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Carrot Cheesecake

There are two very simple ways to put a smile on my face: feed me Carrot Cake or feed me Cheese Cake. And recently, I have discovered that you could "kill two birds with one stone" and feed me Carrot Cheesecake - two cakes combined into one. This recipe was easier than expected and the final result was AMAZING! The cakes set beautifully, the texture was perfect and the taste was indescribable.

This recipe is bound to get you major brownie points with your friends and family and I highly recommend you take the time to make this cake. Although it is a more expensive cake to make, it should definitely be on one's "baking bucket list". 

Ingredients 

Cheesecake 

2 Cups Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp All-purpose Flour
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1/2 cup Sour Cream

Carrot Cake

3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 Cup Cream Cheese
- Preheat the oven to 180 C
2-in-1 

1 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1 1/4 Cup All-purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
3/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Cup Carrots (grated)
75 g Walnuts (chopped)

Cream Cheese Frosting 

2 tbsp Butter
1/2 cup Icing Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1 tbsp Sour Cream

Directions (In order of preparation)

- Grease the baking tin ( I recommend a springform circular tin)

Cheesecake
- Beat together cream cheese, sugar, eggs and flour until smooth
- Add the vanilla and sour cream and beat until just combined

Carrot Cake 
- In a separate bowl, beat the oil and sugar until smooth
- Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until the mixture is smooth and light (roughly 2 minutes)
- In another bowl, sieve and mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir manually until just combined
- Finally, fold in the carrots and walnuts

- Spread the carrot cake batter into the bottom of your tin
- Pour the Cheesecake mixture over the carrot cake mixture
- Bake the cake for 60-70 minutes (if the top starts to brown, cover with tinfoil at 45 minutes)
- The cheesecake should be slightly soft and jiggly when you remove it from the oven
- The edges of the cheesecake may crack due to the carrot cake rising but that's what the cream cheese frosting is for

Let the cakes cool before icing and once iced, refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Icing
- Combine the butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy
- Mix the icing sugar in slowly and beat on medium for 2-3 minutes
- Add the vanilla and sour cream until combined

ENJOY!!!

Pesto Pizza Wrap

There are not many people who would turn down PIZZA. Being the health conscious individual that I am, I had to get creative when it came to pizza, because as much as I love sinking my teeth into a delicious crispy slice or six, my body cannot afford to indulge as much as it wants to. My solution?

This simple pesto pizza wrap which has become a staple, convenient go-to meal for me. It really does fill the gap and satisfy my pizza cravings.

I am not saying I will never indulge in a full blown pizza from now on, but this is a great way to tuck in at home when one doesn't have the time to make an elaborate meal or when one wants to be calorie conscious:

Instructions:

1. Place the wrap on a baking tray and preheat the oven to 180 degrees

2. Spread the pesto on the base of the wrap and sprinkle feta and chopped nuts on top

3. Bake for roughly 10 minutes (until crispy)

4. Take out the oven and add the avo and rocket

5. Serve immediately and season to taste