Four Christmas showstopper desserts from Graham Herterich, aka The Cupcake Bloke

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan. Line the bottom and sides of a 20cm springform tin with non-stick baking paper.

2. Put the crushed biscuits and melted butter in a bowl and stir until evenly combined, then scrape into the bottom of the prepared tin. Use the back of a spoon to evenly press the crumbs into the base of the tin. Whisk the cream cheese and sour cream together until smooth. Add the sugar, egg yolks and the whole egg, then add the lemon zest and juice and the vanilla and continue to whisk until everything is combined. Pour the cheesecake filling onto the biscuit base.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 55–60 minutes. To check that it’s done, the cheesecake should feel set but still have a slight wobble in the centre. Take it out of the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely before releasing the cheesecake from the tin. Top with the lemon curd and put it in the fridge.

4. To make the meringue, whisk the egg whites in a spotlessly clean, dry bowl with an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until you have soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar one-third at a time, whisking until the meringue is thick and glossy.

5. There are two ways to finish the meringue: either in a hot oven or using a kitchen blowtorch.

6. To finish in the oven, spread the meringue on top of the chilled cheesecake and bake in the oven preheated to 180°C for 10–15 minutes, until golden.

7. To finish with a kitchen blowtorch, take the cheesecake out of the fridge 20–30 minutes before eating. Spread the meringue on top of the cheesecake and use the blowtorch to lightly toast the meringue.
   Bake: Traditional Irish Baking with Modern Twists by Graham Herterich is published by Nine Bean Rows (€25)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan. Prepare a 23cm square baking tin by lightly greasing it with butter and lining with non-stick baking paper.

2. Melt the butter in a saucepan until slightly warmed, then remove the pan from the heat. Add the dark chocolate chips, stirring to melt the chocolate and combine it with the butter. Leave to cool to room temperature.

3. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together and set aside.

4. Using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs and sugar together until they look thick and creamy and have doubled in volume. Pour in the cooled chocolate mixture and gently fold together using a large metal spoon. Add the sifted flour and cocoa powder along with the milk chocolate and white chocolate chips. Gently fold everything together.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes. The bake should have a slightly shiny look and the top should feel like a sheet of paper.

6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the tin. Keep going to make the trifle or cut the brownies into portions and enjoy them now, just as they are.

7. To make the chocolate custard, in a large bowl, make a paste with the sugar, cornflour, cocoa powder, egg yolks and 2 tablespoons milk (taken from the 500ml).

8. Heat up the rest of the milk in a saucepan. Just before it starts to boil, pour the hot milk into the paste and mix well. Return the mixture to the saucepan and slowly bring to the boil.

9. Once it has reached a boil, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips until they have melted and everything is evenly combined. Pour the custard into a clean bowl and press a piece of cling film directly on the surface – this will prevent a skin forming on the custard. Allow to cool completely.

10. For the whipped cream layer, simply whisk the cream with the icing sugar and Irish cream liqueur (if using) until it forms soft peaks. To assemble, cut the brownie into bite-sized pieces and arrange in the bottom of a trifle bowl, then drizzle with a few tablespoons of the liqueur (if using). Pour the cooled chocolate custard over the brownie before adding the final layer of whipped cream.

11. Keep chilled until ready to serve. Decorate with the crushed chocolate pieces just before serving.
    Bake: Traditional Irish Baking with Modern Twists by Graham Herterich is published by Nine Bean Rows (€25)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan. Grease and line the base of a 20cm round springform tin.

2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Remove the pan from the heat, then add the cocoa powder and stout, mixing well.

3. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl, then stir in the sugar. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the stout mixture, sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Mix well using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until you have a smooth batter.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 50–60 minutes, until firm to the touch. Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before releasing the sides of the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. To make the frosting, put the butter, icing sugar and liqueur in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer again, combine the ingredients slowly at first until everything is combined, then mix at a high speed for about 5 minutes, until everything is whipped to a light, fluffy, spreadable consistency.

6. Pile the frosting on top of the cooled cake and spread to the edges using a palette knife or spoon. Decorate with the broken honeycomb chocolate bars.
   Bake: Traditional Irish Baking with Modern Twists by Graham Herterich is published by Nine Bean Rows (€25)