Home / Recipes / Christmas Cheesecake

Christmas Cheesecake

Preparation 20 Minutes

Cook 2 hours Minutes

Serves 16

Method
Ingredients

Method

Preheat oven to 180oC (160oC fan). Generously grease a 20cm round, loose-bottom (or springform) tin. Line the base with baking paper.
In the bowl of a food processor, add biscuits. Blitz to a fine crumb. Add 250g of the melted butter and blitz until just combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and use a spatula to gentle push half of the mixture up the sides of the tin. Spread remaining mixture evenly over the base (using a drinking glass can help to compact the mixture around the sides and base). Refrigerate.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine remaining butter with sugar and whisk until combined. With the motor running, add eggs one at a time until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add cream cheese, quark, sour cream and vanilla, whisk until smooth. Add cornflour and mix until incorporated.

Add peel and sultanas and gently fold through the cream mixture, then spoon into the prepared base and smooth the surface.
Bake cheesecake for 10mins then reduce oven temperature to 170°C (150°C fan) and bake for a further 50 mins. Turn off the oven, leaving the door slightly open, allow cheesecake to sit in the oven for a further hour until the edges of the cheesecake feel firm when gently pressed.

Allow the cheesecake to cool completely at room temperature then remove sides of tin and transfer cheesecake to refrigerator to cool overnight.
To make the meringue decoration, place the egg whites and caster sugar in a large bowl and whip into soft peaks. Spoon the meringue on top of the cheese cake and shape with a spatula. Use kitchen blow torch to lightly crisp the outside of the meringue. Serve and enjoy!

Ingredients

350g Marie biscuits (or other plain biscuits)

300g butter, melted, plus extra to grease tin

180g caster sugar

5 large eggs

500g cream cheese, room temperature

250g quark, drained, room temperature

250g sour cream, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

50g cornflour, sifted

200g Angas Park Mixed Peel

200g Sunbeam Australian Sultanas

MERINGUE

12 egg whites

1 1⁄2 cups caster sugar

Recipe Collection

Sunshine Pudding

Prepare a 2 litre pudding basin – grease well and double line base with baking paper circles.

Combine raisins, sultanas, cherries and Cointreau in a bowl and leave to soak for 30 minutes.
Place apricots, apricot nectar, orange juice and rind in a small saucepan and simmer covered for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool and puree.
Cream butter and brown sugar in a small bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition.
Sift flours into a large bowl, add butter cake crumbs, macadamias, soaked fruit, pureed apricots and butter mixture and mix well to combine. Spoon mixture into the basin and smooth the top. Top with baking paper round.
Take a 60cm long piece of baking paper and foil, layer and make a 3cm pleat in the middle of the sheets. Place onto pudding basin and secure with kitchen string.
Place a wire rack onto the base of a large saucepan, a third filled with water and bring to the boil. Carefully place pudding onto rack, making sure the water comes about halfway up basin. Cover and simmer for 6 hours, topping up water when needed. Remove from saucepan and stand for 10 minutes before turning out.
Serve with cream, custard or ice-cream if desired.

Candied nuts decoration:

Place sugar and water in a medium, heavy-based saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar has completely dissolved. Stop stirring, increase heat and bring to boil. Reduce to medium heat and gently boil until the toffee begins to change colour. Do not stir toffee once it has boiled.
Working quickly, drop macadamias one at a time into the toffee and toss with a fork to coat, remove and place on a tray lined with baking paper. Repeat with remaining macadamias.
Decorate the top of the pudding and serve.

Carrot, Walnut & Raisin Cake

Preheat oven to 180℃.

Grate young fresh carrots to give one full cup & strain the juice from 440g can of crushed pineapple.

In a bowl mix 1 cup of plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp bicarb soda, 1/2 tsp each of salt & cinnamon & 3/4 cup caster sugar. Add 2 eggs and 5 Tbsp oil (just under 1/3 cup).

Sir in the grated carrot, crushed pineapple & 1/4 cup Sunbeam walnuts, chopped. Bake in a moderate oven 175 oC for 40 – 45 minutes and cool before covering with topping. (Note: We slightly froze the cake to make firm to slice into layers to add frosting in between)

To make cream cheese topping, place in a bowl butter, cream cheese, vanilla, icing sugar and beat very well. If too thick add a small amount of milk to give a smooth consistency.

Spiced Nuts & Seeds

Pre-heat oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced). Combine nuts and seeds in a large bowl with salt and spices.
Combine oil and maple syrup and tip over nut mixture. Toss well.
Spread onto a lined oven tray and bake for 12 minutes, tossing occasionally until toasted. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Granola Bar

Preheat oven to 160°C.

Grease and line an 18cm x 28cm slice pan with baking paper.
Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl.
Mix melted butter and honey together and stir into dry ingredients
Press mixture firmly into tin using the back of a spoon. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool in the tin before slicing into bars.

Fruit and Nut Easter Eggs

Combine mixed fruit, dates, 90g seed mix, 80g hazelnuts, 20g coconut, coconut oil, vanilla essence, coffee and salt in a food processor and blend until a smooth, thick paste is formed.

Divide into 25 equal portions and roll each into a ball, then shape into an egg shape.

Place remaining seed mix into a food processor and process to a coarse crumb. Transfer to a small bowl. Repeat with remaining hazelnuts. Pour remaining coconut into a small bowl.

To decorate, roll 6 eggs in coconut, 6 in seed mix crumb, 6 in hazelnut crumb and leave 7 plain. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving cold.