Nutella Cheesecake

I’m Back!

An indulgent slice of Nutella Cheesecake with a side serving of homemade, vanilla bean ice cream!

In March 2009, I started a food blog at mangiodasola.blogspot.com. After a few months of surprised popularity, I purchased my own domain name only to lose it in 2014. I then changed my site back to mangiodasola.blogspot.com. Losing my domain name really affected my zeal for writing and publishing photos and recipes. Of course I continued to cook and take photos of some meals. However, I could never muster the energy to write or even face my blog again. Continue reading “Nutella Cheesecake”

Mexican Chocolate Cheesecake

Mexican Chocolate Cheesecake

Doesn’t this Mexican Chocolate Cheesecake look tempting? For the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences of my university hosted a celebratory luncheon where each department within the college was required to bring a certain type of dish. The languages department was in charge of desserts. I eagerly signed up and scribbled simply “cheesecake” below a scanty list promising a batch of chocolate chip cookies, a gluten-free dessert, and a plate of brownies all on behalf of my fellow colleagues.
For days I pondered over what type of cheesecake I would deliver. It would have to be unique, department-related, and more complicated than necessary, because that’s how I prefer to make display desserts in the midst of this processed-food culture in which I reside. Then I finally opted to allow the less-popular Mexican chocolate cookies I had stowed away in the freezer to guide my choice – a cheesecake with the cookies as a base, cinnamon and ancho chile-infused cheesecake and Chantilly/whipped cream, and a Mexican-chocolate ganache. Cinnamon and ancho chile were in every single layer. I was going to add a mousse layer, but because I was in the middle of grading exams and other assignments, I thought it’d be wise to provide a “simpler” cheesecake for the masses.
I had ignored the inner voice that told me to cut and freeze the cheesecake the night before delivery. Unfortunately, I didn’t follow my conscience in hopes that the people at the dean’s office would take good care of it. After reluctantly relinquishing my cheesecake to the secretary and kindly instructing her to store it in the refrigerator, in the back of my mind I knew something unfavorable was going to happen to my little labor of love. . .
Mexican Chocolate Cheesecake: Before the piping

The event started at 11am; I finished teaching by 12:15 noon. Throughout my class I wondered how the cheesecake had turned out and if there would be any left upon my arrival *hah!*. I rushed to the Thanksgiving luncheon and scanned the large auditorium for the dessert table. Since I did not immediately locate said table, I made my way to the savory items provided from other departments within the college, which were comprised of casseroles in crockpots and 9×13 baking dishes and turkey in foiled, roasting pans. As I meandered toward a table to relax and eat, I spotted the dessert table in the back of the auditorium. Not wanting to appear overly anxious, I decided to enjoy the main course meals before checking on my cheesecake and the other sugar-laden creations supplied by my colleagues.

Piping done!

Upon completion of the main course (which was pretty good by the way!), I nervously headed toward the back of the room. After passing over mostly store-bought desserts in their plastic containers and bakery price tags, a mushy-looking, unappetizing cake, and overly spread cookies, I resolved that my cheesecake was not there. I looked over the desserts again desperately looking for anything that resembled my cheesecake and finally found it. It was the mushy looking, unappetizing cake I had passed over the first time around.

Instead of being cut with a sharp knife, it was mutilated by a dull, butter knife that was not wiped between slices. Upon consumption of my first bite, I quickly realized my cheesecake had not been refrigerated, so it was very warm as if it had never spent the night in my fridge. Quiet tears yearned to leak out of my eyes with each bite I took of my little, mushy cheesecake. I reflected on how much effort I had put into the cheesecake and was thankful I had not added a mousse layer. I then reminded myself to be better prepared for such things to happen by cutting and freezing cheesecakes before delivering them to people who may not be accustomed to homemade, culinary creations.

The Aftermath

On the positive side, my colleagues said they enjoyed the cheesecake. Also, when I finally remembered to pick up my (unwashed) springform pan and cake carrier from the dean’s office (almost 2 weeks later!), the secretary paused her phone conversation to tell me “your cake was REALLY good.” 🙂 Just that one sentence erased all the anxiety and dismay I had felt upon seeing and eating my mutilated cheesecake haha. I’m already looking forward and am prepared for the next luncheon :).

