blackberry cheesecake pie

summer!!!

blackberry cheesecake pie
makes a 20cm/8" pie


pastry
300 g wholemeal flour
200 g cold butter, in small cubes
50 g sugar
50 ml cold milk

rub the butter cubes into the flour and sugar mic until it resembles a crumble
add the milk, mix in quickly and with as little kneading as possible - it's okay if some butter remains in pieces
chill the dough for at least an hour


filling
400 g full-fat cream cheese
100 g sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons corn starch
zest of 1 lemon
a dash of vanilla extract

plus:

300 g blackberries

mix the cream cheese and sugar until sugar dissolves
add eggs, one at a time, mixing well each time (you don’t want to beat too much, the batter should not be aerated)
add corn starch, lemon and vanilla and mix in


roll the pasty out to about 0.5cm/ 1/5th " thickness, transfer into a pie pan, cut off the excessive pastry running a knife around the pan edges
pour the filling mixture and toss the blackberries inside
fold the edge of the pastry onto the batter delicately (as it's rather soft) and pinch little bits together for a nice edge
bake for 20 minutes in 200C and then lower the temperature to 180C and bake for another 30 minutes
cool down and rest in fridge for at least three hours before serving so it sets nicely

karpatka

karpatka

choux pastry

makes two pieces in 20x20 pan

125 ml milk

125 ml water

100 butter 

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

150g flour

4 medium eggs

bring the milk and water to boil, add butter, mix until it melts, add sugar and salt

keeping the pan on the stove (low heat) add the flour and mix vigorously so that a thick smooth paste is created - mix it very well, cooking the dough for about 2 minutes

add eggs, one at a time, mixing very thoroughly after each addition

spread half the dough onto the pan - it will be sticky to keep dunking the spatula in water

bake in 200C for about 2-5 minutes until the edges are nicely golden - do not open the oven in the meantime to check!

repeat to bake the other half

creamy filling

750 ml milk

100 g sugar

2 tbsp vanilla extract

4 egg yolks

30 g cornstarch (of potato starch)

30 g flour

250 g butter, softened

heat up 600 ml of the milk, almost to boil

mix the sugar, flours, egg yolks and remaining milk very well (you can blend it if you wish)

add the mix into the almost-boiling milk, stirring vigorously as it quickly thickens

cook, still mixing (to prevent burning at the bottom), until the mixture starts bubbling

remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract

cool down to room temperature

cream the butter until it's pale and fluffy, then mix in the milk mixture a few tablespoons at a time

sauce

i used a simple raspberry sauce made with blended and strained raspberry compote here!

assembly

all the above + icing sugar

place one layer of cake in the pan, spread all the filling onto it, press the other layer of cake onto the cream

leave to rest, preferably overnight

dust with icing sugar before cutting into portions

serve with tart raspberry sauce

matcha japanese cheesecake

one day, promise, I will stop with all the matcha, but today is not the day :)

  

matcha japanese cheesecake

makes a 20cm/8" cake

250 g cream cheese

6 eggs, separated

90 g flour

1 tbsp baking powder

50 g butter

100 ml milk

150 g sugar

2 tbsp matcha powder

put the cream cheese, butter and milk in low heat and, stirring constantly, until they all melt together and become liquid; if there are lumps, strain through a sieve cool down

mix in egg yolks

sift in the flour, baking powder and matcha, fold in delicately but make sure it's mixed in thoroughly

whip the egg whites until foamy, add the sugar and beat until the meringue is stiff and shiny

fold the egg whites into the cheese mixture bit by bit

pour it into a 8" baking tin lined with baking parchment

bake in an oven preheated to 180C for about 1 hour 15 min, with a dish of boiling water underneath the pan (at the bottom shelf of the oven) - it allows the cake to retain moisture

leave in the oven to cool down, for about 1 hour

dust with matcha powder and slice to serve

puffed rice donuts with raspberry glaze

After seeing similar ones in Whole Foods Market in London I had to try them on my own!

puffed rice "donuts"

makes 10


100 g puffed rice (plain, can be substituted with rice krispies but it will make the donuts sweeter)
300 g dulce de leche
100 g white chocolate

heat up dulce de leche, stirring constantly, until it starts bubbling on the sides of the pan, then add chopped up chocolate and mix until the chocolate melts
pour the mixture over puffed rice, mix well
leave to cool down for about an hour
form donuts with the rice and leave to set in fridge for a couple of hours


raspberry glaze

100 g white chocolate
30 ml heavy cream
30 ml raspberry syrup/juice

bring the cream and syrup to boil
add chopped white chocolate, mix until it melts, pour over the donuts
refrigerate for at least an hour so that the glaze sets

chocolate cake with dulce de leche frosting

chocolate cake with dulce de leche frosting
(makes a 18 cm/7" cake)

chocolate cake

1 ¼ cup flour
160 g soft butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
½ tbsp. salt
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup cocoa
1 cup milk

cream the butter with sugar, then add eggs, one at time, until they are well incorporated
whisk dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add simultaneously with milk, mix on lowest speed until the batter is smooth
put into a greased pan, bake in 180 for 1 h or until a toothpick comes out clean
cool down


frosting

1 cup dulce de leche
1 cup powdered sugar
100 g buttered, slightly softened

mix the butter until light and fluffy, add the sugar and combine well
mix in dulce de leche - the frosting might appear slightly runny, if so, place in a fridge for 2 hours before using to decorate


assemble

½ cup cherry jam
candied cherries
chopped nuts (I used hazelnuts)

cut the cake in two layers
spread the jam and 2-3 tbsp of icing on the first layer, put them together, and ice the cake with most of the remaining icing (save some for piping decorations if you wish!)
decorate with cherries and nuts - the way I did it is a typical one to decorate a torte in Eastern Europe, simple and elegant - it would look very nice with some chocolate decorations, too
keep in the fridge until ready to serve