Spicy Pumpkin Donuts

After a much-needed break of over a year where I had to care for personal matters, it is time to get back to food blogging. I couldn't be any happier. Food, and especially baking, is not only a hobby for me, but it's a cure, it's cathartic on several levels. I know for a fact that a lot of you are on the same boat. Food drives us and motivates us, it's not just a basic survival need, but it's part of who we are and how we view the world.

While creating this recipe I reconnected with the joy of testing the right combinations of flavor and texture, of styling and photography. Despite the hard work it takes, it is my ultimate comfort zone; the zen space that I cherish the most.

Donuts seem just like a banal dessert that you easily snatch on the go from your favorite "donut" shop. But don't let the humbleness of dessert fool you. If done right, it is a wonderful treat that offers endless customization possibilities. Making donuts at home puts you in full control over the flavor and texture that appeals the most to you.
This particular donut recipe delivers light, pillowy, sweet and mildly spiced donuts that just capture the best fall flavors. What's best is that the recipe makes use of a bountiful ingredient this time of the year: pumpkin. There is no shortage of pumpkin recipes on this blog and this is a welcome addition that I am sure you'll love and enjoy with a warm cup of coffee, perhaps spiked with the wafting aroma of pumpkin pie spice.

For 10 to 12 donuts you need:

• 300 g flour (I used 150 g bread flour and 150 whole spelt flour, you can use all bread flour if you want)
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 to 2 tsp of mixed spices (add the spices you prefer)
• Zest of half an orange
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or paste
• 60 g butter, cold or at room temperature
• 40 g brown sugar (I used coconut sugar and maple sugar)
• 6 g salt
• 100 g pumpkin purée (I make mine)
• 60 ml of warm milk (37C)
• 5 g fresh yeast

First, in your mixer bowl, mix the yeast and milk and stir well until it´s dissolved, then add 60 g of flour and mix well. Then add the rest of the flour, cover and let it proof for 30 minutes. This step will make your donuts softer and last longer. Now add all the other ingredients except for the butter, and  with the hook attachment and mix for at least 10 minutes on medium to low speed.

If the dough feels a bit dry, add more milk. Keep in mind that different flours absorb water differently. 

Add the butter and mix again for another 8 to 10 minutes or until your dough is smooth and no longer sticky.

Cover the dough and let it double in volume. This should take around 2 hours.

Now, slowly deflate your dough by bringing the sides to the middle, cover again and put in the fridge overnight. I start working on the dough in the evening, so before I go to bed I just pop it into the fridge and leave it to ferment slowly and develop its beautiful flavors.

The next day , drop the dough on your lightly floured counter, and roll it out to about 1 cm thick.
Using a round cutter, cut the donuts and place them on parchment paper. This is optional, but I usually cut parchment paper squares to fit only one donut as this makes it easier to handle the donuts later on, but you can place all your donuts on a single paper. 

The cut donuts need their final rest to rise and puff. Depending on the warmth of your kitchen, this may take anything from one to two hours. Yup making donuts requires some patience.

Now we're ready for frying. Fill your frying pan with about 2 to 3 cm of vegetable oil and heat it to 180 C. The oil should not be too hot or else the dough will burn on the outside and remain raw in the middle and if it's cold the dough will absorb the oil like a sponge.
Fry the donuts until golden on both sides. Don't forget to flip the dough so both sides have a nice and even color. Placing the donuts on individual parchment papers helps me to place them in the oil directly without losing their shape as the dough is quite fragile when raw. 

Put the fried donuts on absorbing paper to get rid of any excess oil. 

You can simply dust your donuts with simple powdered sugar, or glaze them. Here;s how you do both:

• Simple sugar glaze: just mix 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar with a 1 tsp of cinnamon. 
• Maple glaze:  mix 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and add enough powdered sugar until you get the desired consistency, which should not be neither too runny nor too thick. 

The donuts should keep well for up to three days but of course they are best fresh.

Enjoy this delicious dessert with its typical autumnal flavors that go so well during Thanksgiving.