Yum.

First layer: Mexican-Chocolate Cookies for the Crust layer

 2 1/4 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons cream of tartar*
1 teaspoon baking soda* (I used 3 tsp of baking powder in place of the cream of tarter AND baking soda)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature 
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon chile powder (I used ancho chile powder. Make sure there is no salt or garlic in it!)
If not refrigerating the dough, preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda (or just baking powder in place of the cream of tartar and baking soda), and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Next, add eggs and beat to combine. With mixer on low or with a spoon, gradually add flour mixture and beat until combined. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour for better cookies.
 
In a small bowl or a sealable bag, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, and chile powder. Using heaping tablespoons (or 25-26 grams of dough), form balls of dough and roll in cinnamon/chile/sugar mixture. Place, about 3 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are set in center and begin to crack, about 10 minutes (for a soft cookie, bake for 7-8 minutes), rotating sheets halfway through. Let cookies cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze the dough for months. I crushed about 15 cookies in the food processor to create crumbs. Next melt one Tablespoon of butter, mix it with the cookies, press the mixture in the springform pan, and store in the freezer while preparing the cheesecake filling.

 

 Second layer: Tall and Creamy Cheesecake (my go-to recipe forever and ever amen!)

HALVED & adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours

1 pound (two 8-ounce boxes) cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt (I always use kosher salt)
2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup heavy cream (or sour cream or combination)

Put a kettle or pot of water on to boil. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Working in a stand mixer (or large bowl with hand mixer), preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until it is soft for about 4 minutes. With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt, and continue to beat another 4 minutes or so, until the cream cheese is light. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the eggs one by one, beating for a full minute after each addition to yield a well-aerated batter. Reduce the mixer speed to low, and stir in the heavy cream or sour cream.

Give the batter a few stirs with a rubber spatula, just to make sure that nothing has been left unmixed at the bottom of the bowl, and scrape the batter into the springform pan. The batter should fill only half of the pan. Put the roasting pan in the oven and pour the the boiling water into the roaster to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. (I pour half of the boiling water before putting in the pan to reduce my chances of dripping water in the cheesecake.)

Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, at which point the top will be lightly browned and may have risen just a little above the rim of the pan. Turn off the oven’s heat, and prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon. Allow the cheesecake to luxuriate in its water bath for another hour.
After 1 hour, carefully pull the roast pan/springform pan setup out of the oven, lift the springform pan out of the roaster—be careful, there WILL be some hot water in the aluminum foil—remove the foil. Let the cheesecake come to room temperature on a cooling rack.
When the cake is cool, cover the top lightly and chill the cake for at least 4 hours or overnight. 

 

Third layer: Mexican-Chocolate Ganache

 QUARTERED and adapted from allrecipes.com

1/4 cup heavy cream

2.25 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used Callebaut semi-sweet chocolate)
1-2 tsp cinnamon powder

1/2 tsp ancho chile powder
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat (or microwave it for 30-60 seconds). For stove option, heat cream just BEFORE it boils. Place the chocolate in the cream, and remove from heat. Stir the mixture until smooth. Stir in the cinnamon and ancho chile powders and vanilla extract. Allow the ganache to cool for about 15 minutes before pouring the mixture on top of the CHILLED cheesecake.

Release the springform pan. With an offset spatula, smooth the ganache while starting at the center of the cake and working outward. Keep in mind that the cold temperature of the cake will cause the ganache to firm up quickly, and you may have to pour more on top to make it spread evenly.

Topmost layer: Cinnamon and Ancho-Chile Chantilly or Whipped Cream

1 cup COLD whipping, heavy, or double cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar (or fine or granulated sugar if you don’t have powdered)
1-2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ancho chile powder
1/2 – 1 tsp of vanilla extract (clear vanilla extract is best in this case, but I didn’t have it on hand)
For decoration: piping bag with tips, chocolate shards, cinnamon, ancho chile powder
Chill bowl and beaters in the freezer at least 5-10 minutes before making the Chantilly. Pour the cream in the chilled bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients when the cream becomes more voluminous. Continue whipping until the cream forms firm peaks. Do not create butter by over-mixing!
Final Preparation: Scoop the Chantilly/whipped cream into a piping bag with a 1M star tip or any other tip you have. Sprinkle shards of chocolate and more cinnamon and ancho chile powder on top to showcase what type of cheesecake you are serving :). Enjoy!
Copyright – Memoria James – http://www.mangiodasola.com

Strawberry Cheesecake

Move over all you strawberry shortcakes! Here comes a strawberry cheesecake you’ll never forget!

