The crystal of wine glasses can be heard over the soft music of this elegant soiree. Each table is laid out to perfection. Posh guests dressed in their black and white finest enjoy the detailed and delicious touch of cheesecake centrepieces.
Cheesecake makes for a rich and creamy dessert and an elegant centre piece for any occasion. These three recipes range in flavour and difficulty. Your guests will enjoy the complex flavours and the unique style of each cake.
Guinness Cheese Cake
This first cheesecake showcases the flavour of the stout, Guinness. This unique blend of flavours is a great conversation piece. The cheesecake is best served on a white porcelain plate, with a sprig of mint or clover for colour.
The crust is simply 125g of crushed digestive biscuits combined with 60g of cubed, unsalted butter. Put this mixture in a tin, pressing it flat with a spoon, then put the tin into the refrigerator to set and chill.
The cheesecake itself starts with 600ml (or 1 pint) of Guinness combined with 200g of sugar. Heat on medium in a saucepan until the mixture looks like caramel, then take off the heat to cool.
In a separate bowl combine 500g of mascarpone cheese with 3 tablespoons of honey. Mix this well. Add the juice from 1/2 lemon and 280ml of whipped cream and mix once more.
Finally, set eight sheets of gelatine in water, after 5 minutes, ring out the excess water. Melt the gelatine in the microwave for 10 seconds on high and add to the mascarpone cheese mixture. Add the cooled Guinness to the cheese mixture as well. Pour all of this into the prepared crust and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least one hour, until cake is firm.
Pecan Toffee Cheesecake
The next cheesecake recipe is for a Pecan Toffee Cheesecake, a deliciously rich and creamy dessert. It's best served on a crystal cake stand drizzled with toffee sauce and a dollop of whipped cream.
Unlike the unique Guinness recipe above, this cheesecake recipe has a detailed and flavour-filled crust. In a large bowl crush 85g of digestive biscuits. Add 50g of ground pecans, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Mix well then add 50g of melted butter. Press this mixture into the bottom of a tin and set aside.
Blend 450g of cream cheese with 100g of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. This mixture should be smooth. Next, beat in two eggs, one at a time. Again, this should be smooth when completed. Pour this mixture into the prepared cheesecake crust and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 70 minutes, or until firm.
To add a final layer to this cake, mix toffee sauce and chopped pecans in a separate bowl and spread over the top of the cake once it's cooled. Save a portion of the toffee sauce and drizzle along the cake plater to give it a fancy and delicate touch. You could also decorate the plate edge with a sprinkle or two of edible gold glitter.
Tiramisu Cheesecake
This final cheesecake is a delicious Italian recipe that can be used to showcase the coffee liqueur Tia Maria, or other rich coffee and rum flavours. Tiramisu is a complicated and heavenly recipe that looks elegant served simply on a crystal platter.
Moisture is key to Tiramisu, so when preheating the oven to 180c place a pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven to prevent the oven from getting too dry.
The crust features 175g of sponge "lady finger" biscuits, crushed and combined with four tablespoons of melted butter. Add two table spoons of Tia Maria to moisten the crust. Press mixture into a tin.
Combine 200g of cream cheese, with 250g of mascarpone cheese and 200g of sugar. Mix this thoroughly until smooth. Next, add two tablespoons of Tia Maria and mix again until smooth. Add two eggs and slowly add four tablespoons of flour while continuing to mix. A very thick batter will make a dry cake, so add a little cream if the batter is too thick to drip off the spoon. Pour into crust.
Leave the pan of water on the bottom shelf of the oven and place the Tiramsu on the centre shelf. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until cake is firm, but only just. Turn off the oven, but leave the cake inside with the door open for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes remove from the oven, let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight before serving.
