Sometimes it’s time to hang up your halo and do something naughty with your innocent smoothies. Hester Casey, an exciting new cookery writer, has sent us in a delicious apple cheesecake recipe using our ‘Kiwis, apples and limes’ smoothie. For more mouth-watering treats along with the amusing anecdotes that inspired them, check out her entertaining blog www.alchemy-fabulousfood.blogspot.com
Over to Hester...
I fool myself into thinking my 'Big Apple' cheesecake isn't quite as naughty as it appears because it has real fruit smoothie as an ingredient. I've used innocent’s ‘kiwis, apples and limes’ smoothie because it is the apple-iest smoothie I’ve encountered. “innocent” it may be, but it will cause angels to hang up their halos!
For 1 cheesecake (about 10 slices) you will need...Chocolate Base 75g butter 200g bourbon biscuits, crushed (you could use Oreos)
1. First make the base: Melt the butter in a saucepan over a gentle heat. Then, add in the crushed bourbon biscuits, mixing well until all the butter has been absorbed. Empty the biscuit mixture into a loose-bottomed 21cm (8”) round cake tin and press gently into an even layer. Leave to cool.
Filling 1 X 125g packet lime jelly/Jell-O (sufficient for 1 pint of jelly or Jell-O)
100mls boiling water
Approximately 150mls of innocent ‘kiwis, apples and limes’ smoothie
350g full fat cream cheese
100g caster sugar
150mls fresh cream
2. For the filling, cut the jelly into squares and place in a 500ml (1 pint) measuring jug. Add the boiling water and leave the jelly to melt, stirring occasionally. When the jelly has melted, add in just enough smoothie to bring the liquid up to the 250mls mark (you may have a little left over - that's for you to drink). Leave to cool, until the liquid becomes slightly syrupy and nearly set.
3. Meanwhile, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth – an electric mixer is best for this job. Add in the cooled almost-set jelly, whisking continuously. Then whisk in the fresh cream. It will be alarmingly liquid at this stage but continue whisking for a minute or two and the mixture will begin to thicken slightly.
4. Pour over the cooled biscuit base and smooth the top.
5. Leave to set in the fridge making sure it is level otherwise you’re going to have a lopsided cheesecake and people will point and laugh.
I’ve decorated this with white and dark chocolate shapes – I have sprinkled some of the white chocolate shapes with crushed apple drops for an even bigger apple flavour.
Hester, you're a genius and I can't wait to try this. I can even contemplate how healthy I'm being!!
Posted by: Kate O'Brien | March 04, 2011 at 11:10 PM
Yummy yummy. This is my favourite innocent smoothie
Posted by: Ninja | March 05, 2011 at 10:24 PM
yummy yummy yummy, can't wait to try this!!!
Posted by: Rachel | March 06, 2011 at 09:32 PM
Hahahahaha so that's why they point and laugh - I've been making lopsided cheesecakes!
Posted by: Michael | March 07, 2011 at 11:24 AM
replace the full fat cream cheese with quark, fresh cream with low fat cream and use ginger nairns oat cakes instead of bourbons.
not sure what it would do taste wise but i'm going to give it a go, will be defo healthier then :D
Posted by: Rob | March 17, 2011 at 04:58 PM
Cannot wait to try this one
Will probably try the healthy
one too!!!!
Posted by: Valerie STINTON | March 17, 2011 at 06:07 PM
This looks pretty good!! Will save this recipe to make for Mum's next birthday - she loves key-lime pie, as well as cheesecake, so will try this out on her!!
Thanks for sharing, Hester. Keep up the yummy work!!
Posted by: Jade C | March 18, 2011 at 09:19 AM
sounds DELISH!!
Posted by: kent | March 18, 2011 at 10:18 AM
Has me salivating but can anyone offer a non-gelatine containing version? I'm not a good enough cook to know how.
Posted by: Fliss | March 18, 2011 at 06:14 PM
This is sooooo not fair! We don't have those smoothies where I live here in the U.S.
So miss out on both the smoothies and what you can make with them, and I love cheesecake :(
~Tricia
Posted by: Tricia | March 18, 2011 at 06:22 PM
Think I'm going to try this with another innocent smoothie, I love the Cranberries, blueberries and cherries drink. Bet the tartness would really suit a cheesecake recipe. Thanks Hester!
Posted by: Joanne | March 21, 2011 at 11:08 AM
Hi Fliss, I make cheesecake all the time and I am a veggie. I never use a setting agent, the cheeses (I use mascarpone and cream cheese) set really well and there is no need for gelatine. Perhaps try icing sugar instead of caster as this may help it set more. However, there are plenty of vegetarian jellies and gelatines out there either in health food shops or in 'free from' aisles of the supermarkets.
Posted by: Bunny | March 22, 2011 at 12:12 PM
I'm not a great cook but I gave this a whirl. It was easy and won loads of brownie points with my family! Will be making this one again.
Posted by: Emily | March 22, 2011 at 06:11 PM