After getting my four wisdom teeth extracted, I could eat only soft foods. Unfortunately (and fortunately), the majority of the allowable food items were high in sugar and/or fat such as pudding, ice cream, and mashed potatoes. For some reason, I was craving healthier food items, so I supplied myself with plenty of baby food canisters of applesauce and pears since they are puréed more finely than the adult versions (you want to make sure you don’t get food particles on your newly-revealed gums. I even had to avoid rice dishes until later).

Anyway, once my teeth had healed a bit, I was craving something delectable, so I made a cheesecake since it is soft and on the approved list. I added the strawberries on top, but if you decide to eat this a day or two after a tooth extraction, you must omit the fruit or make a coulis version (i.e., purée the strawberries and strain out the seeds) of it.

I used my go-to recipe for cheesecake. I will never stray from this recipe because it doesn’t require sour cream or flour, two things I don’t like to put in my cheesecakes. It is so smooth and amazing and never creates a crack (at least on my watch).

I also whipped some heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract and placed some on top of individual slices. I hope you make this soon. If you are out of strawberries, try this with cherries. That was how I was going to make it originally, but I remembered the strawberries I had frozen a few months ago. I also didn’t feel like pitting cherries.

Don’t be discouraged by the length of the recipe. Most of the time making this dessert involves the oven and refrigerator. Also, I always make half of the cheesecake recipe (and the full recipe for the crust) since I live alone. It is still more than enough. Enjoy!

Tall and Creamy Cheesecake
halved and adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours and Serious Eats 

Crust:

1 3/4 – 2 cups (200 g) graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt (I always use kosher)
1/2 stick (4-5 Tbsp/60-75 g) unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake:
1 lb (two 8-ounce boxes/450 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp (160 g) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt (I always use kosher)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp (160 ml) heavy cream or sour cream or a combo

Make the crust:

  1. Butter a 9-inch/23 cm springform pan – 2 3/4 inches/7 cm high – and wrap the bottom of the pan in a double layer of aluminum foil; put the pan on a baking sheet.
  2. Stir the crumbs, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour over the melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist. Turn the ingredients into the buttered springform pan and use your fingers to pat an even layer of crumbs along the bottom of the pan and about halfway up the sides. Don’t worry if the sides are not perfectly even or if the crumbs reach above or below the midway mark on the sides—this doesn’t have to be a precision job. Put the pan in the freezer while you preheat the oven.
  3. Center a rack in the oven, preheat the oven to 350°F and place the springform on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool on a rack while you make the cheesecake.
  4. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F/160°C.

To make the cheesecake:

  1. Put a kettle or large pot of water on to boil.
  2. Working in a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until it is soft and lives up to the creamy part of its name, about 4 minutes. With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt and continue to beat another 4 minutes or so, until the cream cheese is light. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs one by one, beating for a full minute after each addition—you want a well-aerated batter. Reduce the mixer speed to low and stir in the sour cream and/or heavy cream.
  3. Put the foil-wrapped springform pan in the roaster pan.
  4. Give the batter a few stirs with a rubber spatula, just to make sure that nothing has been left unmixed at the bottom of the bowl, and scrape the batter into the springform pan. The batter will reach the brim of the pan. (If you have a pan with lower sides and have leftover batter, you can bake the batter in a buttered ramekin or small soufflé mold.) Put the roasting pan in the oven and pour enough boiling water into the roaster to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
  5. Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, at which point the top will be browned (and perhaps cracked) and may have risen just a little above the rim of the pan. Turn off the oven’s heat and prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon. Allow the cheesecake to luxuriate in its water bath for another hour.
  6. After an hour, carefully pull the setup out of the oven, lift the springform pan out of the roaster, and remove the foil carefully. Allow the cheesecake come to room temperature on a cooling rack.
  7. When the cake is cool, cover the top lightly, and chill the cake for at least 4 hours or overnight.
  8. Remove the sides of the springform pan, and set the cake, still on the pan’s base, on a serving platter. The easiest way to cut cheesecake is to use a long, thin knife that has been run under hot water and lightly wiped. Keep warming the knife as you cut slices of the cake.
Strawberry Topping

