The flavour of Hokey Pokey is a New Zealand classic — best known as the crunchy golden spheres found in vanilla ice cream and as the toffee centre of the beloved Crunchie Bar. Elsewhere it’s often called honeycomb or honeycomb toffee, but here we’ll stick with Hokey Pokey. Whatever the name, it’s an instantly recognisable taste of kiwiana.
This recipe puts a dessert spin on that familiar Crunchie flavour. A slab of freshly made Hokey Pokey is blitzed into a fine powder to flavour a light cheesecake filling. That filling is poured over a balanced chocolate brownie base for a dessert that combines crunchy honeycomb flavour with fudgy chocolate and silky creaminess. Simple, nostalgic, and delicious.
A Kiwi favourite with a twist.
-
160g
Caster Sugar -
4
Tablespoons
Golden Syrup (about 100g) -
2
Teaspoons
Baking Soda
-
120g
Plain Flour -
½
Teaspoon
Baking Powder -
1
Tablespoon
Cocoa -
½
Teaspoon
Salt -
50g
Caster Sugar -
100g
Dark Chocolate -
90g
Butter -
1
Egg -
½
Teaspoon
Vanilla Extract
-
250g
Cream Cheese -
200g
Sour Cream -
200ml
Cream -
2
Teaspoons
Gelatine -
200g
Hokey Pokey Powder (from crushed hokey pokey)
-
100g
Dark Chocolate -
2
Tablespoons
Cream
-
Combine caster sugar and golden syrup in a medium saucepan and stir until the sugar forms crumbs. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then allow the mixture to bubble for about 4 minutes.
-
Remove from the heat and quickly fold in the baking soda. Be careful not to overmix. Pour the mixture onto a tray lined with greaseproof paper before it sets.
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Leave to cool and harden, then set aside.
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Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a 20cm square tin with baking paper.
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Melt the butter and dark chocolate together in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
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Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt in a bowl and set aside.
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When the chocolate mixture has cooled a little, beat in the sugar, vanilla and egg until smooth. Fold in the dry ingredients until just combined.
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Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 11–12 minutes, or until the top has set. Transfer the tin to the fridge immediately to stop further cooking.
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Place the hardened hokey pokey in a food processor and blitz to a fine powder; set aside.
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In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatine in 2 tablespoons of boiling water and set aside to cool slightly.
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Beat the cream cheese and sour cream in a large bowl until smooth. Gradually add the hokey pokey powder and the gelatine mixture while continuing to beat until fully incorporated.
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Whip the cream to soft peaks, then fold it gently into the cream cheese mixture until just combined.
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Spread the cheesecake filling over the chilled brownie base. Cover and refrigerate for 4–6 hours or overnight. Once set, remove from the tin, slice and serve.
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Place the dark chocolate and cream in a bowl and melt in short bursts in the microwave, stirring until smooth.
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Allow the ganache to cool slightly, then pipe or drizzle lines over the set cheesecake using a piping bag or a squeeze bottle.
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Return to the fridge to chill or decorate just before serving.