Cheese! Cake! How?!
Michelle Phetlhe | Monday May 31, 2021 16:44
Le wena fela ga re bua nnete, o ka ipotsa gore, cheese, cake, jang tota? It is quite amazing how some things that we feel will never go together taste wise, are pleasantly surprising winning combinations. We made 2 cheesecake versions at the last Chellzkitchen class. First was a lemon cheese cake which was put together in a combined effort by the class. Monkgogi took care of the base of the cheesecake, she was brave and eyeballed the butter measurements noted in the recipe. Upon realising this, we quickly decided if anything doesn’t go accordingly we would have to look into how exactly the base was made. The good thing about cheesecake base is that it’s pretty hard to get it wrong, according to preference it can be made crumbly or creamy, this is determined by the amount of melted butter added to the crushed biscuit.
Tsholo and Kimmy creamed the cream cheese and caster sugar. Note it’s getting really cold out there and the fridge is even colder, allow the cream cheese to sit before you start creaming. Deenz and Alessa her Baker sister, took the lead with whipping the cream which a cold fridge is perfect for, cold cream is ideal and whips better. Due to the sensitive nature of whipped cream (once you over whip it, there’s no coming back from it) if there is someone with a baking background in class they are usually tasked with leading the group and talking them through whipping cream to stiff peaks, this not only fosters teamwork from the onset throughout, it is also a great icebreaker because who doesn’t love dessert.
Lemon cheesecake is the most commonly served flavour, which is why we opted that it be made in individual jars to take home. These jars come in different sizes and are an excellent idea for party a favour and makes for great gifts on any occasion. All one needs to do is tie a special message to the jar with a pretty ribbon.
While the class set off for their Aerial Yoga Session, myself and the support staff for the day, Kedi and Maria, made the second type; a Granadilla Cheesecake by adding to the excess lemon cheesecake for dessert. I allowed them to take the lead, essentially hosting the first ever Chellzkitchen Class for Your (Aunty wa ko lapeng). They later made the most mind blowing Foccacia with 2 ingredient dough using the trusted Nutriday Plain Yoghurt. ‘Classes for Your Aunty’ are something we have thought about and considered in the past and are open to hosting should the uptake be of a reasonable number, we are prepared to be of service, to empower and to foster personal development in all spaces.
I didn’t get to bring any cheesecake home after class but had leftover cream and cream cheese. When my husband’s birthday rolled around on Tuesday, I set my mind on making a cheesecake in place of traditional birthday cake. We are always trying to reduce and pay close attention to our sugar intake as a family. The deal we made at the last family birthday, was that we were having cupcakes for papa’s birthday, the Cheesecake was a bonus.
The best way I can describe the goodness of cheesecake is that it is a creamy, smooth, classic dessert. Give our non bake cheesecake a go in your kitchen and use your favourite fruits to top and decorate. Upload a picture on Facebook and tag our page Chellzkitchen. We look forward to seeing how creative you can get with your Cheesecake. We are challenging ourselves to an oven baked Cheesecake soon, which something we have never attempted before.
#Chellzkitchen ‘Where great food meets unforgettable Experiences’.
Granadilla Cheesecake
Ingredients
1 packet Tennis Biscuits or Digestives
1/3 cup Butter
1 Tub Cream Cheese
500ml Cream
1/3 cup Caster Sugar
2/3 cup Granadilla pulp
2 tsp Vanilla essence
Variation
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
1. Crush Biscuits
2. Melt Butter and pour into biscuits bit by bit, mix and layer the bottom and sides (depending on size) of your dish. Press down firmly on the biscuit butter mix and place dish in fridge.
3. Cream the Cream Cheese and Castor Sugar and Granadilla pulp
4. Whip cream until it is stiff peaks, making sure you don’t over whip it.
5. Fold the cream into the cream cheese mixture before pouring into your dish and decorating with more granadilla pulp.
Refrigerate for 3-4hrs or overnight
Notes
• You can use a whisk to make this recipe.
• You could use other fruits i.e. strawberry, blueberry pulp