Spring Equinox is today, the first day of spring. Are you ready for warm Spring? This cake, Banoffee Cheesecake is very popular in modern England and a good cake to celebrate warm spring. It is really easy to make, “no baking” and keep frozen until a couple hours before ready to enjoy. It’s very soft and fruity cheesecake.
Local fresh berries are not available yet, but banana is always available year around and very affordable, so you can make at any time of the year. This cheesecake is much lighter than typical cheesecake, and has no eggs, but t’s still very rich and fruity. Just make sure that you should use organic ‘ripe” bananas. It’s important for bring the best flavor.
If you don’t have time to bake your own Hobnob cookies for base of the cake (most people do not do have anyway), use whatever you find in the store; chocolate cookies, graham crackers, almond cookies and etc. They all work well.
- 4 ounces (115g) dark chocolate (60-70% cocoa)
- 300 g packet of Hobnobs cookies (recipe**) or others (e.g., graham or almond cookies)
- 6-8 ripen organic bananas (net weight is about 500g)
- 16 ounces (450g) light cream cheese or mascarpone cheese
- 8 ounces (225g) small jar of dulce de leche or caramel cream sauce
- For about 15 cookies (the dough weight will be about 420g)
- ⅔ cup (100g) all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup (80g) old-fashioned oats
- ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 stick (115g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (100g) cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon whole milk or almond milk
- 2 teaspoons honey
- Brush the base of a 8-inch (20cm) springform cake pan with light vegetable oil and line with greaseproof paper, then brush the paper with oil, too.
- Melt 4 ounces (50g of chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, then remove from the heat. (you can do it in the microwave oven too)
- Snap the Hobnob cookies into a food processor and chop with 2 tablespoons of light virgin olive or almond oil until well combined. Drizzle in the melted chocolate, then pulse again a few times to combine. Pat the cookie mixture into the cake pan in about a ½-inch (1.25 cm) thick layer.
- Peel the bananas, tear into the food processor, add then the cream cheese and dulce de leche, mix well until nice and smooth, then pour over the biscuit base in the pan.
- Freeze overnight or until needed, transferring to the fridge for about 2 hours before serving, or until it reaches the slicing consistency you like.
- Loosen the edges of the Banoffee cheesecake with a palette knife, then release from the pan. Shave or grate the remaining chocolate on top of the cake, and serve.
- Preheat the oven to 300°. Whisk the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl to combine. Set aside. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in milk and honey. Turn off mixer and add dry ingredients; mix in with a rubber spatula. Chill the dough 15-20 minutes If dough is very soft,
- Spoon heaping tablespoonful of dough onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, pressing down lightly to flatten and spacing 1½" apart. Bake cookies until golden brown, 25–30 minutes (they will crisp up more as they cool). Transfer baking sheets to a wire rack and let cool.
- Cookies can be baked 1 week ahead. Store them in airtight container at room temperature.
- If you have no time baking Hobnob cookies, you may substitute store bought cookies for the base of this cake. However store bought cookies are normally too sweet. Therefore use less cookies and mix with some almond flour, like (250 grams cookies with ½ cup/50g almond flour.
- Dulce de leche is cooked, caramelized condensed milk. You may substitute to condensed milk with coffee, coffee liquor or salted caramel.
It’s very nice and good