A few weeks ago the industrial design team in Dunedin had a shared morning tea to celebrate a couple of birthdays. Annie made this beautiful cheesecake; it was so good we persuaded her to share her secret recipe with everyone!
“I can’t remember ever having cheesecake when I was little… my mum wasn’t that into food; cooking or baking was merely a chore to her. Her signature dish was a sponge cake, but made from an instant cake packet – add some water and eggs and voila! It most certainly wouldn’t have any icing. (I have to clarify that even though my mum wasn’t the cooking kind of mum, she was the best mum ever.) When I flew the nest and started to earn some money, I ventured out to restaurants and discovered my love for “good” food. I was amazed how delicious simple foods like vegetables could be when not over boiled or with a crunchy charcoal crust! I still remember having my first ever cheesecake experience. I was 19 years old and the taste and the texture are etched in my mind as one of my favourite food memories. I have been comparing every cheesecake with that first one; only a few have measured up – including this one. The use of brown sugar adds a wonderful caramelly note to the cake, and served with a summery compote made from fresh strawberries, this would be a perfect Kiwi Christmas dessert.
“This cake requires a few hours cooling before serving so is best made the day before. I decorated this cheesecake by making a snowflake stencil. To make the stencil, I traced a snowflake design onto a piece of acetate and cut it out with a craft knife. Dusting icing sugar over the handmade stencil results in a snowy Christmassy theme. Enjoy!”