My 22nd Birthday!

So, it was my 22nd birthday on Sunday 3rd January and I had such a lovely day. It was one of my better birthdays and I was very happy all day long (I was smiling a lot). I thought I would share with you what I got up to and show you how spoilt I was! Firstly, I received a lot of wonderful gifts, including many items from Pandora (a new charm and two gorgeous rings) which I absolutely love and cannot stop wearing them because they are so pretty. You might think I like Pandora, eh!

How to: simple vanilla cheesecake in 4 easy steps!

My completed cheesecake.

Hello! I know I said I was trying to be healthy, but it is Father's Day soon (on Sunday) and my dad loves my cheesecakes so I thought I would make him one - this is totally for him, honest! I normally just make a simple vanilla cheesecake, and I thought I would share with you how I make it, because it only takes 4 easy-to-do steps. Albeit, it normally takes me two nights to make it because I like to leave my mixture in overnight to get it how my dad likes it, but you could do it in one night. And I really need to work on my smoothing skills, but you get the idea. So, here we go!

What you'll need:

• A baking tin (7/8")
• A bowl
• Wooden spoon/ rolling pin
• Electric mixer

Ingredients:

• 250g digestive biscuits
• 100g butter
• 1 vanilla pod/ or vanilla extract
• 600g soft cheese
• 100g icing sugar
• 284ml (a pot) of double cream

How to: 

1. Use a rolling pin or wooden spoon to bash up the digestive biscuits into small crumbs. Melt the butter and then add both the crumbs into a bowl, then mix until the crumbs are thoroughly coated.

2. Scoop the mixture into a round baking tin and press down the crumbs firmly and make sure the layer is even. Then pop into the fridge to chill for at least an hour. (I leave it in overnight).

Cheesecake biscuit base.

3. Remove the vanilla seeds from the vanilla pod (or use extract) and add them into a bowl with the soft cheese and icing sugar. Beat with an electric mixer and slowly pour in the double cream until mixture is thick. Then spoon this mixture onto the biscuit base, making sure there are no air bubbles and the mixture is even (use the back of a spoon or a spatula).

Cheesecake mixture ready to apply to base.

4. Leave the mixture to set in the fridge overnight before un-moulding from the baking tin. Useful tip: place the base on top of a can and slowly pull the sides of the tin down. Then place the cheesecake onto a serving plate, et voila!

The can trick!

Have you tried this or do you have any tips or ideas on other cheesecake recipes?