Carrot and Almond Cheesecake

Hi Cooking! I'm back. I've missed you.

Yes, having been in the UK last week and with a million and one things to see to, I've had to desert my beloved blog but I'm back.

I bought a few magazines at Heathrow prior to my return flight and one of them is new to me, Woman&Home's Feel Good Food: the good news is I love it and I am sure you will too! It's full of recipes that I am burning to try so that's exactly what I did on this grey afternoon: try one that sounded really great.

Carrot and Almond Cheesecake

I hope the sound of Carrot and Almond Cheesecake makes you want to run to the kitchen to try it out just as it did me. I've made it but it will be into the freezer very soon. That's the good news: it freezes. It has a different base to so many cheesecakes and the filling is combination cheese and angel food.  Diet this end still continues BTW ....

For me, it isn't a torture to make sweet things like this and not eat them but I know for TT it is. He has a will of iron. The smell of this cake cooking was pretty divine and it cooked just as the recipe describes.

Here is the recipe for Carrot and Almond Cheesecake:

from Paul Hollywoood

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

50g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

50g caster sugar (regular toz şeker in Turkey)

60g self raising flour (regular flour in Turkey + 1/2 tsp slightly heaped baking powder), sifted

1 tsp baking powder

1 medium egg

1/2 tsp almond extract

For the filling:

275g cream cheese or sieved cottage cheese

3 medium eggs, separated

a couple of drops of almond extract

100g caster sugar

4 tbsp ground almonds/toz badem

juice of 1 orange

175g young carrots, peeled and FINELY grated

150ml double cream (in Turkey, 2/3 one of those little packets)

To serve:

150g creme fraiche (in Turkey I would use plain yogurt)

2 tbsp marmalade

Method

• Pre-heat oven to 180C. Thoroughly butter a 20cm round springform cake tin. (I used a loose-bottomed tin).

sifting the flour into the butter, sugar, BP, egg and almond extract

• Beat the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, egg and almond extract together in a bowl until light and creamy, then spread evenly over the bottom of the cake tin. Bake for about 10 mins until lightly coloured and just  firm. Set aside to cool.

spreading the  mixture over the base of the tin

• Turn the oven down to 150C.


• To make the filling, in a large bowl beat the cream cheese with the egg yolks, almond extract, 50g of the sugar, the ground almonds, orange juice, grated carrots and cream.

all the tasty filling ingredients in the bowl

• In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff, then gradually whisk in the remaining sugar until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Lightly fold into the cheese mixture.

see how smooth and glossy the mixture is

• Pour the filling onto the cooked base in the tin and bake for 1 1/2 hrs or until golden brown, well risen and firm, it should be spongy to the touch. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and let the cheesecake cool slowly inside for 1 hr.


• Carefully release the sides of the tin and lift out the cheesecake. Leave to cool completely. WITH MY LOOSE-BOTTOMED TIN, THERE WAS NO PROBLEM AT ALL.

you can see it turned out perfectly

• When ready to serve, mix the creme fraiche or yogurt with the marmalade. Slice the cheesecake and serve each slice with a generous spoonful of the marmalade creme fraiche on the side.

here is the carrot and almond cheesecake ready to be served

I haven't done this last as my cake is destined for the freezer but personally I think it sounds yummy:just right either for tea or even for a dinner party..

Afiyet olsun!