Baklava Cheesecake, the Best of Two Worlds

It's been a while since I posted a recipe, that's why I wanted to come back with a dessert recipe that kind of justifies my absence. The decision was prompted after Foodies+ community on Google+ announced its theme of the month: food fusion. 

I had a recipe idea in mind but I never made it and I just kept postponing it. The Foodies+ theme was the perfect occasion I have been waiting for.  

The baklava cheesecake is a winning fusion recipe in my book and it does justice to both recipes it is based on. It has all creaminess you would expect from any self-respecting cheesecake and all the nutty crunchiness of baklava. The sugar syrup with its fragrant orange and rose water notes helps of the dessert elements to come together happily!

Balava fillings are nut based. The most common ones are pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, cashews and pistachios. I could have used any of these for the recipe as they are all delicious, but I used pistachios because I like its subtle flavor and its lovely green color contrasts the cheesecake's pale yellow hues. If you don't like pistachios, you can use the nuts of your choice.  

There are few steps to make this baklava cheesecake; nothing too complicated but it needs a bit more of your time.

 For the base (18cm springform pan) you need: 

• 4 to 8 filo pastry sheets (depending on the size of the sheets)
• 50 g melted butter

First, brush each filo sheet with butter and lay in the greased springform. 

You can simply stack the sheets on top of each other. Alternatively, you can fold each one into thirds, put the first layer in the middle, then put the other folded sheet on top to form a cross and cover the rest of the pan with more folded sheets. 

You need to put enough pastry to cover the pan and have a strong base to hold the cheesecake filling. You can add more sheets if you like but keep it moderate.  Don´t forget to brush each sheet generously with butter, then trim the excess edges but leave some hanging on the sides of the pan.

Bake in a preheated  oven (180C) for about 15 min or until golden brown.

For the syrup:

• 150 g sugar
• 100 g water
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• few drops of lemon juice
• 1 tsp orange blossom water
• 2 to 3 dried rose buds (optional) 
• 1 tsp rose water

Combine sugar, water, cinnamon and rose buds, and simmer over a gentle heat. Once the sugar is melted and the mix bubbles, add the lemon juice and simmer for a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat and add the rose and orange blossom waters.

For the pistachio filling:

• 100 g chopped pistachios
• 30 g sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (adjust to your taste)
• 15 g syrup 

Mix everything together until you get a wet mixture and spread it over the baked and cooled filo pastry base and set aside.

For the cheesecake filling:

• 600 g cream cheese at room temperature
• 3 large eggs at room temperature 
• 100 g sour cream or thick yogurt
• 120 g sugar
• 1 tbsp corn flour 
• 1 tsp rose water
• 1 tsp orange blossom water
• dash of salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (or to your liking)
• 15 g of syrup

In your mixer bowl, add the cheese and mix on a low speed with the paddle attachment for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add the sugar, the sour cream, cinnamon, salt, syrup, corn flour, rose and orange blossom water and mix again until well blended and no lumps are visible. Add the eggs one by one and keep mixing on a low speed and scrap the sides of the bowl from time to time. 
When everything is combined, pour the batter over the filo and pistachio layer and bake in a preheated oven (150 to 160 C). 

Usually it's customary to wrap the spring-form pan with aluminum foil and place it in another pan filled with warm water and then bake for the required time that is usually for a pan of this size one hour to one hour and a half (oven-dependent).  This bain-marie method of cooking is needed to bake your cake at a gentler heat to avoid surface cracks.

What I do is different though. I put in the middle layer of the oven a pan and fill it with warm water then place the cheesecake pan over a cookie sheet and put both over the pan. This creates  a steamy environment in my oven and allows the cheesecake to cook all the way through while retaining a smooth creamy texture and most importantly with no surface cracks whatsoever.

After one hour, turn off your oven, shake the tray, make sure the middle is still a bit wiggly and leave the oven door cracked open for another half an hour to an hour. 

Let the cake cool completely before you put it in the fridge overnight. 

Decorate to your liking. Slice the cheesecake, drizzle some syrup on top and enjoy! 

