No Bake Lemon Cheesecake

Ingredients
200g amaretti biscuits (if unavailable, use plain digestive biscuits)
100g Butter
225g cream cheese
500ml double cream, whipped to soft peaks
1 lemon, grated zest and juice only
50g caster sugar
5 tbsp lemon curd
100g white chocolate, melted

1. Line the bottom of a round spring form cake tin with baking paper.

2. Crush the biscuits and put into a mixing bowl. Melt the butter over a low heat and stir into the biscuit crumbs until well combined. Press the biscuit mixture into the base of the lined rings and put in the fridge to set.

3. Put the cream cheese into a large bowl and beat it until soft and smooth. Combine lemon juice, zest and sugar into a small bowl. Add the lemon mixture to the cheese and beat until smooth.

4. Add a little of the beaten cream to the lemon mixture, mix well. Add the remaining cream, 3 tbsp of lemon curd and fold.

5. Spread this mixture over the biscuit crumb base. Dollop the remaining lemon curd on top and using a knife, swirl the curd to create a marbling effect.

6. Leave to set in the freezer (don’t worry, it won’t freeze) for a few hours.

7. Carefully take the cake out of the tin. You might need to run a warm cloth around the tin to get the cake out. Cut grease proof paper according to the height of the cake. With a knife, spread a layer of melted white chocolate onto strips of grease proof paper. Wrap this around the edge of the cake, chocolate side on the cake. Return to the freezer.

8. To serve. Remove the grease proof paper to reveal a wall of chocolate around the cake. Store cake in the freezer.

Chestnut Cake

This cake is made with sweeten chestnut puree. If using unsweeten chestnut puree, use 150g caster sugar instead.

Ingredients
1 jar Bonne Maman chestnut cream (avilable at DJs)
25g butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 eggs, separated
50g caster sugar
25g self-raising flour

1. Preheat a fan forced oven to 180°C. Line a 20cm diameter cake tin with greaseproof paper.

2. Put the chestnut purée into a small pan and warm gently over a very low heat for 5 minutes. Beat in the butter, then add the vanilla essence.

3. Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Set aside. Whisk the yolks until they begin to lighten in colour then gradually add the sugar, whisking until the mixture is thick and white.

4. Fold the chestnut purée mixture into the yolk mixture, then sieve in the self-raising flour and fold in. Finally, fold in the whisked egg whites.

5. Tip the mixture into the tin, smooth the top, and bake for 35-40 minutes until firm and set. Leave to cool completely in the tin. The cake will sink a little.