Stuart's Mars Bar Cheesecake.

My version of a Mars Bar Cheesecake!

I have put this together for a friend of mine, Kathleen, who always makes me laugh. I reckon with my injections on the side, she will make Mother of The Year! Game On! This recipe can be thrown together without to much work. The difference in making a good cheesecake and a superb one is in the finer detail – nothing too hard. I shall write this recipe as I would say it should I be telling you over the phone.

If I could give you some superb tips – do not;

-         dab your finger into the mixture

-         lick the spoon

-         lick the spatula

-         lick the bowl, because you will find you cannot stop and you will be feeling really piggy by the end of it. BURP!!!!

-         Blend. Blend well. Mix. Mix well when required.

You need to get two of the Philadelphia Cream cheese blocks. Have these at room temperature. As the cheese tends to stick to the alfoil packet it comes in, I find it easier to remove while cold. Place in a bowl and roughly chop it into pieces. I try to keep the cheese cut, but still in form. This saves you from having to scrap it out and reduces mess and waste.

Line the bottom of a spring-based cake tin. I used a 30cm round. I run the scissors around so that it is cut to 1cm all the way around. This means that when served it looks okay on the table.  However, I have also made this in a small lasagne dish where I cut it into slice style pieces.

Melt 125g of unsalted butter – I place mine in a bowl over hot water.

While the butter is melting, place 250g Granita biscuits into your food processor. You can use any plain biscuits. I prefer the slight oat taste in the base. Chocolate ripples are pretty decent too. Finely process the biscuits until they are smooth. I ensure this is really fine, it makes a difference to the absorption of the butter and helps in forming a firm/hard base.

Pour the melted butter into the biscuits and combine in the food processor.

Tip the biscuit mix into a lined spring-based cake tin. Use your clean hand to press the biscuits down so they form a hard base. Make sure you get right into the edges of the tin. Try to form an even spread and a level top. I play with this for a bit longer that one needs to so that I get a smoother finished product.

Once done, place this in the freezer.

I now get all of the ingredients measured so I can simply add them and construct as required.

Place three mars bars on a glass microwave plate and set aside. I buy a packet of mini mars bars. Although there is more wrapping they are usually cheaper than three individual bars. PLUS……you get more outside chocolate which makes a better cheesecake.

Measure out two teaspoons of gelatin into a small shallow glass bowl.

Have the quarter cup measure ready for later on.

Boil the kettle.

I use my electric mix master to make the cheese topping. Into the large bowl of the mixer place empty one tin of condensed milk.

Blend this on a low to medium speed while adding small pieces of cheese. Use a plastic spatula to scrap the edges of the bowl. This will assist in making a smooth mixture. Once combined turn the mixer off and leave to stand while you prepare the mars bar component.

Place the mars bars in the microwave and heat over a low heat until they melt. Do not be confused as they keep their shape and can burn. 20 seconds is a rough time.

Turn the mixer on to a low speed and immediately add the mars bars. Do not give the mars bars time to cool on the plate or you may get chunky piece in the cheesecake. I have placed cut up mars bar chunks, in the past, in to the mixture instead of melting them, but they tend to go a bit watery when placed in the fridge.

Once the cream cheese and mars bars have blended turn off the mixer. Add ¼ a cup of boiling water to your gelatin powder. I use a small whisk to beat this until the gelatin granules have completely dissolved. Make sure you spend time mixing this before adding it to the cheesecake.

Once the gelatin has blended beautifully into the cheese cake mix, beat well. Again use a spatula to push the mixture from the bottom and sides of the bowl.

Grab the cheesecake base out of the freezer. While cold pour the cheese mixture over the top. Place in refrigerator. I have a choice of two fridges so I always make sure the fridge I use has nothing with any overpowering smells – onions, fish, meat etc. This will ensure that the cheesecake flavours stay true to form and are not influenced by the contents of the fridge.

Leave to set in fridge. Ideally best to make on the day of or one day prior to event. You can make it earlier than this but the texture can be a little dense.

Decorate if you feel the need. I simply serve with strawberries and double cream.

For something right out there try dusting some quartered strawberries with a little icing sugar and a small drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Place these in a bowl the middle of the table for people to add if they are brave.