Pistachio Cheesecake

Before I start I want to say a
massive thank you who everyone who has been viewing my blog lately and being
incredibly supportive. Whether that support has been on this blog, or elsewhere.
There is so many of you it's insane. I wish I could give all of you a massive hug. Love you beautifuls! xx

Now down to the yummy business. Pistachios are by far one of my favourite foods. You guys know how much I love making cheesecakes. So it's time for another yummy cheesecake. This recipe shows you how to make a pistachio cheesecake, but also mini pistachio cheesecakes in shot glasses. When making this I created 4 mini cheesecakes. 

Ingredients:

Base: 



100g softened butter
250g short bread biscuits 


Filling:



500g Philadelphia cheese
3 teaspoons gelatin powder 
1/4 cup boiling water
1 cup of thickened cream 
1 cup caster sugar 
1 cup finely crushed pistachios 


 Topping:



3/4 cup of cream 
1/4 cup crushed pistachios

METHOD:
Base:
1. Line cheesecake tin with baking paper.
2. Crush biscuits and add softened butter. 



3. Mix until the base reaches the consistency of wet sand (shown in the picture below).

4.  It's time to get your hands dirty. Place a thin layer in the shot glasses and/or your cheesecake tin. Compress the base using your hands and create an even layer. Then leave to set in the fridge for an hour.

Filling:


1.   Finely crush pistachios.  


2. Beat Philadelphia cheese until creamy. Add thickened cream and caster sugar.



3. Dissolve gelatin powder in the boiling water. Once dissolved combine in filling mixture. 

 4. Add finely crushed pistachios and mix.







5. Add this mixture to the shot glasses and/or cheesecake tin.

6.  Leave to set in the fridge for 3 hours.



















































Topping:

1. Crush pistachios into small chunks.


2. Beat thickened cream until peaks form.

3. Using a piping bag (or similar) create designs with cream on the top of the cheesecake/s. 








4. Sprinkle crushed pistachios on cheesec



Sprinkle crushed pistachios on cheesecake. 











Serve with a side of cream.













Happy cooking!

Tweet or Instagram you lovely creations

Twitter:
@violetdelights

 Instagram:
@myvioletdelights



P.S. Whilst making this I realised how pretty pistachios really are.

Healthy Coconut Balls (Paleo)

 Hello beautifuls,
I have another yummy and healthy recipe for you.  I've recently been trying out a bit of Paleo cooking.  I know coconut balls a traditionally Christmas food, however this recipe was too good not to share.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Prunes or Mejool Dates
1 cup Almond Meal
2 Tbsp Chia Seeds
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 Tbsp Cocoa or Cacao Powder
2 Tbsp Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice or Coconut Oil
1/2 cup shredded coconut plus extra for rolling.

Method:

1. Add prunes, almond meal, Chia seeds, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, coconut to a food processor and blend.
2. Gradually add orange juice.  Blend until mix begins to stick together.
3. Place a small amount of coconut into a bowl to rolling mixture into balls.
4. Using a teaspoon take small portions of the mixture and roll into balls.  Place in bowl and cover in coconut.  
5. Try not to eat them all at once.

 Makes approx 20.

Hope that gives you an idea for a healthy snack this week. 

Have a fabulous week.
Rach xx

Banana and Carrot Cake

Hello beautifuls,

To start off this week I have a new recipe for you.  It's a combination of two of my favourites, banana cake and carrot cake.  This recipe also doesn't use oil like most traditional carrot cake recipes.  So if you are in the same boat as me and can't have oil, this will be perfect.

