So blame the rona but I’ve been on Tiktok a lot and the obsession with the Lotus Biscoff biscuits had me frantically scouring the shelves of all the supermarkets in the area to get my hands on the crazily addictive biscuits to make the cheesecake of my dreams. And it was so worth it! Look at this beauty! Buttery Biscoff biscuit base, creamy Biscoff cheesecake layer and pure Biscoff spread glaze on top! I tweaked this recipe a bit and it’s definitely a winner.

Ingredients:
FOR THE CRUST:
1 packet of Lotus Biscoff cookies (235g), save 2 for decorating. Obvs I used heaps more for decorating so you might want to buy 2 packets
85g salted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING:
1 cup (237ml) thickened cream
350g cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4cup (195g) Lotus Biscoff spread
2/3 cups (75g) icing sugar

FOR THE TOPPING:
The remaining 205g of the Lotus Biscoff spread jar (dear Future Suze, you like lots of glaze use more)

TO MAKE THE CRUST:
1. Line the bottom of a 9 or 10-inch springform pan with a parchment paper round. Using a food processor, pulse the Lotus Biscoff cookies into fine crumbs.
2. Stir in the melted butter until evenly combined. Measure out 1/4 cup (50g) of the mixture and refrigerate until ready to use for garnish.
3. Evenly spread the remaining crumb mixture to the pan and press down with a flat-bottomed drinking glass or spoon.
4. If you want a hard, crispy base, bake for 8mins at 325F/160C and then cool in freezer while making the filling.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
1. Beat the thickened cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer to another bowl and keep chilled in the fridge.
2. In the same mixer bowl (no need to wash), beat together the cream cheese, Lotus Biscoff spread and icing sugar until well combined and very smooth with no lumps.
3. Using a rubber spatula, dollop a spoonful of the whipped cream and stir into mixture to loosen it up. Then fold in the rest of the cream, until uniform in color and no white streaks remain.
4. Scrape the filling to the cooled cookie crust and spread into an even layer. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, 5 to 6 hours or overnight.

TO SERVE:
1. Place the remaining Lotus Biscoff spread in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat in the microwave until very fluid and melted, about 30 seconds. Don’t microwave in the jar!! Also sidenote for future Suze: add more!
2. Pour the spread all over the surface, quickly spreading it out into a smooth, even layer before the mixture cools.
3. Sprinkle the sides of the cake with the reserved cookie crumb mixture.
4. Remove from springform pan, decorate with whole biscuits and serve!

It’s so beautiful

For neat slices, dip a sharp knife in hot water, wipe it dry, then slice. Repeat, wiping the knife clean between each slice.

I love lemon curd, I just can’t get enough of the zingy, buttery spread! Normally I’m much too lazy to make my own and will happily buy jars of the stuff from the local markets. But thanks to iso boredom and a surplus of lemons, my lemon curd dreams have been appeased. I used this recipe.

4 large egg yolks
2/3 cup (134g) granulated sugar
1 Tb lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
6 Tablespoons (86g) salted butter, cubed

First zest 2 lemons and juice 2 lemons.

Fill the bottom pot of your double boiler with 1-2 inches of water. I don’t have a proper double boiler but I do have a small saucepan that sits about mid way in a larger saucepan and filled the larger saucepan with enough water that just touches the bottom of the smaller saucepan and set on high heat. Once the water begins to boil, reduce to low heat and keep the water at a simmer.

Place egg yolks, granulated sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice into the top pot of your double boiler. Using a silicone whisk, whisk until completely combined, then continue to whisk until the mixture becomes thick, about 10 minutes.

Remove pot from heat. Add the chopped butter and whisk until melted and combined. Pour curd into a jar or bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top so it is touching the top of the curd to prevent a skin from forming on top.) The curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Once cool, the plastic wrap can be removed. Refrigerate the curd for up to about 10 days.

Aaaaand enjoy!

So I’m not normally a fan of mussels because they’re usually overcooked and super chewy but after getting this recipe from Karen, it has been my trusty secret weapon over the years with perfectly plump and juicy mussels every time. Also I tend to double the amount of the ingredients so I get extra sauce leftover perfect for chowder or pasta!

Ingredients:
1kg mussels
2 large leeks
2 Tb olive oil
2 Tb butter
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or 2 Tb garlic paste which I forgot to add in the photo oops)
2-3 large anchovies
200ml dry cooking sherry
250ml thickened cream (iso grocery shopping meant only the low fat cream was available lols)
Chives/shallots/leeks/coriander for garnish

Step 1. Clean, scrub and pull the beards off the mussels and leave to strain. I normally buy the prepackaged mussels because they’re usually a bit less barnacle-y than the loose mussels.

Step 2. Wash the leek then chop into 1cm slices, using the end half of the leek right up to where it gets dark green and leafy. Heat up large pan with the 2 Tb olive oil and 2 Tb butter over medium heat. Saute leeks until butter melts.

Step 3. Add the garlic and anchovies and saute over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until leeks have softened and anchovies have dissolved and broken down into the oil.

Add the 200ml sherry and let the alcohol cook out for 2 minutes.

Then add the 250ml cream, stir and simmer for 5-10 minutes for sauce to reduce.

Add in the mussels (along with any of the brine) and give everything a toss. Stick the lid on and cook the mussels for about 5mins, shaking the pan occasionally until the shells have opened (discard any that haven’t opened).

Garnish with fresh herbs

And tadah! Serve with crusty bread and slurp away!

So I love classic cakes, just simple, straightforward cakes with minimal fuss and this lemon drizzle cake ticks all the boxes for me. It’s super easy to make, satisfyingly buttery and just dense enough with a zingy lemon-y glaze. I followed this recipe but I used this recipe for the drizzle.

Ingredients:
225g salted butter, room temperature
225g caster sugar
4 eggs
225g self-raising flour
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

For the drizzle topping:
Juice of 1 – 1½ lemons
225g icing sugar

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan forced.
Step 1. Beat together 225g butter and 225g caster sugar until pale and creamy.
Step 2. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after beating in the egg.
Step 3. Sift in 225g self-raising flour
Step 4. Add the finely grated zest of 1 lemon and mix until well combined.

Spoon mixture into a greaseproof paper lined loaf tin (8 x 21cm) and level the top. Bake for 45-50 mins until a thin skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

To make the lemon drizzle icing, mix the 225g icing sugar with the 1½ lemon juice. The consistency should be well, drizzle-able, if it’s too runny just add a bit more icing sugar. Be sure to stir well so there’s no icing sugar lumps- using a hand whisk helps with the lumps. While the cake is still warm, poke holes with skewer then pour over the icing. Let cool and serve.

Weeeewwwwwww! Slice and enjoy with a nice mug of tea! Happy iso baking!