Move your body

Merry christmas everyone!

It is my first Christmas away from home, celebrating with friends here in London. London has been spectacular - I have no regrets doing the Bar here, and doing it in City Law School London. Work is hectic, and that's why I haven't had any time to bake except for the ocassional cheesecake for birthdays and dinner parties. But it is Christmas holidays after all, and although there is an exam looming fast into the new year, I find myself burnt out with need for baking.

I taught my housemate how to bake this cake - it turned out well and is now half gone despite only cutting into it this evening. I suppose I have no more words to offer you, but here is compensation in the form of a creamy lemon cheesecake instead :) it is simple, fool proof, and is comfort on a cold winter day.

Recipe:

600g cream cheese, full fat
2 lemons, zested and juice squeezed
2/3 cups castor sugar
300ml cream, whipped to stiff peak
1 tbsp custard powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
250g digestive biscuit crumbs
100g butter, melted
1 punnet blackberries/ roughly sliced strawberries
4 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 160C.
2. Mix the melted butter with the digestive biscuits till moist and pat into a 9 inch springform pan, making a crown if you find your base too thick for your liking. Scatter the berries atop the biscuit base and chill in the fridge till set.
3. Cream the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer till smooth. Add in the sugar and continuing creaming on low.
4. Add in the lemon juice, zest, vanilla essence and custard powder. Cream well to ensure the mixture is as lump free as possible.
5. Gently fold in the cream into the batter with a wooden spoon or with a spatula. Take care not to deflate the cream.
6. Crack in all the eggs at once and mix with the electric mixer until just incorporated.
7. Bake in a bain marie for 50-60 minutes. The cheesecake is done when it jiggles slightly in the middle. After baking, leave to cool in the oven with the door ajar for one hour. Then let cool at room temperature till warm to the touch and chill 8 hours or overnight
8. For an optional topping, spread some lemon curd over the surface of the cooled cheesecake, or make yellow jello to set atop the cake. Or leave it, frill free, dig in, then sigh in enjoyment.

Till next time :)