Blueberry Kvarg Cheesecake Recipe

Blueberry Kvarg Cheesecake

The blueberry kvarg I used had blueberries already mixed with the kvarg. The kvarg contained 0.2% fat, compared with over 30% for regular cream cheese. Considering the significantly lower fat content, I expected the texture and taste to be quite different. It wasn’t, which was a pleasant surprise. Perhaps the difference in taste would be noticeable for unflavoured or vanilla cheesecake.

As another added plus, kvarg is cheaper than cream cheese. So if you are looking for a low fat cheaper alternative for your cheesecake, kvarg is worth considering.

Ingredients

Filling

500 g blueberry kvarg

2 large eggs

50 ml sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

Base

1 cup coconut oil graham cracker crumbs (or regular graham cracker crumbs)

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon sugar

Method

1.      Line the base of a 20cm-round springform tin with baking paper.

2.      Add melted butter to the cracker crumbs and sugar. Mix well, place in the baking tin and flatten. Bake at 150°C/350°F for 5 minutes.

3.      To make the filling, cream kvarg, sugar, eggs, flour, vanilla and salt with a whisk until the mixture is smooth.

4.      Pour batter over the base and bake at 160°C/325°F until the centre is almost set, about 40-50 minutes.

5.      Remove from oven and run a metal spatula around the rim of the pan to loosen the cheesecake. This helps prevent cracking. Let the cheesecake cool for about 20-25 minutes before covering and placing in the refrigerator. Refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours or overnight before serving.

Blueberry Kvarg Cheesecake

Coca Cola Brownies Recipe

Coca Cola Brownie

This is an interesting, unusual and simple recipe. Coca Cola is the only liquid used in the recipe, no eggs and butter is used.

The flavor and texture is nice. I’ve read comments left by others who tried this recipe and it gets mixed reviews. So it seems the recipe might be temperamental, depending on the type of Coca Cola used. I used Coke Zero.  It is also important to not over mix the dough otherwise it will become doughy.

Source: Serious Eats

Coca Cola Brownie

Ingredients

1¼ cups flour

1 2/3 cups sugar

2/3 cup cocoa powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 can (12 ounces) Coca Cola

Method

1.      Heat oven to 180°C/360°F. Line with baking paper or grease a 9- by 13-inch baking sheet baking dish.

2.      Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, and baking powder.

3.      Add cola, a little at a time, and mix until incorporated. Do not over mix

4.      Bake until tooth pick comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Light No Bake Cheesecake Recipe

Light No Bake Cheesecake

I don't want to mislead you so I will make a disclosure upfront. This cheesecake has no cheese, and it is not cake. But its called a cheesecake. Calling it cheesecake sounds far better than 'set quark' or 'jellied quark'. I used quark which some people don't consider to be cheese. If you think quark is cheese, then its cheesecake, without the cake.

Technicalities aside, this thing has the same texture and similar taste to real cheesecake, minus fat, cheese and cake. The base is also missing. Its really easy to prepare, especially if you set it in glasses or cups.

This cheesecake is not suitable for vegetarians and non-pork eaters since it contains gelatine which is made from pork, unless you find other alternatives.

The recipe comes from With a Glass where you will find many different versions of cheesecake recipes, with and without cheese. 

Ingredients

300 grams quark, cottage cheese or Greek yogurt 

1 tablespoon gelatin (or enough gelatin leaves to set 500 ml)

200 grams strawberries or nectarine or bananas or dates or other fruit of your choice

4 tablespoons sugar

Ingredients

1.      In a saucepan dissolve gelatin in 4 tablespoons warm water. If the gelatine is not completely dissolved, warm the saucepan and stir until dissolved

2.      Blend the cheese, fruits and sugar in a food processor

3.      Add the gelatin mixture a little at a time and mix well

4.      Pour the mixture into serving glasses and chill for at least 2 hours

Light No Bake Cheesecake

No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe

No bake Strawberry Cheesecake

Making this was tricky since I am new to the complex world of gelatine. I bought gelatine for the first time. Anxious to use it as soon as I got home, I made milk jelly and that worked.

With great enthusiasm and not realising that the concept of beginners luck is well and truly alive, I attempted strawberry cheesecake. First attempt, almost disaster. The filing did not firm up, still delicious as a strawberry cheesecake milkshake! Second attempt, same results, and I thought people learn from their mistakes. Apparently not everyone does. To convert  strawberry cheesecake milkshake into strawberry cheesecake, I warmed the mixture gently and chilled it again. It worked. The gelatine did not fully dissolve the first time around.

After making the same mistake twice, I realise that I missed a crucial step, to warm the gelatine water mixture so that it fully dissolves. 

So, if you make this and the mixture is still runny, warm it up and chill again.

Adopted from Epicurious

Ingredients

Filling:

¼ cup water  

1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin (measured from 2 envelopes)

12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup sour cream or whipping cream

1 cup sugar (I used ½ cup)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1-2 cups strawberries

Base

⅓ cup (40g) almond meal

¾ cup (105g) plain flour

¼ cup (55g) caster (superfine) sugar

90g butter, chopped

Directions

1.      To make the base: place the almond meal, flour, sugar and butter in a bowl. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until a rough dough forms. 

