I was recently invited to participate in a dessert challenge by Nespresso and Kokkedal Castle. Desserts and coffee, a win win in my opinion, so I accepted and began to experiment with different recipes. I tried out a creamy coffee panna cotta, a chocolate and hazelnut cake with coffee caramel drizzle. But I finally decided on this Irish coffee cheesecake. I tested the recipe out 4 times, tweaking it here and there before I was happy with the result. So there was a lot of cake eating in our house these past few weeks. But hey, who doesn’t love a bit of cake for breakfast with a hot cup of coffee?
The Nespresso event was held at Kokkedal Castle, a beautiful newly renovated Castle located about 10 minutes from our house here north from Copenhagen. A really beautiful setting for this event. 10 food bloggers were invited to create a coffee dessert. We were welcomed by Nespresso and the castles pastry chef Torben Bang. Then while the judges tasted all of our desserts we were served an amazing afternoon tea (or to be precise, afternoon coffee just for the day) with lots and lots of delicious cakes sandwiches and lot s and lots of chocolate. Of course there was also a Nespresso station with all of their coffees offered, so the coffee was flowing all afternoon. I was on such a sugar and caffeine high when I got home. It was amazing!
Everybody had made really beautiful and delicious desserts, I was very inspired and I now want to try out a lot of new techniques. When the judges had had their taste of each dessert, we all got to go around the table and have a taste ourselves. So much fun!
It was a great afternoon and so much fun to be a part of. It really was an event after my own heart – combining coffee, chocolate, and desserts at a beautiful setting.
Here is the recipe for my contribution to the event.
Ingredients:
175g Digestive biscuits, crushed
115g butter, melted
50g sugar
600g cream cheese
200g sugar
3 organic eggs
250ml mascarpone
Two espresso shots – I used Roma from Nespresso
1 ½ dl. Whisky
50 g hazelnuts, roasted and finely chopped
Caramel
1 can of condensed milk
Caramelized nuts
2, 5 dl sugar
15 hazelnuts
Cheesecake
Preheat oven to 180 C.
Line a pan with baking paper.
Mix the crushed digestives, melted butter and 2 tablespoons sugar
Press biscuit mixture into the bottom of the pan, patting it down with a spoon
Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes. Leave to cool.
Reduce oven temperature to 160 C.
Lightly beat the cream cheese
Add sugar a little at a time until you have a smooth mixture
Add eggs one at a time.
Pour in mascarpone, espresso shots and whiskey
Pour the mixture on top of the cooled biscuit base.
Bake the cheesecake for about 1 hour and 5 minutes. Leave the cheesecake in the oven, then turn the oven off and let the cheesecake rest for 15 minutes with the oven door slightly open.
Cool the cheesecake to room temperature,then cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 8 hours.
Remove the label from the can.
Place in a pan with water, making sure the can is fully covered at all times.
Simmer for 3 hours
Remove from the pan and cool before opening the can
Caramelized nuts
Place hazelnuts on toothpicks
Melt the sugar to a caramel of medium amber color
Dip a hazelnut on the toothpick into the caramel and let the excess drip back into the pan. When caramel drip becomes a thin string, set opposite end of the toothpick under a cutting board laid at kitchen table edge and let the caramel drip onto the baking paper
Let cool before removing candied hazelnut from the toothpick
Assemble
Cut the cheesecake into squares
Cover the squares with roasted chopped hazelnuts
Add a bit of caramel on top of the cake and finally place a caramelized hazelnut on top
This recipe was made in cooperation with Nespresso Denmark and Kokkedal Castle