Baileys Chocolate Cheesecake Trifles

This is my last blogpost before the Christmas holidays. My blog will be taking a short break and normal services will resume towards the end of January.  Baileys and Christmas are synonymous and it just isn't Christmas without  Baileys! These Baileys chocolate cheesecake trifles are really quick and easy to make and are guaranteed to be a hit at your Christmas parties. You can make them in a large dish to be served family style or serve them in small individual dishes. We had them at our Christmas drinks with our neighbours and everyone thoroughly enjoyed them. It's full of Baileys and has a lovely creamy richness from the cream cheese and whipped cream. The Oreos add a lovely crunch and chocolatey boost.

I'm sending this to We Should Cocoa guest hosted this month by Munchies & Munchkins on behalf of Choclette from Tin and Thyme. The theme this month is Christmas and as mentioned earlier, Baileys and chocolate pretty much equal Christmas to me! 

Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year! See you all back in Jan 2016 when I will be hosting AlphaBakes.

 cream cheese, cocoa powder, Baileys, whipping cream and oreo cookies 

 Oreo cookie base 

 Cheesecake layer 

 whipped cream layer 

 

Recipe from Life, Love and Sugar

For the cheesecake layer 

450g cream cheese

55g caster sugar

30g cocoa powder

4-6 tablespoons Baileys 

For the whipped cream layer

250mls whipping cream

2-3 tablespoons Baileys

1.5 tablespoon cocoa powder

3 tablespoon icing sugar

Base and topping

15 Oreo cookies, crushed

• Beat the cream cheese, sugar and cocoa powder until smooth. 
• Add in Baileys and set aside.
• In a separate bowl, whip the cream until it starts to thicken then add in the Baileys, cocoa powder and icing sugar and whisk until stiff peak forms. 
• Assemble the trifles by putting a layer of cookie crumbs at the bottom of each dish. Reserve a few tablespoons for the topping. 
• Pipe or spoon the cheesecake layer on top of the cookie crumbs followed by the whipped cream layer. 
• Repeat with a further layer of cheesecake filling followed by the whipped cream filling. 
• Sprinkle the remaining cookie crumbs on top. 

Nutella Nanaimo Bars

This month's AlphaBakes is the letter 'N'. I started thinking about 'N' recipes and decided on Nutella which I love.  I've baked a lot with Nutella and wanted something a little different so when I came across these Nutella Nanaimo bars, I knew I had to make it immediately. I've seen Nanaimo bars on the blogosphere but have never made it myself. It's a no bake dessert bar named after the west coast city of Nanaimo in British Columbia. It usually has a wafer crumb base layer topped with a layer of custard flavoured butter icing and covered with melted chocolate. These of course contain nutella and have an Oreo cookie base. It's sweet and buttery and nutty and oh so naughty. One compliment I received was that "these taste like little explosions of heaven in your mouth". It's perfect for the upcoming festive season as it's quick and easy to make and you can make them in advance. 

I'm sending this to AlphaBakes hosted by Caroline from Caroline Makes and co hosted by myself on alternate months. The letter this month is "N" and I hope I get bonus points for my double N entry ;) 

 making the biscuit base 

 adding lots of lovely Nutella 

 cooked biscuit base 

 Nutella layer 

 add melted chocolate 

 ready to eat 

Recipe adapted from Sweet Twist of Blogging

For the base

2 packs of Oreo double stuff cookies (or regular oreo cookies)

60g caster sugar

50g cocoa powder

115g butter, melted

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

[I wanted to add some chopped hazelnuts but didn't have any in the cupboard]

For the filling

40g butter

110g icing sugar

300g Nutella

1 tablespoon double cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping

140g dark chocolate

10g butter

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Grease and line a square baking tin. 
• Place the Oreo cookies in a food processor and blitz until it resembles breadcrumbs.
• Place in a large bowl and add in the remaining ingredients.
• Mix well then pour into a square tin.
• Press down gently and level the top. 
• Bake for approximately 15 minutes.
• Allow to cool. 
• To make the filling, beat the butter and icing sugar until it forms a paste.
• Add in the Nutella, cream and vanilla extract and mix.
• Pour onto the cooled base and level with a spatula. 
• Place in the fridge to chill.
• Place the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
• Stir occasionally and once fully melted, remove from the heat.
• Pour the melted chocolate on top of the chilled filling, tilting from side to side to get an even coating.
• Cover and chill for a few hours before serving.

Chocolate Cake with Oreo and Cream Cheese Filling

Are you ready for a serious chocolate overload? This is cake is so good I've made it 3 times in the space of two weeks and will be baking it again later this week. It's a simple cake that looks impressive and everyone will think you've spent hours on this creation! I adapted a recipe I found online. It's a really nice, moist chocolate cake with a cookies and cream filling topped with chocolate ganache and more Oreos. I took this to my work and J took one to his work as well. Here are the comments received...

This is the best chocolate cake.... EVER!

‘Okay, so that cake seriously competes with the after eight mint cupcakes... It's AMAZING!’

‘OMG....that cake was amazeballs!! My compliments to the chef ;)’

I think I've died and gone to cake heaven!

