APRONS ON WHISKS OUT

South Africans are well known for their home baking and the 2018 Lancewood Cake-Off competition offers one baker the chance of a trip of a lifetime to New York, the home of the baked cheesecake. Nothing like a slice of inspiration to get the creative juices going as we share an exotic baobab cheesecake recipe from Nompumelelo Mqwebu’s new cookbook, Through the Eyes of an African Chef

To stand a chance of winning, HURRY and enter the competition with your sweet or savoury cake recipe and photo and send to lancewoodcakeoff.co.za. Get baking as time is running out. Entries close at midnight on June 3.

Baobab grows well in Limpopo, a greenish pod with powdery, white fruit on the inside. It’s believed to have five times more vitamin C than oranges, double the calcium levels of milk, more potassium than bananas and loads of antioxidants. This baobab cheesecake decked with berries is too delicious. Baobab powder is available from health-food stores and large discount pharmacy stores.

Blueberry reduction:

250ml (1 cup) blueberries, saving some for decoration

200g (1 cup) sugar

250ml (1 cup) water

45ml (3 tbsp) fresh lemon juice

Grated rind of 1 lemon

Cheesecake:

90g butter

200g digestive biscuits

920g smooth cottage cheese

750g thick full fat cream cheese

100g mascarpone cheese

500ml (2 cups) caster sugar

200g baobab powder

In a pan over medium heat, bring to the boil blueberries, sugar, water, lemon juice and zest. Let it boil for eight minutes. The fruit will swell and burst (what you want) while they are softening. Lower the heat and simmer for seven minutes. Remove and cool completely before blending. Sieve, using a spatula to press through the juice and discard the solids. Melt the butter over low heat in a small pot. Crush the biscuits into crumbs, then add the melted butter. Blend then press mixture into the base of 26cm springform tin. Refrigerate.

Mix all the cheeses, caster sugar and baobab powder until smooth. Carefully spoon mixture onto crushed biscuit base. Cover tin with foil and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Finish with a thin layer of blueberry reduction and whole blueberries.

The cookbook, Through the Eyes of an African Chef by Mqwebu has recently won the best selfpublished, first cookbook in The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards and she will be heading off to China to receive this prestigious award.