But Mom... I want more!

Dessert can bring out the little child in all of us.  When I think of dessert, I am instantly blasted to my childhood, Sunday afternoon lunches, family get togethers and loads of fun times.  I grew up in a home of five kids, thus cooking,  for my parents were always a challenge.

Once in a while, my brother and I would go and visit my grandmother at the ocean side, on the west coast.  I remember how she would take us to the church market.  She used to be stationed at the pancake table, and my granddad at the craft table (he is an excellent carpenter in his own right, and can literally craft anything from a piece of wood). Most of these markets are always filled with food, different types of puddings, tarts and baked goods. Besides being a carpenter, my granddad also was a very skilled baker.  Whenever we visit them on the west coast, even till this day, I'll always grab rusks for the road and if I'm really lucky , some home made bread in the process.

My encounters with desserts, gave me a sweet tooth, and till this day I am a sucker for the yummy and scrumptious. Visiting these markets, always result in me trying to find the table filled with anything baked, smothered in chocolate or dripping with golden delight.  Back home I would nag my mother for more, and then get a "No" answer...
But Mom... I want more!

 I will always manage to find Cheesecake and so many different variants of it, at these markets. Cheesecake comes in an array of different variants, flavors, baked and not baked forms. Today I am focusing on the standard cheesecake (non baked).

Cheesecake with Blueberry Glaze (No Bake)

I made two cheesecakes, one with a Blueberry Glaze & one with an Oreo crust,

Crust

Ingredients:

1 pack of Tennis Biscuits (Oreo cookies also works)

100 - 120ml butter

Method

Crush the pack of biscuits until fine (I used a food processor).

Melt the butter and mix with the biscuits to almost form a "paste".

Pour the mixture into a cake tin pan and let set in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Filling

Ingredients:

500g Cream Cheese (I always add some extra to give it a thicker consistency)

1 can Condensed Milk

15ml Vanilla Essence 

125ml Lemon Juice

Any fruits for toppings (optional) 

Method

 Beat the Cream Cheese with an electric mixer until smooth.
Add the Condensed Milk, Lemon Juice and Vanilla essence and mix thoroughly until there is no more lumps.
Pour mixture into the cake tin with the crust and set in the fridge for 4-6 hours (I prefer to leave it in the fridge over night, to ensure that it sets properly - also you can add one sheet of gelatin into the mixture).

(I used strawberries as a topping, and because I have an Oreo base too, I dusted the top with coco powder).

Use the standard blueberries, sugar and gelatin to make a glaze.
Substitute the Tennis biscuits with Oreo biscuits for a different taste.
I used Strawberries, raspberries & blueberries respectively for the "cakes". 

These Cheesecakes will leave your kids begging for more.

Cheesecake with Blueberry Glaze

Cheesecake with an Oreo Crust

Enjoy
Tin_Tin