Hazelnut and Cinnamon Chocolate Coulant with a Caramel Heart

Only a few hours separate us from the new year, and if you are celebrating at home with family and friends, I suggest an easy dessert that is guaranteed to satisfy everyone, especially chocolate lovers. 

As you probably have little time on your hands and would rather spend it with your loved ones instead of in the kitchen, any dessert you prepare should be quick, easy and of course tasty! This is exactly what this coulant recipe delivers as you'll need few ingredients, a couple of bowls and a whisk. If you want to save more time on new year's eve, you can prepare everything the night before and bake when you're ready to serve.  

For 4 servings you need:

• 3 eggs at room temperature
• 150 g dark chocolate
• 30 g toasted and chopped hazelnut
• 15 g hazelnut paste (optional but preferable if you can find it)
• 50 g sugar
• 30 g flour
• 50 g butter 
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 to 1 tsp of cinnamon
• dash of salt
• 60 g caramel, you can use store bought or make your own.

First start by melting your chocolate in a bain-marie or microwave. Once melted add the butter and the hazelnut paste and let them melt with the heat of chocolate. 
Whisk the eggs, vanilla, salt  and cinnamon then add the sugar and beat well until is combined.

Slowly add the chocolate to the egg mixture and mix well, then add the flour and the chopped hazelnuts and mix again until all is well combined.

Grease your ramequins and cover them with cocoa powder, pour some of the batter then put about a tablespoon of caramel then cover it with more batter. Fill only two thirds of the ramequin.

Heat your oven to 240 C, and place the ramequins in the fridge for at least 15 min. Bake the coulant for 10 min, take out and leave it to cool for 5 min then serve it with a sprinkle of sea salt. 

You can make the batter days ahead and freeze it. The day before serving, remove from the freezer and put in the fridge. On the day of serving, all you need to do is bake as instructed previously. 

I wish you a wonderful and sweet end of the year and a bright and delicious start of 2018! Happy New Year!

For caramel sauce recipes click: here, here, here and here

Rugelach, Delicate Festive Cookies.

December is undoubtedly one of the busiest months of the year. The holidays and their anticipation take a toll on us but they definitely bring unparalleled joy and warmth!

Though this year I did not have much time to think of an elaborate Christmas menu as my energy level is a bit down, I managed to determine one of the menu's sweet items.

I recently tried and really loved a sweet cookie called rugelach. I was not really sure how the cookies' name should be pronounced but I was certain that I found cookies that are worth featuring on my Christmas table or any other festive table.

These crescent shaped cookies were brought to America by the Asheknazi immigrants. The original recipe was leavened with yeast and sour cream was added for flavor and moisture. However, in the last century, the sour cream was dropped and replaced with cream cheese and the dough was no longer fermented.

The cream cheese adds an incredible softness to the dough and the butter makes it flaky and crumbly. The dough is usually stuffed with jam, chocolate and nuts all dusted with cinnamon. The filling can be customized to your liking; as longer as you like the ingredient, use it!

These cookies will captivate you with their aromatic, flaky and satisfyingly rich flavor.

Let´s make some rugelach.

 For the dough you need: (enough for 24 small pieces)

• 170 g all purpose flour 
• 160 g cold butter, cut into small cubes
• 140 g cold cream cheese
• pinch of salt
• 20 g sugar
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• dash of salt

In a big bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, zest, cinnamon and butter and mix with the paddle attachment until you get a sandy mixture. You can also use your pastry blender. Add the cream cheese and mix until well combined.

Divide the dough into 3 equal parts, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

For the filling:

• 150 g orange jam
• 70 g chopped pecans or walnuts
• 60 g sugar
• about 50 g dark chocolate
• 1 and half  tsp cinnamon.

Assembly:

On a generously floured surface, roll the dough (keep the other 2 parts in the fridge while you roll the first one) to about 20 to 22 cm disk of 2-3 mm thick.

