A cake with cheese...

This weekend was my birthday and I decided to celebrate with a different kind of cake...a cheesecake!
The thing is, I don't like cheesecake. And in the words of a friend of mine 'Everyone likes cheesecake' so maybe it's time for me to try to get on board.
I remember eating cheesecake as a child and the fruit on top was always really sharp. If I was really unfortunate it hadn't quite defrosted! The experience of a supermarket cheesecake was never very pleasant.

As with everything I guess it's about the quality of ingredients so I have been tempted to try a cheesecake for a while. Myself and a few friends get together regularly for coffee on a Sunday afternoon and not long ago a cheesecake appeared at one of our gatherings. I had a little piece and it was actually quite nice. The biscuit base was delicious and crumbly, the topping was creamy and there was no hint of sharp fruit.
So this weekend it was time to try to make my own, and with no idea where to start I went recipe hunting. I came across a chocolate and Kahlua cheesecake recipe and figured that has to be delicious, right?! I followed the recipe from the BBC Good Food website and managed to create this...

The cheesecake is topped with a crème fraiche and Kahlua topping and I added some chocolate swirls to finish it off. The only thing left to do was have a taste...

Well, what can I say?? Wow! This was delicious. Maybe a little too chocolatey but the topping gave some balance and was definitely needed to calm it down. I ate this a good few hours after lunch and felt full again instantly, just a small slice needed I think! As I'm no cheesecake expert I have no idea if it's good in comparison to others but I really enjoyed it and may try more cheesecake in the future. For now I have lots left and need to find some taste testers...any volunteers?

2014 begins...Valentine Bake Sale and a giveaway!

With the festive season over and the decorations all put away it's time to start thinking about the year ahead. For me January is about returning to a normal routine and enjoying birthday celebrations. Both my 'big sister' and I will be another year older in the next few weeks.

Some retail shops seem to be geared up for the next season before the New Year even arrives, who else has spotted the Easter eggs?? Although it seems early, it has reminded me that it's time to get prepared. Before I started as a business I held charity bake sales for Valentines Day and I've continued to do so, raising money for a different charity each year.

This year I will be carrying on the tradition and selling special boxes of 4 cupcakes (vanilla, chocolate or red velvet) with handmade decorations which will be presented in a gift box. This price includes delivery in Cardiff, Cwmbran or anywhere in between on Thursday 13th, Friday 14th or Saturday 15th February. Each box will be £7 with at least £5 being donated to charity.

To give one lucky recipient an extra special surprise one of the boxes will also have a hidden voucher for 12 cupcakes in a flavour of their choice!

My charity for this year is Velindre Cancer Centre. I'm not really sure what to say about Velindre to do it justice but the work that is done there really does change peoples lives. The people who work at the centre are just amazing and South Wales is lucky to have such a fantastic facility for people who are dealing with this terrible illness.

Please dig deep, support this amazing charity and buy a tasty treat for someone special this Valentines Day. You can place your order by contacting me using any of the details below-

07918 088992
rachel@ohsugarcakecompany.com
www.facebook.com/ohsugarcakecompany
@ohsugarcakeco

Thanks for your support.
Rachel x