National Cheesecake Day only happens once a year – on 30 July – but this is no reason for you not to enjoy this delicious dessert all year round. One of our favourite cheesecakes, which we make time and time again, is a raspberry cheesecake; therefore, the foodie trend for mini-cheesecakes has filled us with joy!
If you love cheesecake and cupcakes, there is even a recipe for you to combine both your favourites with mouthwatering individual raspberry cheesecake cupcakes.
Cheesecake bases
Whether you choose to use a vanilla, chocolate or ginger cookie as your base, or whether you make your own from digestive biscuits or shortbread – blitzed in a food processor or bashed in a plastic bag with a rolling pin – be sure to have enough of the creamy topping to achieve the correct balance. Recipes for cheesecakes vary according to their origins, such as a deliciously dense New York-style cheesecake and a light mousse from the pages of a foodie magazine, so be sure to try a few out to find your favourite.
Two tips to remember:
1. Make sure that you press the base mixture or cookie down into the mould or cupcake liner, and chill while you make the topping.
2. If you are making a baked New York-style cheesecake, bake it until the top is cracked. This means it is cooked, rather than being a fault!
Some cheesecake recipes are baked, while others are not, and it is up to you whether you add fruit, chocolate sauce or whipped cream as a topping. Adding white chocolate to your individual raspberry cheesecakes is a delicious twist on what is sure to become a firm favourite in your recipe repertoire.
Flavouring
Flavouring your cheesecake is a doddle, even when raspberries are not in season and you don’t have time to defrost and drain the frozen variety. Natural raspberry flavouring is a great store cupboard standby to have and can be bought online from food specialists such as http://www.foodieflavours.com/shop/flavours/natural-flavouring/raspberry/.
If you have used fresh raspberries but the taste isn’t zingy enough for you, add a few drops to some pureed, sieved raspberries and add icing sugar to taste. You will have a wonderful sauce to drizzle over your cheesecakes for added flavour, which will also look very ‘cheffy’ and professional!