Spread about 50 g of the jam, leaving 1 cm away from the edge. Cut the disk in 4 parts, then each part into 2 triangles. Sprinkle 20 g of the sugar, half tsp of the cinnamon, a generous sprinkle of pecans and the grated chocolate.

Roll each triangle into a crescent shape and tuck the edge on the bottom side to prevent the rugelach from opening while baking. Once you finish rolling you need to put the rugelach again in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.

Repeat the same process with the remaining dough.

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Brush each cookie with milk, cream or egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse sugar and bake for 20 to 25 min or until golden brown.

As they bake, the cookies will fill your home with an irresistible Christmas aroma wafting from the cinnamon, the orange, the nuts, the chocolate and the dough itself. A heavenly mix!   I am sure you won't be able to wait for the cookies to cool completely before eating one or two.

With this recipe, I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Keep on baking!

Caramelized Pecans

Almonds, cashews, pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts were always part of my diet while growing up, in both sweet and savory dishes. Pecans on the other hand were a late discovery for me. Ever since my first pecan, I fell in love with their flavor and texture. Nowadays, I go to sleep feeling better knowing that I have a batch of pecans resting in my fridge or cupboard!

Pecans were not always easy to get by in Madrid. but lately, thanks to more specialty shops opening around every corner, stacking up on pecans is no longer a tricky affair.

Being rich in fats, all nuts pair well with sugar. In Spain, caramelized nuts are a popular treat. During local festivities you are always guaranteed to be swept away by the indulgent and enticing aroma of caramelized nuts being freshly prepared in market squares and fairs across the country.

Though caramelized nuts are more popular during winter times, there's no reason not to prepare them at home any time of the year. That's why I decided to make a batch of caramelized pecans to nibble on to ward off hunger pangs or to sprinkle on cakes and more for that buttery sweet crunch they deliver.

To make a small batch of caramelized pecans, you need:

• 110 lightly toasted pecans (put them in a preheated oven at 100 C just until fragrant)
• 75 brown sugar
• pinch of salt
• 25 g coconut oil (for a vegan option) or butter
• pinch of cinnamon (optional)

In a saucepan combine all the ingredients but the cinnamon. Over a gentle flame, slowly mix everything until the sugar melts and coats all the pecans, once everything is combined add the cinnamon and mix again.

Quickly drop the pecan on a parchment paper and with a spatula try to separate each pecan and set aside to cool.

Once cooled down, put in a glass jar and store in a cool and dry place.

Caramelized pecans are a wonderful treat. Perfect as a light snack on their own, they can also be crushed and sprinkled over plain yogurt, or added to cakes, pancakes and muffins for added flavor and texture.

Enjoy!

Banana and Peanut Butter Pancakes

After a long working week, we all crave the break the weekend provides. On Saturday mornings, when Monday still feels distant, there's nothing better than to wake up a bit late and enjoy a relaxing breakfast.

To be honest, I often plan during the weekdays what I will have for the weekends' breakfast; something to do with planning ahead and avoiding wasting time! Quite often, I choose pancakes because they are easy to prepare and can be made with just about any flavor you can imagine.

I have shared several pancake recipes before and experimented with many flavors. This time, I decided to combine the flavor of bananas with that of peanut butter, for a sweet, protein-packed, and healthy start of the day.

For 4 people you need:

• 180 g cake flour
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 g baking soda and 4 g baking powder
• 30 g brown sugar
• 60 g peanut butter (if it´s too stiff heat it in the microwave for few seconds)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or paste
• 50 ml milk (use more if the batter is too thick)
• dash of salt

In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda and baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon.
In another bowl whisk for a couple of minutes the eggs, banana, peanut butter, vanilla and milk.

Now all you need to do is to mix the wet ingredients with the dry ones, the mixture should be rather thick but liquid enough to be poured on a hot pan.

Pour about 2 tablespoons of the batter on a greased and hot pan. Cook until you see bubbles surfing on the top of the pancake then flip it and cook for a couple of minutes on the other side.

Once you finish baking all the pancakes, serve them warm with some maple syrup, honey, or fresh fruits, and enjoy a comforting and delicious breakfast!

