I found this recipe recently in a copy of the Sainsbury’s magazine, and discovering a tub of ricotta that needed to be used – the story of my life, as you may be aware – I decided to give them a go.
Truthfully, with ingredients which include a full tub of both Ricotta and Mascarpone, and two eggs, I thought I’d get more than 12 little cheese cakes, but the quantities were spot on. It’s important that you use proper muffin cases, not fairy-cake ones.
As I write, my first batch is chilling in the fridge. I’m happy to say that they look very much like the picture in the magazine.
Let’s get you started…
EQUIPMENT:
- a 12-hole muffin tin
- 12 muffin cases
- a large jug
INGREDIENTS:
- 250g tub of Mascarpone
- 250g tub of ricotta
- 2 eggs
- 50g golden caster sugar
- 2 tablespoons of plain flour
- runny honey
- vanilla paste (or extract)
- finely grated rind of an orange
- 200g fresh raspberries
- 8 digestive biscuits, crushed
- 75g butter, melted
METHOD:
- Heat the oven to 160 degrees
- Put the muffin cases into the muffin tin
- add the melted butter to the biscuit crumbs and mix together.
- Divide the biscuit mixture evenly between the cases – press the crumbs down firmly and chill in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
- Into a large sturdy jug or bowl put the two cheeses, the sugar, eggs, vanilla paste and 2 tablespoons of the runny honey. Beat well together until combined, then the add the flour and mix well again until it all comes together as a smooth batter.
- Finally, add the orange zest and fold in well
- put 2-3 raspberries into each paper case and top off with the cheesecake mixture (this is where it’s useful to have a jug for ease of pouring).
- Pop them into the oven for 25-30 minutes until they’re slightly browned and risen – don’t worry if the tops crack – they’ll sink down as they cool.
This is what mine looked like when they came out of the oven – don’t panic! They’ll fall nicely – see the next picture..
This was taken literally 5 minutes after the previous picture..
- Remove from the oven and allow to come to room temperature in the tin muffin tin.
- Keeping them in the muffin tin, put them into the fridge for at least an hour to properly firm up.
TO SERVE:
When they’re fully chilled ( see note below), decorate the cheesecakes with the rest of the raspberries, and drizzle with honey. The recipe suggests chopped pistachios, but as we’re a nut-free house that’s never going to happen here. However, feel free to sprinkle them all over in your own space!
NOTES:
- I was initially disappointed when I tried to get the cheesecakes out of the muffin cases, but when I left them to chill overnight, they peeled away much more easily, giving a much nicer appearance for serving.
- They need to be completely cold for the best flavour – don’t be tempted to eat them warm!
- In this respect they’re a very handy dessert, in that you can make them at least a day ahead of time and serve really quickly, straight from the fridge.
I started writing down recipes in an old copybook when I was about 16. With 6 children at home, my Mother was always glad of a hand in the kitchen, and really allowed us to experiment - as long as we washed up afterwards, and left the kitchen immaculate! Having a tidy kitchen has followed me through my life, as has the habit of writing down my favourite recipes; except that these days I write them for my website, and add photographs when I can. The website really started when it occurred to me that my daughter might like to have these recipes when I've forgotten them. In my early days of cooking for family and friends, I used to phone my Mum all the time to ask her for the recipe for some of our favourite family dinners. She rarely had a recipe to hand - I think, like me, she made a lot of it up as she went along.. So welcome to Eating for Ireland - these are the recipes that my friends and family having been eating these past 40 years.. yes, I truly am ancient! They are tried and tested, and have worked for me for all that time - I have updated them as new ingredients became available - I really hope you'll find something that you can make into a family favourite of your own. You don't have to tell anyone where you found these great new dishes that you're serving up - it can be our little secret, but I'd really love it if you could give me a sneaky 'follow' on Facebook and Instagram.. So off you go - have a good rummage around, you're bound to find something new! My sincere thanks to all of you who have found a recipe that you liked and dropped me a line to tell me - I really do love to hear from you! Happy Cooking! Becks xx