5 - Raspberry and Lemon Cheesecake

I LOVE CHEESECAKE.

What more is there to say really? If there's cheesecake on the menu in a restaurant I will rarely even give the rest a glance. Any and all, they just have to be tasted!

So here we are, never made a cheesecake but always been told how easy and simple they are. And oh so satisfying in the end of course!

Before you start, line a shallow cake tin or pie tin and place in the freezer to cool.

Ingredients:

50g butter
50g blanched hazelnuts
8 gingernut biscuits
1 lemon
4 heaped teaspoons of good quality lemon curd
1 punnet of raspberries, approx. 100g
250g light or low-fat cream cheese, mascarpone cheese or crème fraíche
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Splash of milk
1 tablespoon of icing sugar
Good quality dark chocolate for grating

Method:

Put the butter into a medium frying pan on a medium heat. Keep your eye on it as you don't want burnt butter!

Wrap the hazelnuts and biscuits in a clean tea-towel or clingfilm and quickly bash with a rolling pin until resembles crumbs. Turn the heat off under your now melted butter, tip in the bashed nuts and biscuits and stir until mixture is coated. Finely grate in the lemon zest and mix well.

Collect tin from freezer and press mixture into the bottom until firm before placing in the fridge for up to 30 minutes to set.

Remove from fridge and teaspoon your lemon curd on top of the biscuit base. Using the back of the teaspoon, coat the biscuit base with the lemon curd, making sure mixture isn't too thick, or it will be too overpowering in the end. With your thin layer of lemon curd in place, tip in your raspberries - whole - lightly pressing them down into the sticky curd. Use as many or as little raspberries as you see appropriate.

Spoon the cream cheese, mascarpone or crème fraiche into a bowl and add the vanilla extract. Stir, adding the icing sugar gradually and a small splash of milk to help bind the mixture. Mix well until silky smooth and looks soft.

Pour mixture gently over raspberries, once again using the back of the spoon to smooth over. Gently shake the tin back and forth until mixture sets evenly into place.

You can now grate or shave your dark chocolate onto the top of the cheesecake and leave in the fridge until set. Don't forget to take it out before dinner is served so it is at optimum temperature when you come to eat dessert!

Enjoy!

Cake 4 - Macaroons

Okay, so technically these don't come under "cake" but they're sweet biscuits so it's close enough!

As a massive fan of tennis, I decided to commemorate French Open Final Day by making some macaroons and cracking open a cheap bottle of bubbly while we watched.

Now, some may say these aren't macaroons, but to me they simply come in many shapes and forms! Some are oreo-like, some are rough little heaps, and some are like mine! As long as they're crispy on the outside and have a soft centre!

I chose to make these ones as they are incredibly easy and quick to make.

Ingredients -

2 medium egg whites
225g caster sugar
125g ground almonds
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
25 blanched almonds

Method -

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius (gas mark 4) and place baking parchment on two baking trays.

Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until stiff peaks form. Gradually and very gently fold in the sugar, then gently stir in the almonds and almond extract to make a firm paste.

Spoon teaspoonfuls of the mixture on to your lined baking trays, spacing them slightly apart to give them space to spread whilst cooking. Press an almond into the centre of each one and bake for 12-15 minutes until just golden and firm to the touch.

Leave on the trays for approximately 10 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely. Don't forget, if you don't manage to munch them all, store in airtight containers! They don't tend to last more than 1 week, so try and finish them off!

Cake 3 - Lemon Drizzle Loaf

The loaf tin is coming out again for this one, but instead of chocolate we've gone to the other end of the spectrum and chosen a few lemons for a bit of zesty-ness.

This lemon cake is a favourite of my mum's so I hope I do it justice.

So before we begin, grease and line your loaf tin - my one is a 900g - and preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius or gas mark 3.

Ingredients -

• 150g of soft salted butter - plus extra for greasing
• 150g caster sugar
• Zest of 2 large unwaxed lemons
• 3 large eggs
• 150g self-raising flour
• 2 tablespoons full-fat milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Icing sugar for dusting.

For the syrup - 100g icing sugar & 2 large unwaxed lemons (use the ones you zested.)

Method:

In a large bowl, cream the butter, caster sugar and lemon zest until soft and light. I use an electric whisk to save my wrists on the vigorous action. Whisk the eggs in a separate small bowl and sift your flour too. Gradually add the eggs and flour to the butter mixture until both are finished. Beat well together until mixture is thick.

Stir in enough milk, along with the vanilla extract, to make the mixture drop easily from your spoon. Spread the mixture evenly into your prepared tin and back in the middle of the oven for 60 minutes.

Check your cake at 50 minutes - depending on your oven and how even your heat is, it could be ready. Check with a clean skewer into the middle of the cake whether it is cooked or not.

Remove from the oven and leave to stand, still in it's tin, preferably on a wire rack to cool.

To make the syrup, gently heat together the icing sugar and lemon juice in a medium saucepan until a syrup forms. This could take a number of minutes, so be patient, you're not doing it wrong!

Use a fork to prick the top of the warm loaf all over. Gently pour the syrup all over the cake and leave to cool completely.

Turn out the lemon cake onto a serving plate and dust with a little icing sugar. This is not necessary, but helps balance out your lemon syrup.

Enjoy!