For more breakfast ideas featuring pancakes, check these recipes: here, here, here and here . 

Roscón de Reyes or "The Kings' Cake"

The holidays are over in many parts of the world but luckily here in Spain they linger till the 6th of January. Gift sharing is synonymous with Christmas across most of the world, however, for the Spanish, gifts are exchanged on the morning of the day awaited by children and adults alike: Día de los Reyes! This feast, which occurs on the 6th of January, is known elsewhere as the Epiphany and is celebrated much more modestly. However, in Spain and much of the Hispanic World the feast is celebrated widely.

On this special day, before unwrapping the gifts, the family gathers around a breakfast consisting of hot chocolate and the star of Christmas desserts in Spain and in many Hispanic countries: el Roscón de Reyes. The whole day and feast pays tribute to the Three Wise Men or Magi that foretold the arrival of Jesus Christ. Tradition has it that children receive gifts not from Santa Clause but from the Reyes or Wise Men themselves.

The roscon is a brioche like dough, though less buttery, that is usually decorated with candied fruits and can be filled with whipped cream. Small figurines are hidden in the cake and the one who finds it will be a king for a day and will supposedly have a better year!

I usually miss this celebration as I go home for Christmas and New Year celebration. This year, however, my family came to Madrid to spend the holidays. Even though I could have bought roscon from any pastry shop, supermarket or market fair, I decided that it is time to make it at home! It is always so much nicer when you share homemade desserts with your family. It is even better when you eat this delicious dessert with your favorite hot chocolate recipe.

To make the roscon you have to start with the start dough or poolish. The quantities listed are for 4 to 6 people.

You need:

• 75 g strong bread flour
• 75 g milk at 37 degrees C (98/99 F)
• 3 g fresh yeast

Mix all the ingredients together, cover and let the wet starter proof for 30 minutes. It should double in size and be full of bubbles.

For the final dough:

• 175 strong bread flour
• 40 g honey
• 1 large egg (50 g of it will go into the dough the rest will be used for the egg wash)
• zest of one medium orange and zest of half a lemon
• 2 tsp of bourbon
• 2 tsp of orange blossom water
• 1 tbsp orange juice
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 g fresh yeast
• the poolish made previously
• 50 g soft butter

In a big bowl combine all the ingredients but the butter, and with the hook  attachment knead the dough for 10 minutes. The dough should become smooth and shiny. Add the butter and knead again for another 10 minutes. After that time you will  have a smooth, elastic and shiny dough. Grease a bowl, put the dough inside of it, cover and let it rise until it doubles in size, which will take between 1 hour 30 min to 2 hours.

When the dough has risen, deflate it a bit by taking the sides of the dough and bringing them to the middle. Cover again and leave it the fridge for the next day.
If you don´t have time or you can´t wait, drop the dough on a lightly floured surface, shape it into a ball , make a hole in the middle and start stretching it carefully until you have a ring shaped roscón. I made a slight mistake while shaping mine as the hole should have been bigger so it won't close almost completely once baked. 

If you decide to leave the dough in the fridge overnight, you just need to make the same step mentioned above, 

Once the ring is formed, cover it and let it proof until it doubles in size, if the dough is cold it will take a bit longer! This step will take around 2 hours.

Preheat your oven at 200 C/392 F. Prepare the egg wash by mixing the rest of the egg with a teaspoon of milk and few drops of vanilla or cointreau.

Brush the dough with the egg wash and decorate it as you wish: candied fruits, pearled sugar, slivered almonds or whatever you like.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Traditionally the cake is served as it is, but in recent years some fillings like whipped cream or chocolate cream were added to spice up the traditional cake. 

Have the cake with a cup of hot chocolate or coffee and enjoy a piece of Spanish tradition!

Spicy Apple Cider Caramel!

The changing colors, the cooler temperatures, the cloudy skies, and the many characteristic products are all the things I love about autumn. As the nights get chilly, it is so comforting to sip on a warm drink while tucked in bed and watching nice show on TV.