Ingredients ~

• 2 Cups self raising flour
• 2 1/2 Tsp baking powder
• 3/4 Tsp fine grain sea salt (I used a mortar and pestle and give the salt a finer texture)  
• 50g Butter
• 2 Lightly beaten eggs
• 1 1/2 Tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/4 Cups 3 mashed bananas
• 3/4 Cup finely chopped walnuts (I just used a food processor/blender to achieve this faster)
• 1 1/2 Cups grated carrot
• 1/2 Cup Greek Yoghurt

Icing ~

• 300g Philadelphia/Cream Cheese
• 5 Tsb Maple Syrup 

Method~

1. Preheat oven to 160 °C 
2. Line a square 20 x 20cm tray with baking paper. (I also sprayed this for good measure)
3. Mix together bananas and carrots. 
4. Mix in the butter, yogurt and eggs to this mixture.
5. In a separate bowl sift in the baking powder, self raising flour, cinnamon and sea salt.
6. Add in the walnuts to this mixture.
7. Add this mixture into the first bowl and combine.  
8. Pour mixture into baking tin and bake for 35 mins.

Icing ~

1. Add Philadelphia cheese and maple syrup into a bowl and beat until smooth.
2. More maple syrup can be added if needed.
3. Leave the cake to cool first before adding the icing to the cake.

Hope you all have a fabulous week.

Rach xx

This recipe is an altered recipe from here

Butterfly Cupcakes

Hello beautifuls,

Today I decided to embrace my inner child and share with you another one of my favourite recipes, butterfly cupcakes.
You will need:
1 1/2 cups of self-raising flour
1/2 tsp softened or melted butter
2/3 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
Vanilla
Food dye
1/2 cup milk
1 cup cream


Method:
1. Sift all dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.
2. Add the butter, eggs and vanilla.  Mix ingredients.
3.  Gradually add milk and combine.  Mix ingredients until smooth.
4. Split your mixture in half, and into two bowls,  Add blue food dye to one bowl and red to the other.  Mix in food dye thoroughly.
5. Place cupcake papers/cases into cupcake tin.  Place the mixture in the cupcake papers.
6. Bake in oven on about 160°C.
7. Whip cream until peaks form.
8. Allow cupcakes to cool.
9. Cut the top off of the cupcakes on an angle.  The cut this piece in half.  These will create the wings.

10. Place cream in the hole that has been created in the cup cake.
11.  Place the wings on top of the cream on an angle.

You could also make mini cupcake versions as they are incredibly cute.

The recipe that I am used is an adapted version from the "Day to Day Cookery Book Third Edition".


Have a fabulous week.
Rach xx

Blueberry and Banana Smoothie

It may be Winter here in Australia, but for many of you it is now Summer.  So I thought I would share with you one of my favourites Summer recipes.

Ingredients:

1 cup Milk

1/2  crushed ice 

2 tablespoons of Greek yoghurt (or preferred yoghurt)

Banana 

1/2 cup blueberries 

Method: 

1. Add all ingredients into large cup.

2. Blend until smooth texture has been created. 

Aprox. 2 servings (Or just enjoy the whole thing yourself like I do). 

Oreo Cheesecake

Hello beautifuls,

This week I've decided to share with you one of my favourite recipes, Oreo cheesecake.  This recipe is so easy and delicious.

Ingredients:

500g Philadelphia Cheese
300g Oreos
1 cup Cream
100 grams of butter
3 Tbs Gelatin Powder
2 Tsp Lemon Juice

Method:
Base
1. Line and spray tin.
2. Finely crush 150 grams of Oreos.
3. Melt butter and add to crushed oreos.  Mix until base mixture sticks together.
4. Pour into tin and press evenly across the tin.

Filling:
1. Beat Philadelphia Cheese until it becomes creamy.
2. Add in cream and mix till a smooth, thick texture is created.
3. Add two teaspoons of lemon juice.
4. Dissolve 3 Tbs of Gelatin Powder in 1/4 of boiling water.  Add to filling and combine.
5.  Finely crush 75g Oreo and combine into mixture.
6. Pour filling into tin.

Toping:
1. Crush 75g Oreo and scatter evenly across the top of cheesecake.
2. Leave to set in fridge for 3 hours.