29 Nov Festive Cheesecake Wreath

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The sight of Bakers Choice Assorted^® in the stores is a sign that Christmas is around the corner and it’s time start making some indulgent festive desserts! You may have noticed that the packaging has had an upgrade, but did you know that Bakers Romany Creams^® Classic Choc has now been added to the mix? Even more yumminess to enjoy!

I like to buy a few boxes of Bakers Choice Assorted^® and use some of the biscuits in my Christmas recipes, and of course share the rest when entertaining family and friends (except the chocolate-coated ginger biscuits, I keep those all to myself!).

This is also the time of year that I put my wreath up on my front door. This year I’ll be putting a wreath on my table too – this Festive Cheesecake Wreath! I added some Bakers^® magic by using a combination of Bakers Strawberry Whirls^® and Bakers Eet-Sum-Mor^® to make the biscuit base, which gives a lovely buttery crumb and a hint of strawberry flavour – absolutely delicious! The cheesecake filling is rich and creamy with a hint of lemon, perfectly complemented by the fresh berries on top. For an extra lemony flavour, you could also use Bakers^® Lemon Creams in the base.

Ingredients:

(Serves 10)

For the biscuit base*:
125g Bakers Strawberry Whirls^®
125g Bakers Eet-Sum-Mor^®
85g salted butter, melted and still warm

For the cheesecake layer:
500g full-cream cream cheese, room temperature
100g castor sugar
10ml finely grated lemon zest (2 tsp)
100ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
12,5ml gelatine (2½ tsp)
60ml condensed milk (¼ cup)
250ml cream (1 cup)

To decorate:
250g fresh strawberries
180g fresh cherries
12-15 fresh rosemary sprigs

Directions:

• Line the base of a 20 or 22cm springform tin with baking paper. Grease the bottom of a large straight-sided glass or jar with a little butter and place in the centre of the tin. Refrigerate while you make the base.
• Place the Bakers Strawberry Whirls^® and Bakers Eet-Sum-Mor^®into a food processor and process until you have fine crumbs. Add the warm melted butter and process again until completely smooth (there may be some bits of strawberry jam initially but after adding the warm butter and processing again, these will blend into the mixture).
• Press the biscuit mixture into the base of the prepared tin, whilst carefully holding the glass in place. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
• Place the cream cheese, castor sugar and lemon zest into a large bowl and mix well will an electric or stand mixer until smooth.
• Add the lemon juice to a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatine over. Leave to bloom for 10 minutes, then microwave on low power for about 30-45 seconds until completely melted (but do not let it boil). Stir in the condensed milk and set aside to cool to room temperature. Once cool, add to the cream cheese mixture and mix until smooth.
• Whip the cream until you have soft peaks, then gently fold into the cream cheese mixture until just combined. Pour the mixture over the biscuit base and carefully smooth the top with a spatula, being careful not to move the glass. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours until set.
• When you are ready to serve, pour some warm (not hot) water into the glass in the centre of the cheesecake. Leave to stand for a few minutes, then carefully lift the glass out, twisting a little if necessary. Remove the outer ring of the tin, then transfer the cheesecake to a serving platter.
• Decorate the top of the cheesecake with the strawberries and cherries, then gently insert the rosemary sprigs at equal intervals around the cake, making sure the sprigs all face the same direction to give a wreath effect.
• The cheesecake can be made up to 3 days in advance, or you can freeze the cheesecake without the fruit and rosemary sprigs for up to 3 months, then decorate once defrosted.

*For an extra lemony flavour, you could also use BakersLemon Creams^® for the base (or a combination of all 3 biscuits – just make sure the total weight of the biscuits is 250g).