The other day I made a mulled apple cider to enjoy on my Friday night, and so I did! Inspired by the drink, I decided to try out a recipe for an apple cider caramel I saw a while back on Pinterest. This seemed all too fitting as I am a big fan of caramel. I have shared many caramel recipes before (links at the end) so it was time to add a new recipe to the bunch!

To make this caramel, you need few ingredients and a bit of patience!
First you need to make a kind of mulled apple cider that needs to be reduced and then you can proceed with the standard caramel making process.

For reduced spicy cider you need:

• 250 ml apple cider
• one stick of cinnamon, 
• 4 cloves
• 2 star anise
• 3 cardamom pods
• 4-6 allspice corns
• 4-6 juniper berries
• 1 tbsp brown sugar

Make sure to use a good quality cider. In Spain, the northern region of Asturias produces some of the country's finest ciders, and I always use a cider from that region for my recipes.

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan, and let them simmer on a gentle heat for about 30 minutes. The liquid has to reduce and become darker in color. Needless to say that at this point your house will smell amazing!

For the caramel, you need:

• 60 ml of the reduced apple cider
• 150 g sugar
• 60 g cold butter cut into cubes
• pinch of salt
• 250 ml cream (35%)

Put the sugar in a saucepan and melt over a gentle heat. Once the sugar is golden brown add the mulled apple cider and let it simmer for few seconds. Always be careful when adding liquid to a hot caramel as it will splatter. Add the cold butter and let it melt. Add the salt and finally the cream.
Let the sauce cook for a few minutes until it thickens.

Lift the saucepan off the stove and allow the caramel sauce to cool down.

Pour the sauce in a clean jar and refrigerate if you will not use it within the day of its making.

This caramel sauce can be used in so many ways. It will go well with pancakes, crepes, sponge cakes, cheesecakes, as a sweet dipping sauce, and so much more.

This caramel sauce is just divine: sweet, spicy and with just the right amount of acidity from the cider. Do give it a try, you won´t be sorry!

For other caramel recipes click here, here, here, here, here and here

Tigernut Strawberry Milkshake!

Super foods are little wonders of nature that we should consume as often as we can. Some are quite common and known to everyone while others still wait their moment of glory. By now everyone is familiar with the benefits of quinoa, kale, and hemp among many others. However, I don't know how many have already heard about the benefits of tigernuts or had the chance to try them. Recently, however, tigernuts are receiving more the exposure they deserve.

Tigernuts are not a modern-day invention; in fact they have been around for thousands of years. Their name is a bit misleading as they are not nuts but small plant roots or tubers. They are nutrient rich, packed with resistant starch and vitamins like C and E.

Luckily for me, Spain is one of the main producers of tigernuts, locally known as Chufa.
Horchata, which is the name of the milk or fruit juice extracted from tigernuts, is seen everywhere when Spain's hot summer settles in. 

I don´t know why but this drink is linked with summer. Though you can find it all year long, it's really popular in this season, perhaps because it's so refreshing, delicious and nutritious.  

Horchata can be simply made at home if you have tigernuts. You just need to use 250 g of tigernuts that have been soaked overnight to which you add 1 liter of water. Process in a blender and pass the mixture through a sieve. Refrigerate and serve cold. You can add sugar if you want but I find tigernuts to be naturally sweet and do not need any extra sweetness. 

Horchata is delicious as it is, but you can always spice things up with delectable and refreshing flavors. This time I decided to flavor the horchata with strawberries and cinnamon. The drink was not only delicious, but also extremely refreshing. What's more, the drink is nutritious and helps you recover during those hot summer days!

I hope by now you are tempted enough to try this refreshing drink. If so, here are the ingredients you need to prepare enough for two:  

• 250 ml tigernut milk
• 100 g strawberry purée
• 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 10 ice cubes

In a shaker, combine all ingredients, and shake for about a minute, pour into a glass, sprinkle some cinnamon and serve immediately! If you don't have a shaker use a jar, then strain the mixture!

Enjoy!

Zebra Berry Cheesecake!