1 pint/360 g of strawberries, cut and hulled
1-2 Tbsp cornstarch, if you want it to be thicker
1/4 cup or less of sugar, depending on how sweet your berries are
half of a lemon

In a medium saucepan, boil all of the ingredients until thick. Pour the mixture on top of the chilled cheesecake. [If making a coulis, omit the cornstarch. Pour the cooked ingredients into a blender and puree or use an immersion blender until smooth. Then, drain the mixture with a strainer.]

To store: Wrapped well, the cake will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or for up to 2 months in the freezer. It’s best to defrost the still-wrapped cheesecake overnight in the refrigerator.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!!! ¡¡¡¡FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS, MAMÁ!!!! FELIZ ANIVERSÁRIO, MÃE!!!! BUON COMPLEANNO, MAMMA!!!! BON ANNIVERSAIRE, MAMAN!!!! 생일축하합니다, 어머니^^!!!!  
(Wow! I typed in Korean instead of copying and pasting. I hope I wrote it right.)
Copyright – Memoria James – http://www.mangiodasola.com

Mini Chocolate Mousse Cheescakes

Mini choc cheesecake blogAfter making the chocolate mousse cheesecake for my birthday, my friend wanted me to make one for her birthday. She requested a mini version, so I used my mini springform pans and gave both of them to her.
For the rest of the batter, I used a rectangular tart pan and kept that for myself (No photos of it. Sorry!). It took me over a week to finish eating the cheesecake, and it still tasted good. I hope to post some new stuff very soon. I just accepted a second job working on a research project, so I will be doing more work. Nevertheless, I do have some culinary “projects” in the works. Have a great weekend!

The recipe is here.

Copyright – Memoria James – http://www.mangiodasola.com

Chocolate Crumb Cheesecake Bars & Giveaway Winner!

I made these Chocolate Crumb Cheesecake Bars a lonnnng time ago. After I took photos of them, I made a new post, pasted the photos on it, saved it, and then just decided not to publish it. I guess I was hesitant to blog about them because they tasted just okay, and I wasn’t crazy about the photos. I think the “bland” chocolate treats I’ve made have not excited me because of the use of milk chocolate. [Side note: I should start using more semi-sweet chocolate from now on (I’m not a fan of bittersweet). I will just eat the milk chocolate bars as a treat on their own haha….or just combine it with bittersweet to make my own semi-sweet ;).]

However, I changed my mind and decided to post it because I don’t have any other photos to post right now; I wanted to post the giveaway winner; and I wanted to give you all an update on the paper I had to turn in that determined whether I could move forward with my PhD or not.

I have posted the winner of the giveaway below so that the winner and these bars will be the last things on your mind hah! I will tell you about the paper now.

I did not fail. However, I do have to make some revisions on my statistics and research design. So, once I make the necessary revisions, I will be able to turn in my dissertation proposal at the same time since they will be the same topic. So, I’m very happy with the result. I really don’t mind making revisions since I would have had to do it with the dissertation proposal anyway. I will be basically killing two birds with one stone. (Such a violent saying, isn’t it? Where’s PETA?). Anyway, I was crying happy tears like crazy as I hugged my professors. I’m very thankful and pleased with the ultimate decision. It is nice to know that my 9-year-old dream of earning a PhD still has a chance to be realized. I was also pleased to find out how much the faculty appreciates me. I really didn’t know they thought of me so positively.

Back to the bars! The original recipe does not have chocolate in it. Also, nuts are supposed to be in the crust, but I subbed in chocolate chips b/c of my dislike of nuts. I can see many variations that could be done with this recipe, so go wild!! The filling was very creamy, and these bars were pretty easy and quick to make. I’m certain these would taste better with a more intense chocolate like semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate.

GIVEAWAY WINNER!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

9

Timestamp: 2010-04-02 05:46:44 UTC

The Random Integer Generator was used to determine the winners so congratulations to:

#9 Corrina

“Happy Blogiversary!
Congratulations on sticking to it. I just found your site through tastespotting, as I was looking for inspiration for this Sunday’s brunch. These danishes look wonderful! I look forward to exploring your blog further.

