Monday 2 April 2012

White Chocolate and Ginger Cheesecake (No Baking)

I'm not usually a 'cheesecake person'. In effect, I can't picture one other cheesecake that tickles my fancy. BUT this is no ordinary cheesecake. Really. This is more akin to a chocolate lover's indulgence. It's rich, and the texture is consistent and lovely. 

Why you will love it:
a) White chocolate cheesecake. WHITE CHOCOLATE.
b) No baking involved! - A brilliant spring/summer dessert. 

Ingredients for base:
  • 500g gingersnap biscuits 
  • 1 tsp ground ginger powder  
  • 80g butter 

Ingredients for the yummy part:
  • 300g white chocolate 
  • 250g mascarpone 
  • 200ml cream (cold)


Method:
  1. Crush the ginger biscuits. The finer the crumbs, the more solid your base will be.
  2. Combine the ground ginger powder.
  3. Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat.
  4. Pour the biscuit mix into the melted butter and stir.
  5. Spoon into a cake tin and press down (very) firmly. 
  6. Melt the white chocolate using a bain marie. Leave this to cool for a short while (though not too long so as to let it harden again!)
  7. Fold the mascarpone into the cooled white chocolate - a few tablespoonfuls at a time. *
  8. Whip the cream (much much easier when cold). Be careful not to over-whip or else the cream will separate.
  9. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone-chocolate mixture, again including a few spoonfuls at a time.
  10. Spoon over your biscuit base. Pat or drag it around slightly but do not 'squash' it down. 
  11. Leave the cheesecake in the fridge overnight to set. **

Notes:

* Folding in carefully (as opposed to mixing) is essential in order to prevent knocking the air out of the mixture. Don't panic; it's EASY.

** I have to be honest. I usually sneak a slice before letting it set properly. This isn't really a problem. The mixture is firm enough to stand on it's own, so cutting a sizeable slice to 'taste' won't hurt the rest of the cheesecake. Admittedly, the texture is somewhat nicer after it sets properly.

4 comments:

  1. Do you think that substituting the mascarpone for cream cheese instead would still work? Can't wait to try it, but it would be great to cut out some of the calories! :)
    -Julia

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    Replies
    1. Hi Julia, it should work perfectly texture-wise so long as you mash the cream cheese up before folding it in. That said, remember that mascarpone is sweeter and creamier whilst cream cheese is savoury. The white chocolate would probably sweeten it up enough though. Let me know how it turns out should you make it this way! xx Maria. (If you make it with mascarpone, you could always share the calories with friends......it really is divine! They'll love you forever too.)

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    2. I just served it for dessert, and everyone loved it! I ended up using cream cheese rather than mascarpone and it really was divine. Thanks a lot for sharing the recipe :)
      -Julia

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    3. Woo! I'm glad they enjoyed it and that's good to know. Next time I'm out of mascarpone I'll simply sub with cream cheese. Thanks! Have you joined me on FB? :) xx Maria

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