Weekends

Where does the weekend go? Although it was fairly sedentary for us, it still seemed to race away. Andy has damaged his Achilles tendon and cant walk or run easily so we pottered about at home. We had a lovely meal with friends on Saturday night where we enjoyed a baked mocha cheese cake to die for. And, as every downside has an up, our enforced lassitude has meant that we've finally bought the floorboards we've talked about getting for months. How long it will be before we actually lay them is a different matter. We're not big into home improvements


Baked Mocha Cheesecake
INGREDIENTS

• 300g double chocolate chip cookies
• 60g butter, melted
• 300g white chocolate
• 300g light cream cheese
• 3 large eggs 
• 2tsp instant coffee granules/powder 
• 1tsp caster sugar 
• Pouring cream to serve (optional) 
• 
  

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 170C/ gas 3. Grease and line the base of a 20cm loose-bottomed or spring-clip cake tin. 

Crush the biscuits to a crumb either in a food processor or in a plastic food bag using a rolling pin. Melt the butter and mix into the biscuits. Tip into the cake tin and pack down with a potato masher or the back of a large spoon. 

Gently melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Once melted, leave to cool for 5 minutes before adding the cream cheese. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Mix in the eggs and then pour on top of the cheesecake base in the tin. 

Mix the coffee granules/ powder with the caster sugar and 2tbsp of hot water until dissolved. Spoon over the top of the cheesecake and swirl with the handle of a teaspoon. 

Place the tin on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 1 hour, until the middle of the cheesecake is just set. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. 

Serve at room temperature, with pouring cream if liked.