1. I would enjoy any of those cookbooks, but the Portuguese one jumped out at me first.
I already own Lidia’s Italy, and use it often. Her fennel & orange salad was a hit at Christmas dinner.

2. I love making soups, but have never gotten around to making pho, which is one of my favorites to order when I go out. Hopefully, it will be on both our blogs one day! 🙂

3. I am fluent in English and Spanish. I also have basic knowledge of German and French, but wish these were stronger.”

The winner has been contacted, and I will send her the new cookbook, The Food of Portugal, in the next few days. Thanks to everyone who entered!

Chocolate Crumb Cheesecake Bars
adapted by Land O’ Lakes Pecan Cheesecake Bars

CRUMB MIXTURE:

1 cup AP Flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup (5 1/3 Tbsp) butter, softened
1/2 cup chopped pecans or chocolate chops

FILLING:

1 (8-ounce) pkg cream cheese, softened
3-4 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped and melted (microwave or bain marie)
1 tsp espresso or coffee granules
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine flour, brown sugar and butter in large bowl. Beat at low speed until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans or chocolate chips. Reserve 3/4 cup crumb mixture; set aside.

Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom of ungreased 8-inch square baking pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and melted chocolate in mixer bowl for 4 minutes. Next, add in the rest of the filling ingredients. Beat at low speed until well mixed. Spread filling over hot, partially baked crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture; press lightly into filling.

Continue baking for 30 to 40 minutes or until filling is set. Cool completely or refrigerate (latter option for photo purposes) before cutting into bars. Store refrigerated.

Copyright – Memoria James – http://www.mangiodasola.com

Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake BlogSunday, February 7th, was….*gulp*…my birthday. Whew! There. I said it. I know my mom’s proud and shocked. It has taken me years to admit my birthday publicly to friends, students, and strangers. Usually I don’t tell anyone and don’t even celebrate the day of my birth. I also turn off my cellphone to avoid well-intentioned phone calls from relatives and my ex-girlfriend. I really don’t like commemorating the 7th of February, but interestingly, food blogging is the catalyst behind my decision to slowly change my perspective.
For weeks, I have been planning out what type of cake I wanted to make for my birthday. Like I said, I don’t usually do anything for my birthday, but now that I have just started baking, I decided to make something special for it. (My friend guessed right that I made this cake for the blog more so than for my birthday haha)

I wrote down notes for my quintessential cake. I wanted it to be special. I wanted it to have layers. I wanted it to be beautiful – no, I wanted it to be stunning. I wanted it to have my go-to cheesecake in it and chocolate. From there, I put together what I’ll call a Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake made up of an Oreo crust, regular cheesecake filling (to contrast with the welcomed onslaught of chocolate), espresso mousse au chocolat, and espresso chocolate ganache on top.
Since I’m not very creative, I didn’t add any frills such as whipped cream decorations or pieces of fruit, and ultimately, I was happy with that decision. It was already more than enough. It was decadent. Smooth. Silky with a slight crunch from the crust. Delectable. Rich. PERFECTION.
I really, really, really don’t mean to brag, but every single layer was perfect. Every layer complimented each other brilliantly. I was shocked. I couldn’t believe I had made this cake…every single layer. I was proud of myself for planning it out and allowing my plans to come to fruition successfully.
I knew that I couldn’t keep this amazing creation in my house for long, so via text messaging and quick visits, I shared slices with my nearby colleagues/friends/neighbors (yes, they wear all three of those hats; I live in graduate housing, remember? :D). They all loved this cake. One person said I should sell it. Another person ate two slices in under 5 minutes. Another couldn’t focus on our non-gastronomic conversation even after finishing off the cake and scraping the plate b/c she would interject repeatedly about how delicious the cake was haha.

My mom’s birthday card in the background; she just couldn’t resist…

Leave a comment, if you like what you see! 😀

Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake
A creation compiled by me along with two giants in the cooking world.
NOTE
: to make things easier, make the cheesecake and crust on one day and the mousse and ganache on the next day. Cheesecake lasts longer than mousse. Keep this cake refrigerated and will last up to 2-3 days but is best eaten the day it’s made.

