Baked lemon cheesecake

 Source: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/lemon-cheesecake-recipe/

Ingredients

CRUST

210 g digestive biscuits

71 g unsalted butter

50 g sugar

CHEESECAKE FILLING

250 g sugar

1 tbsp lemon zest (about one lemon)

904 g plain cream cheese

120 ml fresh lemon juice (3-4 lemons)

80 g plain yoghurt (can use Greek yoghurt or sour cream)

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs

LEMON CURD

4 egg yolks

134 g sugar

1 tbsp lemon zest (about one lemon)

80 ml lemon juice (2-3 lemons)

1/8 tsp salt

85g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature, cut into 6 pieces

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

2) FOR THE CRUST: Blend the biscuits into fine crumbs. Mix with sugar, then stir in melted butter until the mixture forms a sandy texture. Press firmly onto the bottom and slightly up the sides of a pregreased 22cm baking pan (springform i.e. with removable sides if possible) with baking paper on the bottom if you so wish. Put in the oven and prebake for 10 minutes. Take out of the oven and wrap the bottom of the springform pan in tinfoil (double wrapped), as this will then go into a water bath to bake the cake later. 

3) LEMON SUGAR: Put the sugar for the filling in a food processor, add lemon zest, blend together. 

4) FILLING: Using a hand beater, beat lemon sugar from previous step together with cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add lemon juice, sour cream/yoghurt, and vanilla extract and beat together. Add eggs one at a time, beating in each egg before adding the next one. Once all the eggs are beaten in, stop mixing. Avoid overmixing the batter.

5) Pour the batter into the warm crust. Smooth over the top with a spatula.

6) WATER BATH: Boil a kettle and pour into a large roasting pan. Put the springform tin into the bath. There should be around 2.5 cm of water. DON'T POUR THE WATER INTO THE CAKE.

7) Bake the cheesecake for 55-70 minutes, until the centre is almost set. 

8) LEMON CURD: Make the curd while the rest of the cake is cooking. Boil a pot with about 5cm of water in it. Once it comes to the boil, reduce the heat and put a heatproof bowl over the simmering water. Place the egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt into the top pot and whisk until completely blended, then continue whisking as it cooks. Whisk and cook for about 10 minutes until it thickens and resembles hollandaise sauce. Temperature should reach 77 degrees. If it isn't thickening, turn up heat and continue whisking. 

9) Remove from heat and add in the sliced butter directly. Whisk in the butter until it melts into the mixture. Pour the curd into a jar or bowl and place a piece of clingwrap on the top, touching the curd, so that it doesn't form a skin. Leave to cool. Can be stored for ten days. 

10) COOLING: Switch off the oven and leave the cake and bath in the oven with the door ajar for about an hour. Then, remove the cake from the oven and the bath and leave to cool for another hour at room temperature. 

11) TOP WITH LEMON CURD: Once cooled entirely, spread 3/4 cup of the curd (half the recipe quantity) over the top with a spatula. 

12) Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. 

13) Can be served with whipped cream, berries, or lemon slices. 

Jamie Oliver's butternut muffins

'Tis the season for squash and other autumnal vegetables. I personally am a huge fan of butternut. It is far tastier than pumpkin in general. Still, at the moment we have a bit of a glut at home. So I made these. They were very nice.

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:

200 g butternut (no need to peel), cut into chunks
175 g sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
150 g flour
pinch of salt
1 tbsp baking powder
2 eggs
handful of nuts (walnuts or pecans for preference)
5 tbsp olive oil
Icing:
70 g sour cream (or more)
1 tbsp icing sugar
1 vanilla pod OR 1 tsp vanilla
lemon zest
seasonal berries or something from the shop

Heat the oven to 180 degrees. Throw the butternut into a food processor and cut it up into very little bits. Once it's done, add the sugar, cinnamon, flour, salt, baking powder, eggs, nuts, and olive oil to the food processor with the butternut and switch it on again. Line a muffin tray with paper baking cups, then pour the mixture into the cups (each about 2/3 to 3/4 full). Shove in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes. When they're done, take them out and leave them to cool for a bit. Mix the sour cream, icing sugar, vanilla and lemon zest together. When cool enough, ice the muffins (adding berries on top of some if you so wish) and leave the icing to set. Enjoy.

Quick Raspberry and Blueberry Cake

This one comes from my wife's relative. Simply excellent cake. Some minor changes to the original recipe but generally this works wonders.

Should be enough for about 8

Ingredients:
Base:
150-250 g digestive biscuits, crushed
100 g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
Cake: 
150 g butter
250 ml sugar
3 eggs
300 ml wheat flour (regular, non-self-raising)
1.5 tsp baking powder
75 ml milk
Topping:
350-400 g raspberries and blueberries (or more. As they say in Estonian, topelt ei kärise)
Icing sugar
To serve:
Ice cream, whipped cream

Mix together the digestives and butter. Grease a 25x35 cm baking tray, then pack the base on the bottom. Put in the fridge to set for about 30 minutes to an hour.

Heat the oven to 200 C. Whisk the sugar together with room-temperature butter. Beat in the eggs one by one, sieve together flour and baking powder and beat into the mixture together with the milk. Pour the dough into the baking tray, smooth it out, and put in the oven to cook for 10-15 minutes.

Take the cake out of the oven, add the berries on top, then put back in the oven for another 15 minutes. Once done, remove from the oven, leave to cool, then top with icing sugar. Serve with ice cream or cream.

Coffee Porter Beer Chocolate Cake

Courtesy of LP: Eesti Päevaleht

This is delicious, rich, and should be enjoyed in moderation. You have been warned.

Ingredients:

Cake:
200 ml dark beer (coffee porter, if available)
50 g unsweetened cocoa powder
110 g butter, room temperature
250 g brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
175 g flour
0,5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Icing:
200 g dark chocolate
180 g icing sugar
90 g butter, room temperature
4 tbsp dark beer

Preheat oven to 180 Celsius. Mix beer and cocoa for cake into paste. Chop up butter and beat together with sugar. Mix in eggs one at a time. Add beer/cocoa mixture. In a separate bowl, sieve flour together with baking powder and soda, then add bit by bit to sugar and beer mixture. Pour into 24/25/26 cm baking pan covered with baking paper at bottom. Bake for 30-35 min. When ready, take out and leave to cool.

While it is baking, melt dark chocolate. Beat together sugar and butter, and then add beer. Mix in dark chocolate. Cover cake with icing mixture, then leave to cool/set for about an hour.

Eat with ice cream or whipped cream.