Chocolate and Caramel Ripple Cheesecake with Brownie Base.

I have said it before but I will say it again. Cheesecake is my favourite dessert. It is also one of my favourite foods to experiment with. I love thinking up and trying out new flavours. This weekend brought the idea of mixing things up with a brownie base instead of the usual biscuit base. Now I don't know about you but I love, love, love brownies. Particularly when they are fudgy in the middle but crispy, bordering on over cooked on the edges. Pair this with a delicious, light cheesecake filling and I think that sounds like a darn good sweet treat.



The cheesecake filling I used is a delicious, light and fluffy filling. It is light on flavour which lets the brownie base remain the star of the dessert. And the chocolate and caramel sauces which are rippled throughout just finish it off. The gelatine in the cheesecake filling also means that you don't have to worry as much about getting the perfect consistency or allowing the cheesecake to set overnight. 4 hours in the fridge and you are good to go.



No fluffy around this week, it's straight to the recipe!

This week's tips and hints:
* I use about half of the chocolate and caramel sauces to ripple through the filling and save the rest to drizzle over when you serve.
* Don't stress if your filling is a little lumpy when you fold all the ingredients together. While you want it to be as smooth as possible, you also don't want to beat all the air out of the whipped cream. As long as the cream cheese was whipped until smooth and it is relatively well combined with the cream you will still get a delicious and smooth cheesecake.



Enjoy! Xxx

Chocolate and Caramel Ripple Cheesecake



Serves: 8 - 12
Prep time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Setting time: 4+ hours

Ingredients

Brownie base
125g butter
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup plain flour
40g cocoa
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1/2 cup choc chips

Cheesecake filling
3 tsp powdered gelatine
1/2 cup water
250g cream cheese
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 tbls lemon juice
300ml thickened cream

Chocolate sauce
120g good quality milk chocolate
4 tbls thickened cream

Caramel sauce
2 tbls brown sugar
40g butter
4 tbls thickened cream

Method

Preheat oven to 160ºC. Line the base of a 20cm springform fan with baking paper and grease the sides with butter.

Melt butter in a saucepan, over medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, until the mixture is thick and glossy.

Sift in flour and cocoa and stir until well combined.

Stir in the vanilla and choc chips.

Bake for 30 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

Once the brownie base has cooled start on your sauces and filing.

Caramel sauce

Place butter, cream and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Do not boil! Set sauce aside to cool.

Chocolate sauce

Place chocolate and cream in a small saucepan.  Stir over a low-medium heat until the chocolate has melted. Do not boil! Set aside to cool.

Cheesecake filling

Sprinkle gelatine over water in a cup and stand in a small pan of simmering water. Stir until dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Beat cream cheese, lemon juice and sugar with electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a large bowl.

Whip cream until soft peaks form. Fold cream into cheese mixture. Fold in gelatine mixture.

Pour half the cheesecake mixture into springform pan on top of brownie base. Drizzle 1/4 of the chocolate and brownie sauces over the mixture. Swirl with a wooden skewer.

Pour the rest of the cheesecake mixture into pan. Drizzle with another 1/4 of the chocolate and caramel sauces. Swirl with a wooden skewer.

Place in fridge to set for at least 4 hours.

Before serving heat leftover caramel and chocolate sauces for 15 seconds in microwave and stir until smooth. Drizzle over each slice of cheesecake as served.

DIY Lightbox and Triple Choc Muffin Recipe

The quality of the photos I have been taking for The Weekly Feast has been a problem for me since the very beginning. I only own a smart phone and a basic point and shoot which already lower the quality of photos I can produce. But I also live in a house which has a poor amount of natural light for taking photos. And, well, photography just isn't my greatest strength. Then recently a friend made her own photography lightbox and the difference it made was incredible! Being the procrastinator that I am, though, it has taken me months to actually get myself organised and make my own. Now that I have, I have spent most of my afternoon taking photos of all kinds of things just to play around with my new toy.

A side by side comparison. Same lighting, same position, taken within a minute of each other and both have received a little cropping and the same editing (brightening etc). Lightbox on the left, normal on the right. Look at the difference!

Over the last few months I have read lots of tutorials and tips on making your own photography lightbox. The idea of a lightbox is to diffuse light (whether natural or artificial) and provide your image with a uniform background. This gives you a crisp, clear, well light image. And the best part is that they can be cheap and easy to make. All you need is a box the size you want your lightbox to be (I used a small box today but might make myself a bigger one down the track), some white card (this will need to be at least 30% longer than the length of the box) and some white tissue paper.

Another comparison. I mean, really, which one would you rather eat? Oh wait, did I mention that's the same muffin?!?!

Simply cut off the top of the box, and then cut out a rectangle 2.5cm from the edges on three of the four sides. Once you have popped the cut outs out, piece together the tissue paper to create a piece large enough to cover one side of the box. Attach the tissue paper to the side of the box with sticky tape, covering the whole you have made. Repeat with the other two sides. You then need to cut your white cardboard to the same width as the inside of the box. Place the card in the box, making sure it curves at the back. Now your lightbox is ready to use!
Place it an area with lots of light, or use some lamps to add light. Place your object on the flat part of the cardboard and click away!

A few shots of my new lightbox in use.

Now what would be the point of going to all this effort if I didn't have something delicious to photograph in my new light box. Enter my triple choc muffins! These babies are delicious and hit that chocolate craving right in the .... well craving. Haha!



This weeks tips and hints:
*  These are a great base. Mix it up with whatever you like. Fruit, nuts, marshmallows. Use you imagination.
* If the batter seems a little dry, add extra milk in small amounts until you are happy with the consistency.
* These are super delicious fresh out of the oven, or pop them in the microwave for 10-20 seconds before eating. They will stay fresh for a couple of days or can freeze well.

Enjoy! Xxx

Triple Choc Muffins


Serves: 12
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20 - 25 minutes

Ingredients

60g butter, melted
2 cups self raising flour
1/2 brown sugar
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla bean paste
1 cup choc chips (I used half milk chocolate and half white chocolate)

Method

Preheat oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan forced). Place muffin cases in 12 pan muffin tin.
Lightly beat together eggs, milk and melted butter.
Combine wet ingredients with flour, sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Once combined stir through choc chips.
Divide mixture between muffin cases.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until firm on top when lightly touched.
Allow to cool on wire rack.