 

Layer 1: Oreo Cookie Crust

30-32 Oreo cookies (or chocolate sandwich cookies) for a high crust
4 Tbsp unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted
1-2 tsp espresso powder (optional)

Crush cookies in a food processor or in a ziploc bag with a rolling pin or mallet. In a bowl or food processor, pour melted butter on top of the crushed cookies and add the espresso powder (optional), and mix or pulse well. Place the oreo mixture at the bottom of a springform pan. Smooth out the mixture with the bottom of a measuring cup or glass. Wrap the bottom of the pan in a double layer of aluminum foil. Place the crust in the freezer while you make the cheesecake.

Layer 2: Tall & Creamy Cheesecake
HALVED & adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours

For the cheesecake:
1 pound (two 8-ounce boxes) cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt (I always use kosher salt)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup heavy cream (or sour cream or combination)

Put a kettle or pot of water on to boil. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Working in a stand mixer (or large bowl with hand mixer), preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until it is soft for about 4 minutes. With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt, and continue to beat another 4 minutes or so, until the cream cheese is light. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the eggs one by one, beating for a full minute after each addition to yield a well-aerated batter. Reduce the mixer speed to low, and stir in the heavy cream or sour cream.

Give the batter a few stirs with a rubber spatula, just to make sure that nothing has been left unmixed at the bottom of the bowl, and scrape the batter into the springform pan. The batter should fill only half of the pan. Put the roasting pan in the oven and pour the the boiling water into the roaster to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. (I pour half of the boiling water before putting in the pan to reduce my chances of dripping water in the cheesecake.)

Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, at which point the top will be lightly browned and may have risen just a little above the rim of the pan. Turn off the oven’s heat, and prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon. Allow the cheesecake to luxuriate in its water bath for another hour.

After 1 hour, carefully pull the roast pan/springform pan setup out of the oven, lift the springform pan out of the roaster—be careful, there WILL be some hot water in the aluminum foil—remove the foil. Let the cheesecake come to room temperature on a cooling rack.

When the cake is cool, cover the top lightly and chill the cake for at least 4 hours or overnight. Make the mousse once the cheesecake has cooled.

Quality chocolate courtesy of Callebaut Chocolate. YUM.


Layer 3: Mousse au chocolat/French Chocolate Mousse
adapted from Tyler Florence on Food Network

6 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, chopped (I used Callebaut; use good chocolate)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp espresso powder (added to intensify chocolate flavor, optional)
3 eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream, cold (do not use half-frozen cream; the whipped cream will curdle)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl, and place over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler). Melt the chocolate and butter together and stir with a whisk until smooth. Add in the espresso powder. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add the egg yolks to the chocolate, 1 by 1, beating with a whisk until incorporated. Set aside.
In another bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar, and continue to beat. Gradually whisk in 1/4 cup sugar, and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
Beat heavy cream in a chilled bowl with chilled beaters until it begins to foam and thicken up. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and vanilla. Continue to whip the cream until it holds soft peaks.
Gradually and gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Then, delicately fold in the whipped cream. Take care not over work the mousse but make sure you blend in the cream well. Place the mousse on top of the cooled cheesecake while still in the springform pan.

Cover the mousse cheesecake with foil, being careful to not let it touch the mousse. (If your springform is too small for this, just use less mousse in the cheesecake and instead eat them in ramekins while you prepare the ganache!) If making the ganache immediately, place mousse-covered cheesecake in the freezer as you make the ganache (the cheesecake should NOT be in the freezer for more than 30 minutes). If making the ganache later, place the cheesecake in the refrigerator for a few hours. Either way, the ganache must be cool before you can pour it on top of the cheesecake.

Top layer: Espresso Ganache
HALVED and adapted from allrecipes.com

 

1/2 cup heavy cream
4.5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used Callebaut semi-sweet and milk chocolate)
1 tsp espresso powder (optional)
1 1/2 tsp dark rum (I used vanilla extract instead)Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Heat it up just BEFORE it boils. Place the chocolate in the cream, and remove from heat. Stir the mixture until smooth. Stir in the espresso powder and rum or vanilla extract. Allow the ganache to cool for about 15 minutes before pouring the mixture on top of the mousse cheesecake.

