Mary Berry’s Lemon Cheesecake on a Ginger Crust- Guest Post by Hannah Wood :-) [HOW TO MAKE]

 

Date:

Background: Any shift Hannah and I work together usually has a period of time dedicated to chatting about pudding, baking, Mary Berry or Paul Hollywood (The Silver Fox). So whenever Hannah tells me about a delicious pudding/cake/dessert she has made, I always ask her if she would like to write a guest blog post! And I must admit, I really really want to eat this cheesecake!!

What: Lemon Cheesecake on a Ginger Crust

Ingredients:

• 100 grams Gingernut Biscuits
• 50 grams Butter melted
• 500 grams Mascarpone Cheese
• 325 grams Lemon Curd
• 1 Lemon juice
• Blueberries fresh for decorating
• Raspberries fresh for decorating

Method:

1. Grease and base line with parchment a 20cm loose bottom cake tin.
2. Crush biscuits and Mix with the butter in a bowl, then press into the base of the tin (but not up the sides)
3. Put the mascarpone, lemon curd, and lemon juice in a bowl and beat with a spatula until smooth.
4. Spoon on to the biscuit base and level the top.
5. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours to firm up. To serve, remove the cheesecake from the tin, peel off the baking parchement, and arrange on a platter. Decorate with the fruit and dust with icing sugar.

What was Good: It's incredibly easy to make and tastes amazing

What was Bad: I would definitely use more biscuits because I like a thicker base

Would I Make It Again: Definitely make again!

Waffle-O-Meter:

Costa Coffee…. You Purveyor of Autumnal Cakey Deliciousness!

 

Date: 01/11/12

Background: “Pinch Punch, First of the Month!” Happy November Everybody! With it being half term, it is high time my Mum does her family Christmas shopping, and because Birmingham is a very good place to shop, her and my Pa came and we ventured to hit the town! Coffee time meant Costa, and I simply could not resist this delicious looking muffiny treat!

What: Gingerbread Muffin

Where: Costa Coffee Shop, The Bull Ring, Birmingham

How Much?: £1.80 (To take away is £1.50)

What was Good: It was so cute! Seeing the gingery muffin topped with a sweet caramel fondant and adorable decorative iced gingerbread man, really made me NEED to buy this muffin! I saw it, I wanted it! Naturally with good gingerbread, the cake itself was soft, moist, dense but not cloy-y, with a subtle spicy ginger flavour. The golden syrup heart was a wonderful surprise! It was sweet but tangy and smooth, but in my opinion was not much! The highlight of this confectionary wonder for me was probably the impossibly cute gingerbread man decoration!! I am definitely one of cuteness and kitsch and it involved me doing lots of high pitched squealing!

What was Bad: Maybe the icing was a little sickly? Maybe… and also maybe there should have been more ginger in it…. But I am being incredibly picky!! Generally speak this muffin was delicious and I cannot wait to return for seconds!

Waffle-O-Meter:

Apologies for the poor quality image!

I Vote United Kingdom!

 

Date: 14/10/12

Background: For my World Pudding theme of late in my blog, and simply because I love a cake lunch, I went to Marks and Spencer’s in ROYAL Leamington Spa. That statement itself is very British. I mean, Marks and Spencer (for those of you that do not know) is a major British retailer with 703 stores in the United Kingdom and 361 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It is a beacon of pure Britishness in all it’s glory, and the cafe does sell some rather tasty goodies. And as for Royal Leamington Spa, for those of my readers who have not had the pleasure of visiting this beautiful town, with it’s elegant stunning white townhouses, spacious parks, and well known for it’s often upmarket shops, you must add Leamington to your list of places you need to visit-if anything, for it’s culture!

What: Ginger and Treacle Loaf Cake

How Much?: £2.95

What was Good: Its dense rich amber colour was enticing enough. I am a sucker for a good loaf cake, especially if it has the words ‘ginger’ and ‘treacle’ in it’s name. My mouth started to water at the thought of it! I absolutely love the sticky and chewy qualities that treacle tends to give cakes, and with the Autumn arriving as if from nowhere, with turning leaves and a cold chill in the air, the idea of a warming ginger spice was a very welcome one. The topping of the cake was an interesting choice, but more on that later. The loaf cake certainly delivered on the texture front. It was moist, dense but not cloy-y, very flavoursome confection, and I enjoyed it very much. I will definitely be trying to make/bake and review this cake, so watch this space!

What was Bad: Unfortunately, I was not entirely sold on the topping. It was drizzled with a little white chocolate icing, however it could have been yoghurt , and sprinkled with crystalized ginger. I can see why the crystallized ginger is appropriate, I did not like the texture, and the icing, although not unpleasant, I do not believe ‘went’ with the gingery cake. When making it myself I will also ensure that more ginger is added to the actual cake batter itself, because although it had a lovely flavour, I believe it could have benefitted from being more robust!

Waffle-O-Meter: