McDougalls: The Better Baker's Guide

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a great Christmas. Now the festivities are all done and dusted I decided to have a spring clean yesterday and happened to pile all my recipe books in one place...I have to say, I knew I had quite a few but was a bit surprised to realise how many!!

I then read a couple of great posts from Cake Boule and English Mum about New Year's resolutions and concentrating on the things that matter in life. As English Mum says life is about snapshots and not about stuff! Therefore, I have decided that one of my New Year's resolutions is to resist the temptation to buy a single cookbook in 2012...which will be tough!! But I really have quite enough already and maybe I should concentrate on making delicious treats from the ones I already have!

However, if you're planning a frugal January after the Christmas excesses but can't resist a new recipe book then this is the cost conscious option for you. McDougall's Flour publish a Better Baker's Guide, they're currently on the 35th edition! It's only £2.50, so it won't break the bank and it's crammed with over 100 classic recipes which all look delicious! Fortunately, my copy arrived just before the New Year, so this will be my last recipe book until 2013 but I think it's certainly a good one to end on... and probably has more recipes than some other books which cost at least quadruple the price!!

Today is my last day of freedom before going back to work tomorrow, so I have my first recipe from the McDougall's cookbook in the oven and I will post the results later.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2012!

To get your own copy of the McDougalls Baker's Guide then you just need to send a cheque for £2.50 (payable to McDougalls Foods Ltd) to the following address:

McDougalls Baking Book
PO Box 100
Blackburn
Lancashire
BB2 9FL

It will take about 28 days to arrive and P&P is included. You just need to send your cheque along with your name and address.

New Year's Malt Choc Cheesecake

Planning a New Year's Eve buffet or lunch on January 1st? This cheesecake would be great for either occasion. It's a malt chocolate cheesecake with a milk chocolate and malt (Horlicks!) layer and a white chocolate layer on top of a malted milk biscuit base...and what else could you decorate a malt cheesecake with, other than malteasers!!

A lovely easy cheescake which will certainly help you win friends and influence people!! ;-) It's not strictly a bake but it's definitely a winner.

• 200g malted milk biscuits
• 100g salted butter
• 5 tbsp caster sugar
• 600g full fat soft cheese
• 300ml double cream
• 300g white chocolate
• 200g milk chocolate
• 2 tbsp malt or Horlicks powder
• Bag of white malteasers

Bash the biscuits until they resemble crumbs... I blitzed mine in the food processor but there's always the traditional method of plastic bag and rolling pin if you wish to take out some aggression! Melt the butter in a pan and then add 2tbsp of sugar and the biscuit crumbs and mix before pressing the mixture in to a 23cm loose bottom or springform tin and chilling.

 

Take two bowls and divide the cream cheese and the cream between the two. Add the Horlicks, milk chocolate and remaining sugar to one and the white chocolate to the other, mix well, it may be best to do this with an electric whisk.

 

Spread the milk chocolate mix over the biscuit base in an even layer before adding the white chocolate mix on top. Gently smooth the white chocolate layer, making sure you push it right to the edges of the tin so there are no gaps between the layers. Finally, decorate with Malteasers.