You really have to try this cake for yourself especially if you like chocolate and Oreos. I used chocolate creme Oreos the first time round as the supermarket had sold out of normal Oreos (gasp!). I do think it looks better with the regular Oreos as you get a bit of colour contrast. As I said, I've made this a few times so I've varied the decoration a little. I quite like the one with the whole Oreo in the centre rather than crushed up Oreos. 

I'm sending this to We Should Cocoa hosted by Choclette from Tin and Thyme. The theme this month is anything goes so here's my chocolate overload entry. 

 use strips of parchment paper around the cake board to catch any spillages. 

 Place one cake bottom side up on the cake board 

 Add the Oreo and cream cheese filling 

 With chocolate Creme Oreos

 With regular Oreos

Makes 1 large cake

For the cake 

350g caster sugar

220g plain flour

85g cocoa powder

1.5 teaspoon baking powder

1.5 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2 eggs

250mls milk

125mls vegetable oil

1 teaspoon chocolate extract (or use vanilla extract)

250mls boiling water, cooled for a few minutes

For the filling

400mls double cream

225g cream cheese

85g icing sugar

14 Oreo cookies, crushed

For the ganache

200mls double cream

200g dark chocolate 

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Grease and line 2 x 18cm round tins. 
• Place the sugar, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa powder in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix briefly.
• Add in the milk, oil, eggs, chocolate extract and finally the slightly cooled boiling water.
• Mix until smooth.
• Divide the batter between the 2 cake tins and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 
• Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.
• To make the filling, whip the cream until stiff then set aside. 
• Beat the cream cheese with the icing sugar until smooth.
• Stir in the whipped cream and crushed oreos. 
• Chill in the fridge if not using immediately.
• To make the ganache, heat the cream gently until it's just starting to bubble - don't let it overboil.
• Add in the chocolate in small pieces whilst stirring.
• Whisk for a few minutes until it's smooth.
• Allow to cool for 5-10minutes before using.
• To assemble the cake, cut 4 strips of parchment paper and lay them on each side of the cake board (see picture above)
• Place one cake upside down on the cake board. 
• Spread the cream cheese filling evenly on the cake, smoothing out the edges as you go. 
• Add the second cake on top.
• Pour the ganache from a height on to the centre of the cake and allow it to spread out until it's dripping down the edges of the cake. 
• Decorate with piped rosettes of cream and half an Oreo Cookie as shown. I also added more crumbles Oreos as you just can't have too many! 
• Remove the parchment paper and you should have a clean cake board. 

Peanut Butter and Golden Oreo No Bake Squares

I love Oreo cookies and there are quite a few recipes using Oreo cookies on my blog. My favourites are the mint oreos and peanut butter oreos which I can only buy in America or at a huge cost and effort in UK. I was ecstatic to find out that Oreo have launched 2 new flavours in the UK and they are available in most major supermarkets. The flavours are Peanut Butter and Golden Oreo. I saw them at Asda recently and they are only 50p a pack! I couldn't help myself and bought a few packets so look out for more recipes!

I was sent 2 packs each of Peanut Butter Oreos and Golden Oreos to try. The Peanut Butter ones have the classic chocolate biscuit and a peanut butter filling whereas the Golden Oreos have a sweet golden biscuit and a vanilla creme filling. I love peanut butter but I actually prefer the golden oreos to the peanut butter oreos. Go figure! 

 Golden Oreos and Peanut Butter Oreos 

I decided to make a quick and easy no bake recipe with the oreo cookies. I'ts based on my mini peanut butter oreo cheesecake recipe which I said was the best dessert I've eaten! The base is made of peanut butter oreos which is filled with a cream cheese, peanut butter and cream filling and topped with a Golden Oreo. It's absolutely delicious particularly if you like peanut butter. It's really simple to put together and only requires 6 ingredients. 

 I used my individual brownie pain and placed strips of parchment paper in a cross fashion so it's easier to remove the squares later. 

 This recipe only makes 10 squares - this is the peanut butter oreo biscuit base 

 Fill with peanut butter filling 

 Top with a Golden Oreo

Makes 10 squares as shown

1 pack peanut butter oreos (14 biscuits)

10 golden oreo biscuits

50g butter, melted 

180g cream cheese

90g smooth peanut butter

70g caster sugar

90mls double cream

• Prepare the individual brownie pan as shown. Alternatively you can use a large rectangle pan and cut into squares. 
• Blitz the peanut butter oreos into crumbs or place in a sealed bag and bash with a rolling pin.
• Mix the cookie crumbs with 50g melted butter. 
• Place 1 - 2 tablespoons of cookie crumbs into each square and press down. 
• Place in the fridge to set whilst you make the filling. You can also put it in the freezer if you are in a hurry.
• To make the filling, beat the cream until stiff and set aside.
• Next, beat the peanut butter, cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
• Add in the beaten cream and stir. 
• Spread an even layer of the filling on top of each cookie base. 
• Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
• Before serving, place a golden oreo on top of each square. 

Disclaimer:  I was sent Peanut Butter Oreos and Golden Oreos for review purposes. A positive review was not required and all opinions are my own. This is not a sponsored post. 

Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Oreo Pie

Hi everyone. Sorry for the long absence. It's just been crazy busy lately with lots going on. I will be posting less for the next few months until things settle down but will still continue to co-host AlphaBakes with Caroline. I do appreciate the loyalty from my regular readers and still enjoy reading all your posts when I can. 

I've been wanting to make this for a while so I'm really pleased that I got the chance recently and I can tell you that it was well worth the wait. It's a very rich, decadent dessert and you only need a small slice. It has an oreo biscuit base, covered with homemade caramel and topped with rich, dark chocolate ganache and a generous sprinkling of sea salt. It's a no bake recipe but it does take some time as each layer has to set before you put the next layer on. I used Hans Sloane Ecuador 70% chocolate beads and it worked beautifully in this recipe as it gave the pie the rich, dark chocolate taste which paired well with the sea salt flakes and caramel. If you use a sweeter chocolate then the pie will be too sweet and you won't get the lovely contrast.

I'm sending this to AlphaBakes hosted by Caroline from Caroline Makes. The letter this  month is O for Oreo cookies.

Cook Blog Share hosted by Lucy from Supergolden Bakes.

Recipe of the Week hosted by Emily from A Mummy Too.

Tasty Tuesdays hosted by Vicki from Honest Mum.

 only 5 ingredients required - brown sugar, double cream, chocolate beads or chocolate chips, butter and oreo cookies 

 oreo cookie base 

 making the caramel 

 caramel is almot ready!

 look at that lovely caramel 

 the smudge is from the cling film before the caramel set 

 luckily it's covered in a thick layer of chocolate ganache 

 served with fresh raspberries and raspberry ripple ice cream 

Makes 1 large 10 inch pie

For the base
2 packs of 154g Oreo cookies
100g butter

For the caramel
260g light brown sugar
225g butter
120 mlsdouble cream

For the chocolate ganache
250ml double cream
340g Hans Sloane Ecuador 70% chocolate beads

To serve
Sea salt flakes
Fresh raspberries
Raspberry ripple ice cream

• Start by making the oreo base - place the oreo cookies in a food processor and blitz until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Add the butter and pulse briefly.
• Spread the oreo base on the pie tin and smooth out the top making sure that the base goes up the side of the dish as shown.
• Place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to set.
• In the meantime, make the caramel by placing the butter and brown sugar in a medium sized pan.
• Heat gently over a medium heat until bubbles start to form. 
• Remove from the heat and leave for 1 minute.
• Gently whisk in the double cream and continue whisking until the caramel is smooth.
• Set aside to cool for at least 15-20 minutes.
• Take the oreo base out of the freezer and pour the caramel layer on top.
• Return to the freezer for 20-30minutes to set.
• Make the chocolate ganache by gently heating the cream until it just bubbles.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate beads.
• Continue stirring until the mixture is smooth.
• Remove the oreo pie from the freezer and pour the chocolate ganache on top.
• Refrigerate until set.
• Before serving, add a generous sprinkle of sea salt on top of the pie.
• Slice and serve with fresh raspberries and a scoop of ice cream. 

Disclaimer: I was sent some Hans Sloane drinking chocolate beads for review purposes to create a recipe. A positive review was not required and all opinions expressed are my own. This is not a sponsored post.

No Bake Nutella Cheesecake

This is a really quick and easy no bake recipe. It has a creamy Nutella cream cheese filling and an oreo cookie base. I served it with grated chocolate and fresh strawberries. It is absolutely delicious and I'd eat this everyday if I could! It's full of stuff that's bad for you which is probably why it tastes so good!

I used up lots of leftovers for this recipe which is sort of how it came about. I had an open packet of oreo biscuits from making my Valentine Penguin Oreos. I also had an opened jar of Nutella from recent bakes and a tub of cream cheese that was near expiry. Therefore I am sending this to the No Waste Food Challenge hosted by Elizabeth from Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary.

 

 I love my new set of glass dishes which I saw on Kate's blog and she told me she got them from Ikea. Thanks Kate! 

The recipe is slightly made up and I can't remember the exact amounts!

Roughly 8 or 10 oreo cookies, crushed
approximately 30g butter, melted (might need more)
200g cream cheese
50g icing sugar
200mls double cream (could add a little more if you prefer)
approximately 150g - 200g Nutella (or add as much as you like!)

• Place the oreo cookies in a ziplock bag and bash with a rolling pin. Alternatively you can blitz it in a food processor. 
• Place the butter in a small bowl and melt in the microwave. 
• Stir the butter into the crushed cookies.You may need a little more butter if the mixture is too dry.
• Press the oreo butter mixture into the bottom of your serving dish and level with a spoon. 
• Place in the fridge to set for at least 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile beat the cream until stiff peaks form. Scoop into a large bowl and set aside. 
• Next beat the cream cheese and icing sugar.
• Add in the nutella and continue beating. 
• Now spoon the mixture out into your bowl of whipped cream and mix with a spoon until smooth (don't use the mixer at this stage or the cream might split)
• Spoon the Nutella/cream cheese mixture on top of the cookie base and leave to chill in the fridge.
• Decorate with grated chocolate and fresh strawberries.