Last week my friend asked me to bake something for her boyfriend´s birthday. We discussed all the options focusing on a cake with chocolate or one with fruits. Finally, we went for a cake featuring berries. This was a logical option now that the berry season started all over Spain and all sort of fresh berries are readily available. Moreover, I love the taste of berries in cakes and my friend couldn't agree more! 

Instead of a regular cake, like a sponge flavored with a filling of berries, I suggested to my friend to make cheesecake. A cold and creamy cheesecake would be perfect now that summer has officially arrived in Spain and Madrid is slowly heating up. 

I played around with my usual cheesecake recipe, and mixed 2 batters to create a beautiful layered or zebra look. The cake was such a hit that I decided  I deserved one just for myself. I did show some restrain and shared few pieces with my close friends. 

The recipe is simple, I baked it in a 15 cm springform pan to get a high result.  You can use an 18 cm pan or even a 23 one if you want a flatter cake. Always adjust the baking time when you change the size of pan that was used for the recipe. 

For this cheesecake you need:

The base:

• 50 g caramel cookies and 50 g digestive cookies 
• 20 g melted butter 
• 1 tsp coconut sugar or brown sugar

To prepare the cookies place them in a zip-lock bag and pass a rolling pin over them as many times as you need until you end up with coarsely textured crumbs.  Add the melted butter, sugar  and  mix well. Place the cookie mixture in a springform pan that is greased and covered with parchment paper. Press the mixture to cover the bottom. You can create a rim at the edge of the pan if you want, though I didn't. Bake in a preheated oven (180 C) for 8 to 10 min.  Set aside and cool.

For the cheesecake mix:

• 600 g cream cheese at room temperature
• 3 large eggs at room temperature 
• 120 g Greek yogurt (or thick yogurt, or sour cream)
• 130 g sugar
• 1 tbsp flour 
• 25 g caramelized biscuits spread (Lotus Biscoff)
• dash of salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (or to your liking)
• 1/2 tsp of kirsch (optional)
• 3 to 5 tbsp of berry coulis (recipe follows)

In your mixer bowl, add the cheese and mix on a low speed with the paddle attachment for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add the sugar, the Biscoff spread, yogurt, cinnamon and flour and mix again until well blended and no lumps are visible. Add the eggs one by one and keep mixing on a low speed. Finally add the salt, kirsch and vanilla and mix a bit. 

Divide the batter in 2. To one batch, add the berry coulis but don´t add too much or else you will end up with a runny batter. 

To get the zebra effect, add 2 tablespoons of the white batter, then two of the berry batter  and so on. Ever so slightly tap the pan or shake it to flatten the batter.

Bake in a preheated oven (150 to 160 C). 

Usually it's customary to wrap the spring-form pan with aluminum foil and place it in another pan filled with warm water and then bake for the required time that is usually for a pan of this size one hour to one hour and a half (oven-dependent).  This bain-marie method of cooking is needed to bake your cake at a gentler heat to avoid surface cracks.

What I do is different though. I put in the middle layer of the oven a pan and fill it with warm water then place the cheesecake pan over a cookie sheet and put both over the pan. This creates  a steamy environment in my oven and allows the cheesecake to cook all the way through while retaining a smooth creamy texture and most importantly with no surface cracks whatsoever.

After one hour, turn off your oven, shake the tray, make sure the middle is still a bit wiggly and leave the oven door cracked open for another half an hour to an hour. 

Let the cake cool completely before you put it in the fridge overnight. 

For the berry sauce or coulis:

• 300 mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, blackberries and I also used cranberries)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• half vanilla pod or 1 tsp of vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and let them simmer for few minutes over a flame until the fruits are soft. Mash them well then and pass them through a sieve to get rid of the seeds.

You will have sauce than the cake requires. Use the remaining sauce to cover the top of the cheesecake and decorate as you  wish! 

Now you´re ready to taste a luscious and creamy dessert with the amazing tangy addition of the berries! Everybody will love it, I can guarantee it! 

Check my other cheesecake recipes here and here