Banoffee Strawberry Cheesecake

Are you a starter or a dessert person?

We all love going out to dinner and you always get some people who opt for a starter and main course and some that love to have a main course and a dessert. I have to confess, I am the latter. I do love my desserts and look forward to them at the end of the meal. I hate it when friends say I don’t want dessert I share yours! No I don’t share if you want dessert you have your own that’s my moto!

My favourite desserts are cheese cakes, my two all-time favourite flavours are strawberry cheesecake and banoffee cheesecake. It’s hard to choose between the two actually. To curb my desire for them I came up with an idea to combine the two and make a Cheats Banoffee strawberry cheesecake that can literally be constructed in less than 10 minutes.

I always use the freshest ingredients when it comes to cooking and baking. The reason this is called a cheats dessert is because it does not require slaving over a hot stove. All you need is fresh cream, strawberries, bananas, digestive biscuits and butter and my favourite Fabbri Mini topping Wild Strawberry Syrup and Fabbri Mini topping Caramel Syrup.

I love the Fabbri range of fruits in syrups and fruits, they taste homemade and are so convenient to use in bakes and desserts. I always keep a selection of Mini topping Wild Strawberry Syrup, Mini topping Chocolate Syrup, Mini topping Caramel Syrup, Amarena Fruit and Syrup, Fragola Opaline, Gourmet Vanilla Syrup, Granatina Syrup and Gourmet Hazelnut Syrup . They are all really handy for mocktails and cocktails too as well as for cold coffees. The fruits and syrups are great for spooning over ice creams too. 

All these products are available from Ciao Gusto Italian Deli at Ocado. 

Together with these you can also pick up some authentic Italian ingredients such as pasta, cheeses, olive oils, herbs, wines and spirits too. All these are easy to add to your online Ocado shopping basket as there is a separate tab for all the Italian brands, allowing you to easily search your chosen product.

Yield: Serves two

Author: Nayna Kanabar

Banoffee Strawberry Cheesecake

The fusion of Banoffee and strawberry in this cheats
cheesecake is super delectacle and delicious.

prep time: 10 Mcook time: total time: 10 M

Ingredients:

• 8 digestive biscuits
• 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 8 strawberries
• 1 banana
• 50ml Fresh double cream whipped.
• Fabbri Mini topping Wild Strawberry Syrup
• Fabbri Mini topping Caramel Syrup.

Instructions:

1. Crush the biscuits coarsely and mix with the melted butter to form a sand like texture. Keep aside.
2. Slice the banana into thin slices and keep aside,
3. Hull 6 strawberries and slice them into thin slices.
4. Take two serving cups and spoon a tablespoonful of the biscuit mixture into each serving glass and flatten it down.
5. Line the sides of the glass with strawberry and banana slices alternating them.
6. Add some banana slices on top of the biscuit layer and squeeze some of the Fabbri Mini topping Caramel Syrup on top.
7. Spoon some more of the biscuit mixture on top of the bananas and add some strawberry slices .
8. Squeeze some Fabbri Mini topping Wild Strawberry Syrup on top f the strawberries.
9. Finish the cheesecake with a topping of the whipped cream.
10. Garnish with a whole strawberry and a squeeze of the Fabbri Mini topping Caramel Syrup on top.

Created using The Recipes Generator

Other cheese cakes you may like are Oreo cheesecake, Strawberry cheesecake and lemon cheesecake

**In  collaboration with Ciao Gusto

Spinach Turmeric Rice

I have grown up with spices, my mother’s spice box was her favourite go to item in her kitchen and now it’s mine. There are regular spices that I always have in my spice box such as Schwartz turmeric chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

Of all these spices, my most used spice is the humble turmeric. Turmeric (Curcuma Longa) comes from the ginger family. The fresh turmeric comes in root form and can it is used fresh or boiled and dried in powder form. Turmeric has many health benefits and you can read all about it here.

How do I use my Schwartz turmeric?

I use it to add flavour to my curries, dhal, rice, smoothies and tea. I also use it in the fresh form to add to my smoothies too. 

Schwartz ground turmeric is available from Tesco. It comes in a neat little jar with a flip lid so it’s perfect to sprinkle with.

I have a few favourite recipes using turmeric. They are turmeric milk,turmeric pickle, turmeric tea that I enjoy daily and my quick fail safe Spinach Turmeric rice. It’s perfect to serve hot with Dhal or cold as a salad accompaniment.

Yield: Serves 2

Author: Nayna Kanabar

Spinach and Turmeric Rice

Spinach and Rice stir fried in aromatic spices.

prep time: 5 Mcook time: 10 Mtotal time: 15 M

Ingredients:

• 400 g Pre cooked cold brown rice
• 200 g fresh spinach washed and chopped in thin ribbons
• 8 cashew nuts
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
• 3/4 teaspoon Schwartz turmeric powder

Instructions:

1. Add one teaspoon oil in a pan and when its hot add the cashew nuts and fry for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Remove from pan and keep aside
2. In the same oil add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the chopped spinach and saute for 1-2 minutes till it just starts to wilt. remove from the pan and keep aside.
3. Add 1 teaspoon of oil when its hot add the cooked rice, salt, chilli powder and turmeric and toss the rice until its coated with all the spices. Keep tossing the rice for 3-4 minutes until it warms through.
4. add the cooked spinach and toss the rice again until spinach is mixed with the rice.
5. Transfer the cooked rice to a serving dish and garnish with the cashew nuts.

Created using The Recipes Generator

**This post is in collaboration with Schwartz.

Decorating Halloween Cup Cakes at Cake Owls Bakery

                                                                Photo by Cake Owls

Last month I was invited with some fellow bloggers to a Halloween themed cupcake class at the Cake Owls cake shop in Feltham Middlesex. I was actually excited as I love cake decorating and being able to learn some new skills is always a plus.

On arrival we were greeted with prosecco and light refreshments before we started the class. The Cake Owls team had everything beautifully laid out for the class. 

There were a selection of cupcakes in various flavours, butter cream and cream cheese icing and some pre prepared decorations such as eyeballs, grave stones and chocolate trees.

After a mini demonstration by the two assistants, we were let loose to create our own ghoulish  masterpieces.

We started off with  the spider cupcake, it was interesting as everyone's spiders were totally different, some skinny, some fat, some cute and some scary. Each had its own personality.

Next we tried our hands at decorating some ghosts, they were really cute and adorable. These were the easiest of them all to decorate.

Next we had a go trying to decorate the ghoulish eyeball, it really did look very gruesome. 

The edible decorations were so realistic and perfect for Halloween.

Our next attempt was to make a gravestone and a pumpkin. The assistants showed us how to shape and make the pumpkin.

All four cakes we decorated were really nice and each with a different flavour.  At the end of the class we were able to take our creations home . 

It was a lovely afternoon and I certainly had a lot of fun and best of all I have new cake decorating skills to help me in the future.

You can find Cake Owls at:

Unit 162, The Centre, Feltham TW13 4BS

If you wish to make any purchases or book a class please use this readers special code  "SF03" to get 10% off.

Photo by Cake Owls

I was invited by cake owls to attend their class, all views are of my experience of the day.