Basic Set Cheesecake
Instead of the usual digestive biscuits try chocolate, coconut or ginger biscuits or add lemon zest to flavour the base. For ginger and rhubarb cheesecake use a ginger biscuit base and a rhubarb flavoured cheesecake mix. This mix makes 8 - 10 individual cheesecakes or 1 10 - 12 portions large one.
Preparation time: 30 minutes Quantity: Serves 8 -12
Ingredients
Base –
3 oz /80g butter - melted
6 oz/160g biscuits - crushed
Cheese mix –
400g /14 oz / 2 tubs Cream cheese
1/2 pint / 300 ml/10 fl oz Whipping cream
3 oz/ 80g Caster sugar
1/2 - 1 packet of gelatin (12g per packet)
Note on gelatin -
When making individual cheesecakes you could use 1/2 packet of gelatin to insure setting, or I prefer to use none and allow longer to set in the fridge, preferably over night
Large cheesecake will need 1 sachet of gelatin to set
Flavour or filling of choice - see opposite
Method
To make the base -
- Melted the butter
- Mix in the crushed biscuits
- Spoon in to a spring bottomed tin, press the crumbs down firmly
- Chill till needed
For the Filling -
- Follow the instructions to melt the gelatin, by dissolving in a little hot water
- Let the gelatin cool slightly
- Beat the sugar in to the cream cheese and pour in the gelatin
- Whip the cream till just stiff, but don’t over whip
- Lightly fold in the whipped cream
- Pour on to the chilled base
Either top with fruit or add flavour to the mix (too much volume will need extra gelatin to set)
i.e. – Rum and Raisins Coffee essence, melted Chocolate (no gelatin needed), pureed summer fruits, citrus and zest etc.
Alternatively replace the cream cheese with ricotta, mascarponni, pureed cottage cheese or a mix of two
Increase the creaminess and volume by adding 2 whipped up egg whites with a little sugar, spoon in to the cheesecake mix (use 1 sachet of gelatin to set)