Mini Caramel Apple Cheesecakes with Streusel Topping

I can't believe it's December already! I probably say this every year but where has the year gone? This year seems to have flown by in a flash. I'm sure there's a lot of festive cooking and baking going on worldwide but I'm still in autumn mode with apples. I saw this on pinterest and thought what a great idea. I've been waiting for the perfect opportunity to bake these and made them to take to a dinner party. We were really full from all the food but still managed to enjoy one or two of these. It's a good idea baking them in muffin cases as it's a nice individual portion, looks cute and is easy to transport. I also took some to work as did J and both our work colleagues enjoyed them. It's a baked cheesecake filled with fresh apples, streusel topping and a generous drizzle of salted caramel sauce. These are great for the upcoming festive season as you can bake them in advance and they are sure to be a hit at any party. 

I'm sending this to Simply Eggcellent hosted by Dom from Belleau Kitchen as the theme this month is anything goes. This recipe contains 3 large free range eggs. 

It's also going to Recipe of the Week hosted by Emily from A Mummy Too.

 streusel topping 

 digestive biscuit base

 add cheesecake mixture 

 then chopped apples

 top with streusel topping 

 generous drizzle of caramel sauce before serving

  

Recipe adapted slightly from cookingclassy.com

Makes 18 mini cheesecakes

For the base
16 digestive biscuits
2.5 tablespoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
85g butter,melted

For the filling 
340g cream cheese
225g caster sugar
3 large free range eggs
3/4 cup creme fraiche
3 or 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped into tiny pieces (if the chunks are too big, the apples won't cook fully)
3 tablespoons lemon juice

For the streusel topping
80g plain flour
40g oats
75g brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
57g butter

• First prepare the streusel topping by mixing all the ingredients together in a large bowl using your hands until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. 
• Cover and chill in the fridge. 
• Preheat the oven to 165C. 
• Prepare the crust by blitzing the digestive biscuits in a food processor or bashing them with a rolling pin in a ziplock bag. 
• Add the melted butter, sugar and cinnamon and stir until mixed. 
• Line 2 muffin tins with 18 cupcake/muffin liners. 
• Divide the mixture evenly between 18 cases and press down gently.
• Bake in the pre heated oven for approximately 5 minutes then remove from the oven and allow to cool.
• Make the filling by beating the cream cheese with the sugar until smooth. 
• Add the eggs one at a time followed by the creme fraiche and mix well.
• Pour the filling (use a measuring jug with a pouring spout) on top of the baked cheesecake crust until about 2/3 full.
• Peel, core and finely chop the apples then toss in fresh lemon juice.
• Place a generous spoonful of apples on top of each cheesecake. 
• Top with the streusel topping. 
• Bake in the pre heated oven for approximately 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. 
• Allow to cool completely then chill in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. 
• Just before serving, pour a generous amount of caramel sauce on top of the cheesecake. I used ready made caramel sauce but you can also make your own. 

Chocolate Mint Cake

I planned a little surprise birthday dinner for a friend recently. Luckily it went well and the birthday girl was indeed surprised and very happy! I asked the restaurant if I could bring a cake and started thinking about what to bake. I remembered that chocolate mint is her favorite so I thought of a chocolate cake with a minty filling. I had great success with my chocolate cake and Oreo cream cheese filling so I decided to adapt that into a chocolate mint cake. I used the same cake recipe but added 1 tablespoon of mint extract. The filling also had mint and green food coloring and chopped up mint aero. The cake was then topped with a chocolate ganache and mint aero balls. I forgot to take pictures at the restaurant so I only have a few photos to share. The cake was absolutely delicious! Light and minty but not overly so. My friend's dad really enjoyed the cake and I got more compliments about the cake later from her family! 

I'm sharing this with Alphabakes which I'm hosting this month. Caroline from Caroline Makes is my co host. The letter this month is M for mint. 

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 tablespoon peppermint extract
250mls boiling water, cooled for a few minutes


For the filling
400mls double cream
225g cream cheese
85g icing sugar
green food colouring

2 large bars of Mint Aero, roughly chopped

For the ganache
200mls double cream
200g dark chocolate 

To decorate

Mint Aero balls

• 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, peppermint 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. Add in a little green food colouring and mix thoroughly. 
• Stir in the whipped cream and chopped mint aero chocolate. 
• 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, 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 mint aero balls. 

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. 

Triple Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Cookies

A quick and easy recipe today. I love chocolate chip cookies and usually bake them for bake sales or group events. I tend to avoid putting nuts in case there are any nut allergy sufferers. So far, my favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe is this one but I have to say these are a close second. I saw this recipe on Averi Cooks blog and just had to try it out. She replaces some of the butter with cream cheese and it gives the cookie a lovely, soft and creamy texture. I used triple chocolate chips - milk, dark and white and omitted the nuts. This cookie got lots of rave reviews and they kept well in an airtight container for up to a week. I can imagine that the cookie dough would work well with leftover Easter chocolate.

