Last night I hosted a Pre Shavuot evening for ladies. We heard an inspiring Shiur on the 'Spirituality of Shavuot' from Rebbetzin Chanee Shlomo of the Sinai Academy in Cape Town, a hands on talk by florist Manon from Okasie Flower Shop in Stellenbosch who showed creative ways of presenting flowers and I gave a Marble Cheesecake demo. We also explained the deeper significance behind the custom of eating dairy on Shavuot and decorating the Synagogue with flowers. A quick thought on the flowers: According to tradition G-d miraculously adorned Mount Sinai (situated in the desert) with beautiful flowers in celebration of the giving of the Torah. This reminds us that in life if one feels lost in a Spiritual wilderness, through the study and observance of the Torah one transforms that Spiritual emptiness into a blooming garden of flowers; bringing beauty, direction and meaning to one's life.
Now while I don't usually eat dairy I don't mind observing the custom on Shavuot and having a bite - in general I go by the 80/20 rule, and this marvelous marble cheesecake recipe will have your Shavuot guests begging for a second portion!
It is super easy and shouldn't take you more than 15 minutes to prepare.
Here's the recipe:
Crust:
3/4 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp custard powder
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp baking powder
Mix all ingredients together and spray a Pyrex dish and press dough in the bottom and sides of the dish to form a base.
Filling:
3 containers of smooth cottage cheese / cream cheese
1 cup brown sugar
2 whisked eggs
1 lemon squeezed
1 tsp vanilla essence
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon cocoa
Mix all ingredients together except for the cocoa and leave 1/3 of the batter in the bowl and add the rest into your dish.
Add 1 tablespoon of cocoa to 1/3 cup of batter and pour along the centre of your dish.
Ypu can use a knife or toothpick to design your marble cheese cake.
Bake at 150 c for an hour or into cupcake holders for 45 minutes.
Enjoy!
Wishing you a meaningful and inspring Shavuot!
