Jo Wheatley’s Baking Competition – August

My entry! 🙂

Last week, I entered Jo Wheatley’s baking competition for August, it was on cheesecakes! I am not really a fan of cheesecakes, I like cakes more but my hubby and his family loves cheesecakes!!! 🙂

For Jo’s competition, you can use recipes from either of her 2 books, A Passion for Baking or Home Baking which you can buy exclusively from Sainsburys. My hubby surprised me last month by buying me her new book so I was really pleased!!! 🙂 I can’t wait to try some of her recipes as it includes main meals and not just strictly to baking!

So, I decided to make the ‘Individual Blueberry Brulee Cheesecakes’ from her first book as you will need to use a kitchen blow torch to caramelize the sugar! I brought mine earlier on this year but never used it and thought this would be a good opportunity to try this out!! 🙂

Do not use a kitchen blow torch with the paper cases

Tips: Firstly, never use a blow torch whilst the dessert is still in the paper case as it will burn!!! 🙂 Secondly, I think I will need to watch some you tube videos of people using the blow torch as I was totally clueless!!! My sugar didn’t all melt as I think I didn’t put it over the cheesecakes long enough because I was scared of burning them all!!! 🙂

The cheesecakes were lovely, light and had a creamy texture, I was really pleased. I did submit my entry but unfortunately didn’t win but I got to make a new dessert and tried out using the blow torch so I am pleased! 🙂

Here’s the recipe, it makes 8 but I think you have enough mixture for 9:

• 55g unsalted butter
• 7 digestive biscuits
• 300g full fat cream cheese like Philadelphia
• 100ml Greek yoghurt
• 100g caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 100g blueberries
• To serve – 8 – 9 tsp of caster sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to GM4 and line a cupcake tin with your cases
2. Melt 30g of the butter in a small pan or microwave. Crush the digestive biscuits in a food processor and tip into a bowl. Add the melted butter to combine. Spoon the crumbs into the cases and press into the bases to form a crust. Bake for 5 minutes and then leave to cool
3. Beat together the cream cheese, Greek yoghurt, caster sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Melt the remaining butter and add to the mixture and stir until thoroughly combined
4. Spoon the mixture evenly between the cases, I used an ice cream scooper for this process. Add the blueberries on top and bake for 25 minutes.
5. Leave the cheesecakes to cool before chilling in the fridge for at least 2 hours
6. Just before serving, sprinkle each cheesecake with a teaspoon of caster sugar and caramelize with a blow torch. Leave for a couple of minutes for the caramel to set and then serve straight away.

I think this is really nice dessert when you have friends or family coming round for dinner as it is not too over indulgent! 🙂

Biscuit base

Cream cheese mixture

Before

After – All Baked

Using the kitchen blow torch! Just before serving!