Made this last night for a BBQ at ours, really straight forward, quick and delish. I added little dark choc robots to the top as I’d bought a silicone mold and was keen to see how well the wee robot guys would look…
INGREDIENTS
200g digestive biscuits
75g unsalted butter
400g full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
300g mascarpone, at room temperature
200g icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp real vanilla extract
1/2 cup hazelnuts, crushed or blended
METHOD
Place the digestive biscuits into a sealable freezer bag. Push all the air out and seal the bag. Crush the biscuits with a rolling pin, being careful not to break any holes in the bag. (This works better than trying to whiz in the blender…. I tried that and cleverly coated half my kitchen in a fine layer of digestive biscuit dust.. Bleh!)
Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Tip the biscuit crumbs into the butter and mix well until thoroughly combined. Add the hazelnuts to the mixture. Press the buttery crumbs into the bottom of a 23cm/9in springform or loose-bottomed tin. Chill in the refrigerator while you make the topping.
Combine the cream cheese and mascarpone into an electric mixer bowl, blend the cheeses together until light and fluffy. Add the icing sugar a little at a time and blend to incorporate. Finally, mix in the vanilla. The mixture should be very light and fluffy.
At this point, stir in a small amount of melted dark choc into swirls…. just for the visual effect rather then properly mixing in…
Spread the cream cheese mixture over the biscuit base and smooth the top with a palette knife or spatula. Cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for at least four hours.
Release the catch of the springform tin carefully, then slice and serve.