No, I didn’t make a mistake in a title, this pudding is the best of both worlds – it is a combination of cheesecake and crumble. It is my Mum’s recipe, so it’s ultimate comfort food for me 🙂 As someone living outside their home country, now and then I really miss some products and for me this special ‘missing’ product is cottage cheese, which gives me a special boost and endless possibilities in cooking.
However, the cottage cheese I grew up with is very different from the ricotta or quark available in the UK, which is sometimes used as a substitute in many recipes. Although it comes from the same dairy family, it fits a different purpose. I’m sure most of you know which type I’m talking about, but if you have not come across this kind of cottage cheese, please do not be put off as it is widely available now. You can easily find it in any international food store or even in local supermarkets. It comes in different packaging but the main thing it should look similar to this:
CHEESECAKE CRUMBLE
Ingredients:
Crumble base:
150 g butter
300 g plain flour
80 g sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons desiccated coconut
Cheesecake mix:
400 g cottage cheese
2 eggs
100 g sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Butter the baking dish or spring-form tin and line with the parchment paper.
2. To make the crumble mix, place the flour, butter, sugar, baking powder and desiccated coconut in a bowl and mix it all with your fingers until it forms the crumbs (alternatively, use the food processor and pulse it for a few times).
3. In another bowl, beat together all ingredients for the cheesecake filling.
4. Place half of the crumble mixture on the bottom of the baking dish, making sure there are no gaps but do not press the crumble mixture to the bottom of the tin. Then pour over the cheesecake mix and cover with the left overs of crumbs on top.
5. Bake it for 30-40 minutes, until it’s slightly golden on top. Serve hot or cold.
the usual ingredients 