Cookery

Two delicious Shavuot recipes from Denise Phillips

For more recipes and inspiration visit my website: www.jewishcookery.com

Free From Oreo Cheese Cake

This is an incredibly impressive ‘cheese cake’ without compromising on flavour and appearance. Oreo biscuits come all flavours and sizes. Do check if you want your cake to be ‘free from’ that you pick up the right packet. Also soaking the cashew nuts in water is not essential; it just makes for a smoother consistency.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes plus 4 hours chilling Cooking Time: 1 hour Serves: 8-10

Ingredients Base 25 Oreo cookies or 150g Oreo cookie crumbs 2 tablespoons coconut oil

Filling 75g raw cashews – soak in water for 4 hours or over night -then drain 1 tin 400g coconut milk (I used full fat coconut milk) 450g non-dairy cream cheese 1 400g container silken tofu 180g caster sugar or coconut sugar 3 tablespoons cornflour 110g non-dairy butter/ margarine 1 tablespoon vanilla essence 35g plain flour 10-12 Oreos roughly chopped for the filling 10-12 Oreos roughly chopped for the topping

Method For the base 1. Place the whole Oreo biscuits into a food processor and pulse until they reach a coarse crumbly texture. Add the coconut oil and pulse for another second or two to combine. 2. Line and grease with a little vegetable oil a 22cm loose based cake tin using baking parchment paper. 3. Press the biscuit crumb base into the prepared cake tin. Distribute evenly across the base and up the sides. Set aside.

For the Filling 1. Place the raw cashews and the coconut milk in a food processor. Pulse the food processor for several seconds to break down the cashews until smooth and creamy. 2. Add the vegan cream cheese and tofu and pulse again until smooth and even more creamy. 3. Next add the sugar, cornflour, margarine, and vanilla. Pulse for several seconds, up to a minute until you have a nice smooth mixture. 4. Add the flour and stir to combine. 5. Add the 10-12 roughly chopped Oreos and give it one more stir to combine. Set aside. 6. Preheat the oven to 160C. 7. Pour the cheesecake filling into the prepared base and spread the 10-12 roughly chopped Oreos over the top. 8. Bake for 60 minutes and then turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another hour. 9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before placing in the fridge. I recommend letting the cheesecake chill for at least four hours (or even a full day before) slicing and serving.

Method 1. Preheat the oven to 170C. Line a 22cm square baking tin with parchment paper. 2. To make the carrot cake. In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate soda, salt, mixed spice and cinnamon, whisking until just combined. Stir in the grated carrots. 3. To make the cheesecake. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, sugar lemon zest, and flour until combined, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla and whisk once more until the mixture is smooth. 4. Assemble. Working with the carrot cake mixture, spread about 2/3rds of the batter into the prepared tin in an even layer. Now pour over 2/3rds of the cheesecake mixture, then dollop spoonfuls of the

remaining carrot cake mixture into the cheesecake layer. Lastly, pour over the remaining cheesecake mixture. 5. Bake for 45-55 minutes, cover the cake with foil halfway through cooking to prevent the top from browning. Allow the cake to cool in the cake tin, then transfer to the fridge to chill completely, at least 3 hours. 6. To make the icing, whisk the butter, icing sugar, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons water, until smooth. If needed, thin with additional water. Drizzle the icing over the squares. Leave to set for about an hour before cutting into squares. 7. The squares can keep chilled in the fridge for up to 5 days. 8. Garnish with finely chopped pistachio nuts and edible rose petals.

Carrot Cheese Cake Squares

This is two cakes swirled into one: carrot cake with marbled layers of cheese cake. Two of my favourite cakes recipe all in one. Easy to serve and divide up as it is made in a flat cake tin and cut into squares.

Preparation Time: 25 minutes Cooking Time: 45 minutes Makes: 16 Squares

Ingredients Carrot Cake 170g salted butter 60g brown sugar 2 large eggs, at room temperature 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 200g plain flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon mixed spice 150g grated carrot

Cheese Cake 450g cream cheese, at room temperature 60g caster sugar Zest of 1 lemon 75g plain flour 1 large egg, at room temperature 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Vanilla Icing 50g salted butter, melted 150g icing sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Garnish: Finely chopped pistachio nuts and edible rose petals