Cream cheese, sugar, crushed pineapple and half of the mandarins were all beaten together using an electric mixer, then the gelatine mixture, which had been allowed to cool, was added. Once incorporated, it was allowed to chill for about an hour, until whipped cream was incorporated to give the mousse effect. I piled the filling into the tin (it fitted!), levelled it off and left it to set in the fridge (I even gave it an hour in the freezer to be sure), overnight.

The next morning (oh, joy!) it had set and I was able to remove it from the tin, take off the parchment paper and decorate the top with whipped cream rosettes, the remainder of the mandarins and a sprinkling of toasted coconut. Typically, I forgot to take a photo of the finished thing, but it certainly went down well, paired with a dollop of Haagen-Daz Pineapple-Coconut Ice Cream for that totally tropical taste!

The Recipe

For my version:

Base:

1 cup (250 ml, 180 g) Graham cracker crumbs (or crushed digestives), 2 tbsp sugar, 3 tbsp melted butter.

Filling:

1 can (398 ml) crushed pineapple in juice, drained and juice retained.

1 box lemon jelly (jello) crystals.

1 pkt (250g, 8 oz) cream cheese (full-fat) softened, I used Philadelphia

1/2 cup (125 g, 4 oz) granulated sugar (note that North American granulated is finer than the UK version, so caster sugar would be better)

1 can (284 ml) mandarin oranges, in juice, drained

1 tbsp lemon juice

I can coconut milk (you won’t need it all)

11/2 cups (375 ml) whipping cream (35% fat cream)

2 tbsp icing (confectioners, or powdered) sugar

Method:

Grease and line an 8-inch loose-bottomed cake tin.

Mix the cracker crumbs, sugar and butter together, place into the tin and press flat, covering the base. Set aside.

Place the pineapple juice into a measuring jug and make up the volume to 1 cup (250 ml) with coconut milk. Heat the mixture to near boiling (I used the microwave), then add the jelly crystals and mix well until fully dissolved. Set aside to cool slightly.

Combine the cream cheese and sugar, using an electric mixer. Add in the pineapple, half of the mandarins and beat until creamy. While beating, add the gelatine mixture and the lemon juice. When all combined, transfer to the fridge to chill, approx 1 hour.

Whip the cream with the icing sugar until firm. Remove 1 cup of the whipped cream, then add the rest to the chilled gelatine/cheese mixture, using the electric mixer on low speed. Once incorporated, pile the filling into the prepared tin, level the top and chill overnight.

Once set, remove from the tin, pull away the parchment and set on a serving plate. Decorate the top with the reserved cream and mandarins. Add a sprinkle of toasted coconut, if desired.

to toast coconut:

Preheat oven to 375 F (190C). Line a cookie sheet with aluminium foil and sprinkle over a thin layer of shredded coconut (I used the sweetened kind, it was what I had in). Place in the heated oven for approximately 10 minutes, turning once, until golden brown in colour. Remove from oven and allow to cool before using on the cheesecake.

The cheesecake will keep for a couple of days in the fridge; that is, so I am informed. It doesn’t last that long in our house!

Tip:

To use the rest of the coconut milk, maybe make some Thai coconut rice?