JUST DESSERTS
David whips up a storm with his wacky cheesecakes s
AUNIVERSITY lecturer has many talents aside from teaching linguistics which include tap dancing, singing in a choir and riding a unicycle. But he also makes some of the most incredible cheesecakes you have ever seen.
Among his beautifully inventive creations are a Guinness and chocolate cheesecake, a romantic prosecco number and even a melon and Parma ham concoction – and his puddings have even earned him a spot in Jamie Oliver’s food magazine.
David Schönthal, 27, moved to Wales from Switzerland in 2009 to study and is now a linguistics lecturer at Cardiff University.
He moved to Cardiff permanently in 2013 after falling “in love with the city, the country and the people of Wales”.
David has been posting pictures of his food online at Cheesecake Diary for more than a year now and his combination of wacky but delectable flavours has been such a hit with friends and colleagues that he’s now planning to start a business.
David said he started making his cheesecakes when he had some leftover sweet bread and improvised a recipe for a lemon cheesecake. “I was well happy with it and was inspired to try another one with a different flavour,” he said. “This time it was white chocolate and raspberry. From there things took off really. I started making more and more cheesecakes with different flavours, until I ended up making two or three a week.” David relishes the “creative freedom” cheesecakes offer and has devised around 70 recipes so far, some inspired by classic puddings, such as a cherry bakewell tart or apple crumble, while others are a little more extravagant. “What I love about cheesecakes is how they open up a whole range of flavours and flavour combinations that have so far been left unexplored – in the world of cheesecakes, at least. “Most people would associate cheesecakes with a standard vanilla flavoured cheese mixture topped off with maybe a layer of strawberry or passion fruit jelly, and there is little variation outside of these rather restricted combinations.” But not for David. “I love the challenge of breaking these ‘rules’ and experimenting with new flavour combinations. Some of my favourite creations are probably my melon and Parma ham cheesecake, or my cucumber and chocolate cheesecake,” he said. “It’s this creative freedom that I get with cheesecakes that has kept me going week after week – the excitement of coming up with yet another wacky idea for a new creation.”
David said that when he’s not making cheesecakes, he’s thinking about making them but he also manages to squeeze a few other things into his spare time.
He recently finished a PhD in language and communication research and now lectures at Cardiff University. He also runs a tap dancing business and teaches weekly classes at Chapter Arts Centre in the city.
One of the reasons David loves whipping up his desserts is sharing them with people, and their reaction is part of what drives him.
“I make so many cheesecakes a week that I have to give them away to my friends, friends of friends and work colleagues. The smiles I get when I rock up with a cheesecake every now and again cannot be beaten. There’s something about food – people love food, they get excited about food. Their eyes light up when they see a dessert.
“And being at the production end of such glee, being the source of such culinary happiness, is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever had the pleasure to experience. My cheesecakes seem to make people happy. And that in turn makes me happy. So I keep going, and I’ll make more and more cheesecakes.”
When asked about his favourite recipe, David said it’s a tough decision. His apricot cheesecake is a standout because of the childhood memories it evokes but he loves his cucumber and chocolate cheesecake for its originality and his Frozen-themed white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake for its presentation.
For David, it’s important that his creations look as good as they taste and he sometimes spends over an hour making sure they look just right.
Luckily for those with a sweet tooth, David has big plans for Cheesecake Diary and is transforming it into a business with plans for a catering service and cafe.