Release the springform pan. With an offset spatula, smooth the ganache while starting at the center of the cake and working outward. (I did a “crumb coating” by placing a thin layer of the warm, not hot, ganache on top, allowed it to cool in the freezer for 30 minutes, then I poured more on the cheesecake after releasing the springfrom pan so that it could pour down the cake.) Don’t do exactly what I did, though. Just pour ganache on top once it has cooled. Keep in mind that the cold temperature of the cake will cause the ganache to firm up quickly, and you may have to pour more on top.

Save the rest of the ganache for decorations (if you whip the ganache when it’s cold, you can pipe a beautiful decoration) or save it for something else.

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Copyright – Memoria James – http://www.mangiodasola.com

Pecanless Pie Cheesecake

If you’ve seen my pecanless pie tarts, then you already know I’m not a fan of nuts, but I’m addicted to the sugary center and the buttery crust found in pecan pies. So a few weeks ago, I had a hankering for some pie and found this bookmarked recipe for pecan pie cheesecake. Perfect!

Well, I made the cheesecake with very few problems…until…I unhooked the latch on my springform pan. Once I lifted up the sides, all of the pecanless pie “juice” started leaking out!

In an attempt to transfer the pie to another plate, I cracked the top of the pie (now I know how a cracked cheesecake looks in person!) because it was stuck to the sticky syrup on the bottom of the pan. So, I just decided to let it stay where it was – on the springform base.

Despite the problems, the cheesecake was very good, and I’m sure it would have been better with more of the syrupy filling. If I ever make it again, I’m going to double the crust amount so that it can hold in all of the filling.

I topped the cheesecake with homemade caramel (OVERKILL, I KNOW! But I had to make up for the lost syrupy filling 😀 right?!) and whipped cream. Needless to say, it was VERY decadent and so delicious. This recipe came from Bake or Break – one of my favorite blogs for desserts. Her photos are so perfect. She uses macro on many of her drool-worthy shots.

Nilla Crust:
1 & 3/4 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine wafer crumbs and brown sugar. Stir in melted butter. Press into bottom and up sides of a 9″ springform pan. Bake for 6 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Pecan(less) pie filling:
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup dark corn syrup (I used light)
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
(1 & 1/2 cups chopped pecans)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 8-10 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour into crust and set aside.

Cheesecake portion:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 & 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 eggs
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Reduce oven to 325°. With a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat cream cheese at medium speed until creamy. Add brown sugar and flour and beat until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Stir in cream and vanilla. Pour over pecan filling. Bake for 1 hour. Turn off oven and leave cheesecake in oven with the door closed for 1 hour. Remove from oven and run a knife along the outside edges to loosen cheesecake from sides of pan. Let cool. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

Copyright – Memoria James – http://www.mangiodasola.com

(Not as) Tall & (Still) Creamy Cheesecake…Again

Check out the Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake I made with the same recipe!

Last weekend I flew to Los Angeles to visit my girlfriend and her two daughters. While my girlfriend is not that crazy about sweets, there is one dessert she likes – cheesecake. Since we would be staying in a hotel, I thought I’d surprise her by making the same cheesecake I always make for her when a kitchen’s available – Tall & Creamy Cheesecake by Dorie Greenspan. In fact, I’ve blogged about this cheesecake before.

Instead of making the cheesecake in my springform pan, I halved the recipe and baked it in a square pan to make cheesecake bars (I didn’t get to make pictures of them because I made them late at night). In order to keep the cheesecake cold, I placed the bars in wax paper, foil, small ziploc bags, and then they were all placed in one big ziploc bag. I then put in a bunch of ice in the big bag and stuffed it in my backpack. After teaching my two classes, I went directly to the airport. I didn’t change out the ice until my layover in Dallas. The guy who filled the bag asked me what I was packing, and I laughingly told him that it was cheesecake, and he raised his eyebrows and smiled.

When I arrived at the hotel, I put more ice in the bag and continued to hide the cheesecake in my backpack. I didn’t want her to know that I had brought it until the kids were gone later that night. When I showed the cheesecake to her, she was pleasantly surprised. I then proceeded to feed her as she comfortably watched television. As usual, she enjoyed the cheesecake very much (as well as other family members who got a taste of the other bars later). After she ate one bar, I tried one. It was so good! It was better than usual. As soon as that taste was planted in my mouth, I thought to myself, “I’m so going to make this cheesecake when I get home.”

