toasted marshmallow cheesecake pie
I have fond memories of toasting marshmallows on beach holidays when we were young. When toasted, these sweets become absolutely delicious, with their caramel coating and a gooey soft centre. This cheesecake pie is inspired by those holiday memories, topped with a caramelized marshmallow topping with marshmallows in the crumb crust, too. Very naughty, but so very nice!
FOR THE CRUMB CASE
140 g/5 oz. Oreo cookies
140 g/5 oz. chocolate digestive biscuits/graham crackers
6 chocolate marshmallow teacakes (such as Tunnock’s or Dickmann’s)
100 g/7 tablespoons butter, melted
FOR THE FILLING
6 sheets leaf gelatine
300 g/1⅓ cups cream cheese
250 g/geneous 1 cup mascarpone cheese
50 g/¼ cup caster/white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
300 ml/1¼ cups double/heavy cream
200 g/7 oz. dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
250 g/6–7 cups marshmallows
a 23-cm/9-inch round springform cake pan, greased and lined
SERVES 12
For the crumb case, crush all the biscuits/cookies and teacakes to fine crumbs in a food processor. Transfer the crumbs to a mixing bowl and stir in the melted butter. Press the buttery crumbs into the base and sides of the prepared cake pan firmly using the back of a spoon. You need the crumbs to come up about 3–4 cm/1½ inches high on the side of the pan so that they make a case for the filling. Make indents in the top edge of the case with your fingers to create a pretty scalloped edge.
For the filling, soak the gelatine leaves in water until they are soft.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, mascarpone, sugar and vanilla until light and creamy.
Put the cream in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and heat gently. Squeeze the water from the gelatine leaves and stir them into the warm cream until the gelatine has dissolved. Add the broken chocolate pieces to the cream and simmer until the chocolate has melted. Pass the chocolatey cream through a sieve/strainer to remove any undissolved gelatine pieces, then whisk into the cheese mixture until smooth. Spoon the mixture into the crumb case and chill in the refrigerator for about 3 hours or overnight until set.
When you are ready to serve, preheat the grill/broiler. Cut the marshmallows in half and arrange them over the top of the cheesecake so that they are touching. Place the cheesecake under the preheated grill/broiler for a few minutes until the marshmallows just start to caramelize. (If you cook them for too long they will melt and pour down the sides of the cheesecake when you remove the ring, which will still taste nice but won’t look quite as pretty.) Slide a knife around the edge of the cheesecake and remove from the pan. Serve immediately.