With Halloween almost upon us I needed something fast to whip up. I just don't have as much time to bake as I used to.
And this is where my story turns bad and regret sets in. (See the video of it happening here the decorating at the end is where it all goes bad)
I tried to make a jelly brain Basque cheesecake with no planning or buying what I needed. Actually not quite true, I did have something I'd planned to buy but they were sold out and I found an old brain ice mold and thought, that'll do.
But it in fact did not do.
My decorated cake was a spectacular Halloween fail, which was quite humbling as I'm usually pretty successful.
But it made me think about a lot of stuff that has been happening since I've been doing this blog reboot after being away for a while.
Everywhere I look, there's another perfectly styled cake, an impossibly beautiful dessert or a video showing something that looks so easy to recreate.
I sometimes look at recipes online and wonder whether the finished photos or videos actually represent what you'd get if you followed the recipe at home.
And if we don't realise that it makes us feel bad about ourselves.
With AI-generated images and videos becoming increasingly convincing, it's getting harder to know what we're really looking at.
The worst part is that this kind of content can receive millions of views, thousands of likes and endless comments. Meanwhile, those of us actually making things in our kitchens can end up wondering why our results don't look quite so perfect.
I wonder, when did fake perfection become something we celebrate more than reality?
Anyway the cake itself did turn out quite lovely. It is an extra chocolatey Basque cheesecake with a rich, velvety texture and tart raspberry coulis to balance all that chocolate.
Plus I learned something, or maybe remembered something is more accurate. Most things in life have a direct correlation to the effort you put in and if you rush something you won't always get the result you're hoping for.
I also made a YouTube video (HERE) which I talk through some of the things that social media videos do with a few suggestions on what you should do instead.
If you take that away from this post it's probably more worthwhile that another Basque cheesecake recipe.
If you don't have a mini bar tin you can make a 6"round version by following my regular Chocolate Basque Cheesecake HERE and replacing the cocoa with 15grams of Black Cocoa.
Happy Baking and remember keep it real!
XX
Linda
Chocolate Basque Cheesecake - makes a 5" x 3.5" rectangle cheesecake which will make 4-6 snack serves. I like to serve mine with raspberry coulis which is a lovely contrast to the velvety chocolate cheesecake. I use a good quality chocolate like Callebaut. Cheesecake slices can frozen wrapped individually in plastic wrap and thawed in the fridge.
- 275g (9 3/4oz) cream cheese at room temperature
- 125g (4 3/8 oz) dark chocolate melted
- 60g (2 1/8 oz) caster/ superfine sugar (use regular granulated sugar if that's all you have)
- 10g black cocoa sifted
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 140g (5oz) cream (dollop cream) (heavy cream) split into roughly 40g ( 1 1/2oz) and 100g (3 1/2oz)
- good pinch salt
- Raspberry Coulis (recipe below)
- Berries and flowers (optional)
Line a 5" x 3.5" inch wide by 3 inch high, rectangle baking tin with baking paper.
Place cooking rack into middle of oven and preheat to 200 C Fan forced (390F).
Melt the chocolate and 40g (1 1/2oz) cream in a microwave safe dish. I melted mine for 1 min at full strength waited a minute, stirred and then another 30 seconds. Leave for a minute between heating and mix to see if melted and if not heat for another 30 second burst. Set aside until needed.
Sift together the caster sugar and cocoa to ensure there are no lumps.
Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature so the mixture will be silky smooth. Place cream cheese into mixer bowl and mix at low speed until smooth and creamy. You do not want any lumps at this stage and also we are not trying to incorporate extra air or volume. The room temperature ingredients and slow mixing are key steps. You can use a stick blender (emulsifier) if you like.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl add the caster sugar and cocoa and mix at slow speed. Add the eggs one at a time and vanilla and mix until well combined. Continue to scrape down the sides of the bowl until the mixture is completely combined and smooth.
Add the melted dark chocolate and fold in with a spatula, there should be no lumps and no streaks when you are finished.
Add the cream and salt and mix well.
Pour mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 12 mins, increase temperature to 230C (450F) and cook for a further 7 mins.
Put cheesecake into fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Prior to serving remove from tin and allow to sit at room temperature for 20 mins. If your cheesecake is stuck and you can't get it to release, it's just some of the fats set hard. Run a plastic spatula around the edge between the paper and tin and if it still won't come out pop the base into hot water for a second being careful not to splash the cake and it should easily slide out.
Raspberry Coulis - I make this a lot when serving cheesecake at home and I usually do it without measurements. If it's just me and immediate family I don't even add sugar sometimes. It's a simple elegantly classic way to elevate most desserts perfectly.
- 200 g (7 oz) frozen or fresh raspberries
- 25g icing (powdered) sugar - use regular sugar if that's all you have
Mix together berries and sugar in a microwave safe bowl and heat in microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, blend and sieve.
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Original photos and recipe from the Bubble and Sweet blog ©Linda McCubbin 2026. I love when people share my blog ideas and give credit. Please feel free to link back to my blog for non commercial purposes or contact me. Affiliate links and ads may earn me money, however all ideas and opinions are my own.
