Cranberry Cheesecake Recipe

It's been a whole month since my last entry as the past month has been hectic. I planned for a week long trip to Taiwan with my friends right smack in the middle of the month so I was busy clearing work before and after that. Taiwan was lovely and I absolutely loved the food, culture, people. We also took the off-beaten track and visited places which are quaint and memorable. I would post up our carefully planned itinerary one day, but in the meantime, let's settle for an easy no-bake cheesecake recipe - Cranberry cheesecake!

Cranberries are really good for the body because of their nutrient content and antioxidant qualities. For instance, cranberry juice helps to against bacterial infections in the urinary system so they are especially good for ladies as we tend to be more susceptible to that. In my recent trip to Taiwan, I managed to purchase a jar of fresh cranberry purée. It can be easily made into cranberry juice when you add cold water but I decided to use it in my baking. Delicious either ways.

To make your own cranberry purée, you can combine fresh cranberries, sugar and water and cook over low heat in a saucepan. My only issue with this is that it's quite hard to find fresh cranberries in Singapore. Otherwise, substitute with strawberry or blueberry or any other fruit purée readily available in baking stores.

(makes 8 inch round cake)

Ingredients
120g digestives
60g butter
200g whipping cream
250g block cream cheese (room temperature)
50g sugar
1 tbsp gelatin powder
80g water
90g cranberry purée

Method
1. To prepare cake base/crust, place digestives in a bag and crush with a rolling pin till fine crumbs. Melt butter in microwave and mix melted butter with biscuit crumbs. Press crumbs firmly onto the lined base of 8 inch cake pan with removable base. You can use the back of the spoon or an offset spatula to do this. Chill in fridge for 30 minutes and prepare cranberry cheesecake filling.

2. Whip whipping cream to soft peaks and leave aside

3. Add gelatin powder to water and heat in microwave till warm. Mix well, making sure that the gelatin dissolves completely

4. Beat cream cheese and sugar till well combined. Add in gelatin mixture and cranberry purée. Continue beating till smooth

5. Fold in whipped cream in batches. Mix well and pour into tin with base. Cover and chill in fridge for 3-4 hours before serving