Elisa Pietrantonio‘s Clinkers slice is an iconic taste.com.au recipe

Australia has a LOT of questions about our Clinkers slice…but we’ve got all the answers. Find out who made it and how she did it.

Michelle Southan & Rebecca Nittolo

3 min read

March 8, 2024 - 5:00AM

When we first shared our Clinkers cheesecake slice recipe, it’s safe to say it almost broke Facebook.

Amid the thousands of likes and shares, more than 30,000 comments rolled in (yes, really).

“OMG I’ve just died and gone to heaven,” wrote one user.

“Come to Momma!” exclaimed another.

But what overwhelmed us was how many questions people had about this now-iconic dish:

“How on earth did you cut the Clinkers so perfectly without them shattering?!”

“Erm, I can never find any pink ones in the packet. How did you get so many?”

“Did you guys photoshop this? Surely you didn’t stick them all on by hand.”

“How many Clinkers did you use?”

(Don’t worry, we’ll answer all these. Be patient.)

Many of our Facebook followers doubted you can neatly cut Clinkers into four slices.

The woman behind the Clinkers cheesecake slice

To create the slice that our Food Director Michelle Southan labels “Aladdin’s treasure of jewels”, she enlisted the help of baking queen Elisa Pietrantonio (below right, with Michelle on the left). Elisa is also famous for our Bubble O’Bill ice-cream cake, but that’s another story. She says they thought long and hard about what they could do with a Clinker and decided to focus on the “array of pastel tones”, adding a “pretty pale pink” cheesecake filling.

Michelle Southan and Elisa Pietrantonio (right).

How many Clinkers did we use?

Just a couple of packets, actually! Michelle says: “The two bags used in the recipe will give you enough of all the colours to produce this amazing slice.” There might be a few left over after you arrange your wonderful mosaic, but that’s just a welcome snack for the baker, right?

How did we find enough pink Clinkers?

We found all the pinks we needed in two humble packets of Clinkers. HONEST. “There is always the debate as to whether you get enough pinks in a packet,” admits Michelle. “I know they are my favourites.” But she says that because “each Clinker gets cut into 4 slices,” it

looks like you need a lot more than you actually do.

What knife should you use?

Michelle reveals: “We did try many different knives to find the one that cut them best. We tested out every knife from a large cook’s knife, to paring, serrated and steak knives.” The verdict? “The best knife to use is a large cook’s knife with a straight edge.”

Who knew you could make a cheesecake from Clinkers?

How did we cut the Clinkers so perfectly?

Many of our Facebook followers doubted that you can neatly cut a Clinker into four slices. “Surely not, they will shatter!” they wagered. But Michelle says there is a knack to it. “To get the most slices from your Clinker without breakages, use the heel of the blade to slice through the middle. Leave the tip of the knife on the board and lift the back of the knife up and down in one slice. Then cut each piece in half again.”

Did any shatter?

Well, yes. Some. But not as many as you may think. “It seems green ones are slightly harder and have more breakages,” said Michelle. But the recipe allows for this. “We call those bonus snacks while your cheesecake sets.”