Festive

Only one month 'til Christmas!

Let's get into the spirit with some snaps of Christmas past. 

Yay!!

Mars Bar Baked Cheesecake

So a while ago my friend Blake (hello if you're reading!) did me a favour in exchange for a cheesecake. I don't like cheesecake that much so I'd only ever made one before in my life but it had turned out pretty well (according to my friends - I didn't eat any) so I was keen to try it again. 

I used Faux Fuchsia's baked cheesecake recipe, which you will have to google because I don't know how to do links via the Blogger app. It's pretty straightforward but I didn't have my Kitchenaid yet and had to do the whole thing by hand, so even with Emily helping (thanks again!) it took half the day. 

I guess it turned out okay though because Blake asked for another one, only Mars Bar flavoured this time instead of plain. Except he only likes baked cheesecakes, and EVERY recipe for Mars Bar cheesecake is for the kind with gelatin that sets in the fridge (apart from one that just advises stirring chopped Mars Bars through your plain cheesecake filling), so I had to come up with my own variation. And here it is:

Ingredients

250g chocolate biscuits

100g melted butter

500g cream cheese

4 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

Vanilla essence

Nestle Top n Fill caramel

1 packet Fun Size Mars Bars

Method

1. Put your biscuits in a food processor for a few seconds to turn them into crumbs, or, if you're me, put them in a plastic bag inside a second plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin for half an hour

2. Brush a springform tin with a little melted butter, then mix the rest through the biscuit crumbs and press them into your tin (base and sides) to form a crust. Refrigerate for a bit. 

3. Meanwhile, mix the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in your Kitchenaid until smooth

4. Add the eggs and mix some more

5. Pour the mixture into your biscuit crust. As you go, plop some of your caramel in then use a knife to swirl it all about. 

6. Bake at 160-170 degrees for about 45 minutes. Once your cheesecake is baked, chill it in the fridge for several hours or overnight. 

7. Top your chilled cheesecake with heaps of chopped up Mars Bars. Serve at room temperature for maximum gooey deliciousness. 

Tips

*I wasn't that impressed with the caramel Top n Fill, it was too thick to work with plus it cost four whole dollars. Next time I'll try making my own, or I might just use ice cream topping, which I think would be fine.

* When I say cream cheese I mean like Philadelphia, not that Kraft cheese spread in a jar. I only say this because I once knew someone who made that mistake. 

I have to say, even though I'm not wild about cheesecake and I don't much care for caramel, I really enjoyed this. I can't wait to try more variations of it!

I did burn my base though which was disappointing. Any tips for avoiding this? Any ideas for other cheesecake flavours?