Lemon meringue cheesecake

I have a serious soft spot for lemon meringue pie but not because of the coconutty crust or the velvety smooth filling (made with condensed milk please!) or even the puffs of crispy-marshmallowy meringue that adorn the top. Nope, it's not because of any of those things. In fact it doesn't even have anything to do with the pie. It's because it's my dad's ultimate favourite dessert and that makes it special in our family. 

This version, made with a baked lemon cheesecake filling, combines the best of both pie and cheesecake worlds and the layer of tangy lemon curd that oozes out the bottom when you cut it, adds an extra heavenly dimension. And if you'd like to go to a little extra effort, I think cute little mini versions of this (made in ring moulds or even clean tins!) would make a memorable dessert! 

Lemon meringue cheesecake

Serves 10-12

400g biscuits, crushed

100g butter, melted

540g full fat cream cheese, softened

150g castor sugar

3 eggs

20ml double cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon

½ cup store-bought lemon curd (optional)

4 egg whites

120g castor sugar 

Preheat the oven to 160C. Grease and line a 22cm springform cake tin with baking paper.

Combine biscuits and butter and press into the bottom and up the sides of the tin to form a crust.

Beat the cream cheese until soft and smooth then add the castor sugar, eggs, double cream, vanilla, juice and lemon zest. Spread a thin layer of lemon curd over the crust then pour in the cheesecake filling.

Whip the egg whites until soft peak stage then add the castor sugar gradually until the meringue is glossy and the sugar is dissolved.

Top the cheesecake with the meringue mixture, using a spoon to create soft peaks.

Bake for 1 hour then leave the door slightly ajar (or place a wooden spoon in the oven door to keep it open), switch the oven off and allow the cheesecake to cool completely.

Refrigerate until set then serve.

Double decker chocolate brownies

What's better than a chocolate brownie? A double chocolate brownie that's what. 

A gooey moist chocolate layer, topped with a sweet and sticky blondie layer but not without a layer of Oreo cookies in between for good measure. A friend of mine labelled these 'slutty brownies' which is a little unfair and although I'd like to argue the crudeness of that statement, I can't really fault her logic*. These brownies are skanky in a lot of ways. Apart from being ahem, easy, if a brownie could wear a low-cut top AND an uber short mini skirt at the same time, these would be doing it while standing on a street corner 'shaking what their momma gave them'. Yes, they're double the trouble, and impossible to resist. Just look at them - piled on that cake stand, looking all decadent and delicious. So naughty, and wrong, but so so right. 

P.S. And if you thought that after Easter and all it's eggs I'd take it easy on the chocolate posts, then you'd be wrong! Remember, hollow chocolate, has no calories. 

Photography by Gunther Schubert of Vorsprung Studio

Double decker brownies

Makes 24

First layer

150g butter or margarine

300g brown sugar

80g cocoa

150g cake flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

100g dark chocolate chips

1 box chocolate Oreo cookies

Second layer

200g oats (not instant)

100g cake flour

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

150g butter or margarine, softened

100g Muscovado sugar

1 x 397g tin condensed milk

1 egg

170g dark chocolate chips

Melt butter over low heat; add sugar, stirring until blended.

Stir in mix of cocoa, flour, and bicarbonate of soda; remove from heat.

Whisk eggs with vanilla then add into pan mix.

Stir in the chopped chocolate and then pour into a lined baking tray.

Place a row of the cookies on top.

Prepare the blondies by mixing the oats, flour and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl.

Cream the butter and sugar until pale then beat in condensed milk and dry ingredients followed by the egg and chocolate chips. Bake at 180^oC for 30-35 minutes or until still gooey. 

*The original 'Slutty Brownies' actually consist of a chocolate chip cookie base, oreo cookies and brownie mix - see recipe here.

Double desserts: Peppermint crisp tart ice cream sandwiches

The sun is rising later in the mornings and setting earlier in the evenings which means that chilly autumn is rearing it's head. Ever the optimist, I am holding on to summer for as long as possible! These ice cream sandwiches are one of my favourite flavours of South African summer. Inspired by a 'local 'n lekker' dessert, peppermint crisp tart, it is made with only 4 ingredients (like the pudding which inspired it) but is a much better suitor for our steamy climate. It's so easy you can rope (read: trick) the kids in to making them (while you read a book or pour a glass of wine) and the little sarmies are great for serving after a lazy weekend  braai.

Fusing two desserts together, in this case the tart and ice cream sandwich, is one of the trendiest things to do at the moment. Banana split cheesecake, apple crumble cupcakes or smores brownies (am I making you hungry yet), you get the idea. Why? Because if you have a sweet tooth and have ever had to choose between two desserts, you'll know that it's a torturous nightmare. Two desserts in one. Problem solved! Because too much of a sweet thing is never enough! 

Photograph by Christelle Botha for Sanlam Reality

Peppermint crisp tart ice cream sandwiches

(serves 6)

1 packet (250g) coconut biscuits

250ml cream

1/2 (400g) tin caramel

1 peppermint crisp bar (80g), crumbled

Beat the cream until stiff then fold in the caramel and peppermint crisp, leaving a few swirls. Freeze the mixture in a baking dish so it’s about 2cm thick, until firm.

Once firm, arrange the tennis biscuits on top and cut the ice cream into squares. Remove each square, sandwiching another tennis biscuit on the bottom of each ice cream slice. Arrange on a baking tray and freeze again until firm.