Cappuccino Cheesecake

This is the easiest cheesecake recipe you'll ever need and I've made it even easier by changing the crust.  What you'll need is a hammer, a ziploc bag and a box of lady fingers (and hopefully some unresolved anger issues).  I used the Milano brand Giant Lady Fingers; they're available everywhere.  You'll need about a box or a box and a half.

Once you smash these little cookies until they're nice and grainy I guarantee you'll feel relief.  And you don't even need to add butter to the mix, just place them at the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.  As long as you pour in the filling slowly you don't have to worry about unsettling the crust.

For the filling here is what you'll need:

3 packages of cream cheese
3 eggs
6 tablespoons of concentrated coffee (I used a mix of espresso and instant coffee)
1/2 cup of sugar (you can use more if you like things sweeter)
250g of dry pressed cottage cheese

Directions:

1.  Take out the cottage cheese and cream cheese a couple of hours before you're about to make the cake.  You want them to be soft and ready to use.

2.  You then place the cream cheese in a large bowl cutting it into smaller pieces and then place it in the microwave for 30 seconds.  After you take it out, mix it together using a spoon and then place it in the microwave again for 30 seconds.

2.  Now add the sugar and mix well.  Add the eggs slowly one by one.  Blend together using a hand-held mixer.

3.  Now you'll add the coffee.  Make sure you brew it ahead of time so it has time to cool down.  If you like a stronger coffee flavour either make the coffee really concentrated or add more tablespoons. 

4.  You can also add a tablespoon of vanilla extract if you like.

5.  Lastly, add the cottage cheese.  You'll need to blend this mixture for a while until it's smooth again.  And then it's ready to bake.

6.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 40 minutes.  You can test the centre with a toothpick;  if it comes out clean the cake is ready.  You don't want to over bake it as it can cause cracking which is what happened to mine.  I thought giving it an extra 10 minutes in the oven would be better but I was wrong.  I think 40 is more than enough, and besides the less you bake it the more delicate it will be.

Personally, I like adding the cottage cheese because it gives the cake a thicker texture; plus it gives you some added protein.

You can garnish however you like.  You can also make a raspberry coulis to pour on top.

Today, I wanted to use a stencil and then sprinkle vanilla sugar on top, but I didn't have time so I just took some rocks I found on the beach and used them instead.  I think the pattern turned out quite nice. (Please note that I boiled the rocks for a few hours before doing this.)  I then added some chopped chocolate pieces to add some contrast.  It's not what I imagined it to look like but I think it works.    

Happy Baking and Merry Christmas.