Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Classic Bakes: Cheesecake




I have a favourite baked cheesecake recipe that I use and tweak for a variety of ingredients and flavours. I love it when I find a recipe that’s fools proof, tastes great and can be used time and time again with a few additions here and there.
I’ve been craving fresh roasted salted macadamia nuts over the last couple of weeks. I’ve added them to my salads and cheese plates. I cannot get enough of them. So when I felt like baking a cheesecake, I knew exactly what the flavour would be; Salted macadamia and honey cheesecake. I love making muffin sized individual cheesecakes and this time I even made a few baby cheesecake bites in a mini muffin pan.




















Salted Macadamia and Honey Baked Cheesecake
Makes; 22cm round cake pan or 6 large muffin sizes

Biscuit base
100g plain sweet biscuit
50g unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake filling
¼ cup thickened cream
500g cream cheese
¼ cup caster sugar
¼ cup honey
1 egg
100g salted macadamias, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Line cake pan or muffin pan with baking paper.

Process biscuits until fine crumbs and add in melted butter. Divide into muffin pans and press firmly and even to create the crust. Refrigerate for 30mins till firm.

Beat cheese, sugar, cream and egg with an electric mixer until smooth and silky. Pour evenly into muffin pan and sprinkle with macadamias.

Bake in oven for 30mins or until slightly golden and just firm. Leave to cool in oven with door ajar. Once cool refrigerate for 3 hours until cold and completely firm. Before serving, drizzle with warm honey. 


1 comment:

Mel B said...

LOVE the idea of making muffin sized ones - husband doesn't like baked cheesecake only the chilled ones (more for me!) but although I adore baked cheesecake I have never made them because it is just me who eats it. This way I could bake some and then maybe take pretty little mini ones into my workmates with less chance of them getting mushed (as slices probably would) in transit.
So you have inspired me to try my first batch of baked cheesecake! I'm not a huge fan of honey in things though, 4 years of Army reserve camps with cooks who were obsessed with serving up honey sesame carrots will do that to anyone, I'm sure, so if I was to use that recipe as. base for other flavours, would I have to replace the honey with anything to keep the right consistency or sweetness or is it just in there for the flavour with the macadamias if you know what I mean?