2.      Line the base of a 20cm-round springform tin with baking paper. Place the base mixture into the base and flatten. Bake at 150°C/350°F until light golden, about 12-15 minutes. It will be a delicious cookie but don't eat it. 

3.      To make the filing: Pour ¼ cup water into small saucepan; sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand 10 minutes. Stir over very low heat just until gelatin dissolves. Set aside.

4.      Blend cream cheese, cream, sugar, and lemon juice in processor until smooth. Add berries; puree until smooth (some berry bits will remain, don't worry).

5.   With machine running, add warm gelatin mixture through feed tube and blend well.

6.   Pour filling into crust. Cover; chill overnight. .

No bake Strawberry Cheesecake

Mocha Meringue Recipe

Mocha Meringue

These meringues are the chewy type, actually the very chewy type. I suppose if you bake longer, it will get more crispy, but I didn’t try this.

I find standard meringues to be overly sweet so I used less sugar, and it turned out fine.

By the way, perhaps I am a little biased but these meringues look like something sitting on the side of the road that you don't want to eat, let alone step on. Once you get over the hesitation and actually try it, you won't be disappointed. I am referring to the mocha meringue, in case this was not clear. 

What would go well with this meringue is a new product from Arla, soft ice cream. See this link if you are interested in testing it.

Adopted from Emeril Lagasse and Cadbury Kitchen

Ingredients

1 egg white

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon cocoa, sifted

½ teaspoon instant coffee

¼ teaspoon white vinegar

Directions

1.      Heat oven to 120°C/250°F

2.      Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

3.      Add sugar a little at a time and continue beating until sugar has dissolved.

4.      Gently fold in cocoa, coffee and vinegar.

5.      Place the mixture on a sheet of baking paper. Bake for 45 minutes, turn off oven and let meringues cool in the oven for 1 hour. Do not open the oven door while the meringues are cooling.

Mocha Meringue

Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

Chocolate Cheesecake

This is the first time that I tried chocolate cheesecake. It is quite a nice alternative to the regular cheesecake.

Melted chocolate and cream cheese taste a bit like nutella, I think so anyway, not that I eat nutella. Perhaps if you have nut allergy and can’t eat nutella, try chocolate and cream cheese.

Chocolate Cheesecake

Adopted from my earlier recipe for Dulce De Leche Cheesecake and Kraft

Ingredients

⅓ cup (40g) almond meal

¾ cup (105g) plain flour

¼ cup (55g) caster (superfine) sugar

90g butter, chopped

225 grams (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar 

2 tablespoon flour 

1 teaspoon vanilla

225 grams (8 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate, melted, cooled

4 eggs

Directions

1.      To make the base, place the almond meal, flour, sugar and butter in a bowl. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until a rough dough forms.

2.      Line the base of a 20cm-round springform tin with baking paper. Place the base mixture into the base and flatten. Bake at 150°C/350°F until light golden, about 12-15 minutes.

3.      Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla until well mixed

4.      Add chocolate and mix well.

5.      Add eggs, 1 at a time, and mix well

6.      Pour the batter over the base

7.      Bake for 45 minutes or until the center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hours.

Chocolate Cheesecake

Sticky Fudgy Fig Chocolate Pudding Recipe

Sticky Fig Chocolate Pudding

As the name suggests this pudding (or cake) is sticky and fudgy. Figs and chocolate is a great combination.

Sticky puddings are generally served with toffee or butterscotch sauce, which is a rich and delicious concoction of sugar, butter and few other ingredients. I decided to choose a lighter option, crème anglaise, to keep my teeth and heart intact! I have included the recipe for toffee sauce as well in case you want to keep things traditional. Be warned: if you have sticky pudding with toffee sauce you may feel your teeth rot with every spoonful!

Ingredients

½ cup butter (or oil)

1 cup sugar (increase to 1½ cups if you prefer normal sweetness)

¼ cup golden syrup

20 dried figs, finely chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup cocoa

2 teaspoons baking soda

For Crème Anglaise

1 cup milk

3 large egg yolks

3 tablespoons sugar

½ vanilla bean

  

For Toffee Sauce

½ cup butter

2 cups dark brown sugar

2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1.      Heat the oven to 180°C/360°F. Grease a 7 by 11-inch baking dish.

2.      In a medium saucepan, bring the figs and 2 cups water to a boil and simmer over medium heat until almost all the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Puree the mixture (optional)

3.      Beat the butter with the brown sugar and vanilla extract until the mixture is creamy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time and continue beating until the mixture is light, about 3 minutes.

4.      Add the fig mixture, flour, cocoa and baking soda and mix well

5.      Bake until the fig cake is done. It should be springy and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes.

6.      To make crème anglaise: Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a bowl. In a saucepan heat milk and seeds from the vanilla pod. Once heated gradually add milk to the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to saucepan. Stir over low heat until the sauce thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 5 minutes. Strain sauce. 

7.      To make toffee sauce: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, add the brown sugar and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Add the heavy cream, bring to a boil, stirring once in a while over moderate heat until it starts to thicken, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Keep warm.

Sticky Fig Chocolate Pudding