Exceptionally Easy Chocolate Cheesecake (no baking required)

A very rare thing happened the other day, my lovely wife ventured into the kitchen and offered to help me with my baking backlog - not to make me a brew and not to load or unload the dishwasher - to actually help bake! Knowing how much she hates doing anything with food other than eating it, I was totally gob-smacked and supremely grateful. So, mindful of her ability and knowledge I asked her to prepare the biscuits for the tiffin and I gave her a rolling pin, three packets of rich tea and a huge bowl but unfortunately no instructions. Stupid, stupid me. Before I knew it the biscuits were mere crumbs and my wife had a huge grin 'I really enjoyed that' she said - I went nuts - I couldn't stay calm - I had so much left to bake, no biscuits left and tiffin is my bestseller. I, not very calmly, explained that the reason I was so cross was that tiffin needs biscuits to be broken into small pieces, like almond size, not crumbs and my poor, much better half's face just crumpled. The more upset she got the more of an arse I felt. Especially when she explained that she'd seen our son do the very same thing a few days ago so she was just copying - bless - he was helping me make cheesecake! Trying to rescue the situation (and the biscuits) I promised that I would make something lovely with the crumbs and that her hard work wasn't in vain and I wasn't really cross! Much! 

Really, the best option when you have spare biscuit crumbs and a sad wife is cheesecake, chocolate cheesecake. so that's what I made and wow was it yummy!

The Recipe

The Base

200g Biscuit crumbs - I had rich tea but I usually use digestives and you can use shortbread
2 tbsp cocoa
1 tbsp icing sugar
150g melted butter
Mix all together in this order and press into a cling film lined  8" loose bottom cake or flan tin and freeze while you make filling.

The Filling

400g softened full fat cream cheese

1 tbsp icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla 

200g melted chocolate - I used half milk and half plain

Mix all together in this order and spread over the base. freeze for 30 mins (you should be able to remove the cheesecake safely from the tin at this point) and then chill for another 30 mins or until ready to eat.

 Before freezing I topped my cheesecake with some of my left over Tiffin chocolate fudge mixture but you could use any chocolate glaze or ganache - something that sets enough to cut cleanly but not too much to not cut well.   

Then eat ... Enjoy. 

Simple Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownies

Today we've had our light and summery roast chicken salad tea alfresco. It was delicious and we were feeling very virtuous

Roast chicken and mustardy low fat potato salad

 but a few hours later, well 1 hour later, we all wanted some pudding! What do you make when you've not much time, using only what you've got in and you need to satisfy that need for something naughty ... Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownies of course - easy, quick(ish) and deeply satisying. 

I had a quick look on Pinterest well to be honest I was already on there, when am I not!?  I'd already pinned this stunning looking brownie recipe 

Fab recipe from Jen's Favourite Cookies

 and it seemed to fit the bill perfectly - no need to weigh anything coz its all measured using cups and it all goes into one bowl - simples. I tweaked the recipe a little bit - swapped out 2 tbsp of flour for cocoa and i swirled 4oz of softened cream cheese on top because DS had eaten all the chocolate spread. 
It came out of the oven looking so lovely I had to pictures to show you! DS was not impressed at having to wait for his naughty treat to have a photo shoot before he could taste it and was quite vocal .. bless !

my version - delish!

Savoury Bakes

My pop up bakery is going really good but there are a few people who pull their face at us when passing the stall! Honestly! As if some people don't like cake! As if - really, I mean who doesn't love cake? Admittedly we set up the stall really early and okay not everyone wants cake at the crack of dawn but hey that's what the chocolate palmiers are for!!

So I've been thinking, since we're calling ourselves a 'pop up bakery' and not a cake stall we could maybe do some savoury bakes and bread. To that end I've been doing lots of Pinterest research of what to bake. It has to cover all the bases -  taste good, look good, be easy to package and make some profit at an affordable price. I wont be able to do big artisan loaves because I just wont be able to charge enough to make it worthwhile. If you have any ideas for me please comment either on the blog or facebook. I could do with some suggestions - what would you like to buy at a stall on a weekend to take home for lunch or tea?

I've been really poorly all week and not done any baking (or much of anything else except sleep .. a lot) I haven't even made tea all week - practically unheard of!  so tonight was the first time I've done anything in the kitchen more than making a hot Vimto (that's what I crave when I'm poorly!) and having existed on oven meals all week the family favourite was requested - enchiladas.

It occurred to me since there are always tortillas left over that i could try making  the savoury 'cupcakes' that are all over pinterest and food blogs at the moment. So, inspired by emily and monica I made two different kinds of chilli cupcake/muffin type thingys so I could judge which was the best and whether they would be good for the stall.  Here's the how to - have a go they were both dead tasty!

Ready to eat

First make your chilli however you like it reserving half a cup of it after the meat is browned and spices cooked through slightly but before you add wet ingredients 

dry turkey chilli

Finish making the chilli and leave it to get even yummier whilst you line an oiled muffin tin with cut out tortillas 

Start making the 'muffins' by putting dry ingredients into a bowl .. oh and put the oven on at 200 to preheat - don't forget like I did.

Muffin Ingredients

chilli muffin dry ingredients

• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/3 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• pinch of salt
• pinch of red pepper flakes 
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup grated  cheese
• 1/3 cup of the reserved dry chilli

Mix well and then add egg and milk - I 'rinsed' my chilli bean and chopped tomato tins with the milk first coz that's the way I roll.

 Mix all together and leave to stand for 10 mins - it looks gross at this point - have faith!

 Now fill the tortilla cups with your chilli and top with some cheese and then spoon the muffin mixture into the oiled tin, top with a little blob of chilli and some cheese and bake for 20 - 25 mins at 200

 leave to cool for .. well as long as you can resist so .. not very long then!

 Enjoy!