I'm sending this to Tea Time Treats hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage and Jane from The Hedgecombers. The theme this month is Chocolate!

Recipe adapted slightly from Averi Cooks

113g butter
50g cream cheese
125g brown sugar
50g caster sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
315g plain flour
2 teaspoons cornflour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
100g milk chocolate chips
100g dark chocolate chips
100g white chocolate chips

• Preheat the oven to 180C. 
• Cream the butter, cream cheese, sugars, egg and vanilla until light and fluffy.
• Add the flour, cornflour and bicarbonate of soda.
• Mix well then stir in the chocolate chips by hand. 
• Place small scoops of cookie dough spaced apart on a lined baking tray.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 9 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. 
• It will still be soft but will harden as the cookies cool.
• Allow to cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Passionfruit and Cream Cheese Filled Chocolate Easter Eggs

Happy Friday everyone! Life has been so crazy and hectic lately I'm really pleased that it's a long bank holiday weekend. There's lots planned for the weekend but at least I get to have a lie in and hopefully a chance to bake a few Easter themed treats. I saw this recipe on pinterest and immediately bookmarked it.  Last year I baked chocolate easter eggs with a twist which I also baked back in 2012 so I wanted something a little different this year. This recipe was perfect as it's a really quick and easy no bake treat which looks very impressive. 

You need to get hollow easter eggs - larger eggs will be easier to work with as you can just spoon the filling in. I bought these mini eggs so I used a piping bag to fill the eggs. The cheesecake mixture is really quick and easy to make and tastes great on its own. My favourite part is the 'yolk' which is a passionfruit and apricot curd. I also made some chocolate spoons to go with the eggs using my chocolate spoon mould. 

I'm sending this to a few blog challenges this month. 

Treat Petite hosted by Kat from The Baking Eplorer and Stuart from Cakeyboi. The theme this month is Hello Spring. 

Tea Time Treats hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage and Jane from The Hedgecombers. The theme this month is Chocolate! 

We Should Cocoa hosted by Choclette from Tin and Thyme. The theme this month is No Bake which is really fortuituous as I made these before finding out what the challenge was for this month. 

The Biscuit Barrel Challenge which is guest hosted by Alexandra from The Lass in the Apron on behalf of Laura from I'd Much Rather Bake Than... The theme this month is candy so I'm hoping that these ready made easter eggs will count! 

Food Year Link Up hosted by Charlotte from My Recipe Book.

Recipe of the Week hosted by Emily from A Mummy Too

Cook Blog Share hosted by Lucy at Supergolden Bakes

Bookmarked Recipes hosted by Jacqueline from Tinned Tomatoes. I bookmarked this as soon as I saw it and patiently waited until Easter to try it out.

Let's Cook for Easter hosted by Nayna from Simply Food.

 chocolate spoon moul, cream cheese, double cream, apricot jam, butter, passionfruit and mini chocolate eggs 

 making the 'yolk'  (This is a double recipe which is why the amount looks more than stated) 

 cut the tops of the chocolate eggs. I left the foil wrapping on so that the eggs don't melt into the container and make a mess. Plus it's quite nice unwrapping the egg and eating it. I used a quails egg tray to hold the eggs. If you have larger eggs then a regular egg carton should suffice. 

 Fill with cheesecake filling 

 Pipe the 'egg yolk' on top 

 This is a half filled chocolate egg (well one that I broke but waste not want not) 

 Happy Easter! 

Recipe from raspberri cupcakes 

Makes enough to fill 18 mini eggs plus extra to eat

For the cream cheese filling 

150g cream cheese

30g icing sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

125mls double cream

For the 'egg yolk' 

1 passionfruit - sliced and sieved to get the juice only

1 tablespoon apricot jam

15g butter 

For the chocolate spoon (optional) 

chocolate from the tops of the chocolate eggs

approximately 75g milk chocolate 

• Prepare the chocolate eggs by peeling off the top bit of foil and cutting the tops off with a sharp knife.
• Place the eggs in a suitable tray and place in the fridge.
• (I melted the tops of the chocolate eggs plus some extra chocolate to make my chocolate spoons so there was no wastage) 
• Make the 'egg yolk' by placing the pasionfruit juice, apricot jam and butter in a small saucepan over a low heat. 
• Whisk continuously until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. 
• Allow to cool completely then place in the fridge to set. 
• Now make the cream cheese filling by placing the cream cheese, icing sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl and beating until it's smooth and fluffy. 
• Beat the cream in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form.
• Scoop the beaten cream into the cream cheese mixture and beat until smooth. 
• Place the cream cheese mixture in a piping bag and pipe into the chocolate shells.
• Place in the fridge to set for about 15-20 minutes.
• Place the chilled 'egg yolk' mixture in a piping bag and pipe on top of each filled egg.