Since we are almost half way through December I thought it was time to bake something festive. Sainsbury's Mulled Wine Cheesecake immediately caught my eye due to the bold deep purple topping.
My my sister and I absolutely adore mulled wine, so I raced over to hers equipped with my baking tools and we began following the recipe. When it came to getting the cheesecake out of the tin it fell onto the floor and was completely ruined - it splattered all over the kitchen floor :(
So, the images are 'Mulled Wine Cheesecake Take 2'!
Serves: 12
Ingredients:
Cheesecake:
- 350g dark chocolate digestives
- 75g unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 7 sheets of leaf gelatine
- 350g mascarpone
- 250g sour cream
- 1 tsp cinnamon
-2 medium eggs
- 115g caster sugar
-175g mulled wine
Decoration:
- Dark chocolate, flaked
- Mulled wine packet spices
- Fresh Cranberries
- Cinnamon Sticks
- Rosemary sprigs
Method:
1) Cheesecake Base: Grease a loose-bottomed 20 cm cake tin. Crush the biscuits until they are a fine crumb. Mix the biscuit crumbs with the melted butter and cocoa powder until combined. Then, press the mixture into the cake tin base evenly. Leave to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
TIP: Place the biscuits into a zip lock bag and place in a mixing bowl. Using a rolling pin, begin crushing the biscuits. This avoids the crumbs flying out everywhere!
2) Cheesecake Filling: Soak five gelatine leaves in a small bowl of cold water and leave for 5 minutes until softened. While the gelatine soaks, combine the mascarpone and sour cream until smooth. Drain the water and squeeze the excess water from the gelatine. Transfer the gelatine into a small saucepan and leat over a low flame, stirring for 2 minutes until melted. Remove from the heat and add to the cheese and cream mixture along with the cinnamon. Beat until smooth and combined.
3) Using an electric whisk, beat the eggs and 100g of the sugar in a medium bowl. The mixture will go pale and thick when ready - it is important to ensure that the whisk beaters leave a trail in the mixture.
4) Fold into the cheese and cream mixture and pour into the chilled biscuit crust. Chill for 3-4 hours until set before moving onto the next step.
5) Mulled Wine Gelatine: Once your cheesecake has set, soak the remaining 2 leaves of gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes. While the gelatine soaks, gently heat the mulled wine in a small saucepan over a low flame. Remove from the heat. Next, drain the water from the gelatine and squeeze the excess water out.
6) Add the gelatine to the warm wine along with the remaining 15g of sugar (roughly 1 tbsp) and stir until dissolved. Allow the mixture to cool completely.
7) VERY carefully spoon the mulled wine mixture over the top of the cheesecake mixture. It is very important you are gentle to avoid disturbing the cheesecake below, otherwise you will have white pieces floating in your gelatine. Transfer to the fridge and chill for another 2-3 hours to completely set or overnight.
8) Decoration: Scrape a dark chocolate bar with a knife to create chocolate flakes. Sprinkle these in the centre of the cheesecake and arrange the mulled wine packet spices (dried oranges, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, cardamon and dried cranberries) over the top. Add additional cinnamon sticks and sprigs of rosemary to finish it off.
Credit to: Sainsbury's
This cheesecake should last up to 3 days if stored in the fridge.