As soon as I got back home and stepped into my apartment, I took out the eggs so that they could come to room temperature. I unpacked, rested a bit, and then made the cheesecake. I didn’t get to eat any of it until the next day. While it was very good, it didn’t taste as good as the one I took to LA. Maybe because it wasn’t my own cheesecake haha.

Anyway, this is by far my favorite cheesecake recipe. The texture of the cheesecake is perfect, creamy, and heavenly. Putting it all together is super easy. I almost always half the recipe, but I make the full recipe for the crust, and it’s always more than enough. The only difficult part is waiting for it to cool and refrigerate.

I love the graham cracker crust, so I made sure to make enough to allow them rise up on the sides in the springform pan. I also used my homemade strawberry jam as a topping and made some whipped cream with the leftover cream. It was perfect. If you have never tried this recipe, try it out very soon.

Tall and Creamy Cheesecake

source: Dorie Greenspan, Baking: From My Home to Yours

recipe copied and adapted from Smells Like Home.

Crust

  • 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
  1. Butter a 9″ springform pan – choose one that has sides that are 2 3/4″ high (if the sides are lower, you will have cheesecake batter left over) – and wrap the bottom of the pan in a double layer of aluminum foil.
  2. Stir the crumbs, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour over the melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist. ( I do this with my fingers.) Turn the ingredients into the springform pan and use your fingers to pat an even layer of crumbs over the bottom of the pan and about halfway up the sides. Don’t worry if the sides are not perfectly even or if the crumbs reach slightly above or below the midway point on the sides. Put the pan in the freezer while you preheat the oven. (The crust can be covered and frozen for up to 2 months.)
  3. Center a rack in the oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place the springform on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool on a rack while you make the cheesecake..
  4. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

Cheesecake

  • 2 lbs (four 8oz boxes) cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 1/3 cups sour cream or heavy cream, or a combination of the two
  1. Put a kettle of water on or a very large pot on to boil.
  2. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese at a medium speed until soft and creamy; about 4 minutes. With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt and continue to beat for another 4 minutes or so, until the cream cheese is light. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs one by one, beating for a full minute after each addition – you want a well-aerated batter. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the sour cream and/or heavy cream.
  3. Put the foil-wrapped springform pan into a roasting pan that is large enough to hold the pan with some space around it.
  4. Give the batter a few stirs with a rubber spatula , just to make sure that there is nothing left unmixed at the bottom of the bowl, and scrape the batter into the springform pan. The batter will reach the rim of the pan. (If you have a pan with lower side and have leftover batter, you can bake the batter in a buttered ramekin or a small soufflé mold.) Put the roasting pan in the oven and pour enough boiling water into it to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
  5. Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, at which point the top should be browned (and perhaps cracked) and may have risen just a little above the rim of the pan. Turn off the oven and prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon. Allow the cheesecake to luxuriate in its water bath for another hour.
  6. After 1 hour, carefully pull the setup out of the oven, lift the springform pan out of the roaster – be careful, there may be some hot water in the aluminum foil. Let the cheesecake come to room temperature on a cooling rack (about 1 hour).
  7. When the cake is cool, cover the top lightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours; overnight is better.
  8. At serving time, remove the sides of the springform pan (Greenspan suggests using a hairdryer to do this) and set the cake on a serving platter or leave it on the pan.
Strawberry Jam
adapted from Allrecipes

  • 2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled
  • 4 cups white sugar
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1/2-1 peeled and sliced Granny Smith apple (for natural pectin)

In a wide bowl, crush strawberries in batches until you have 4 cups of mashed berries. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, mix together the strawberries, apple slices, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 220 degrees F (105 degrees C). Transfer to hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch headspace, and seal. Process any unsealed jars in a water bath. If the jam is going to be eaten right away, don’t bother with processing, and just refrigerate (or freeze).

Whipped Cream


1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat heavy cream in a chilled bowl with chilled beaters until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Do not overbeat, or you’ll end up with sweet butter and buttermilk.

Copyright – Memoria James – http://www.mangiodasola.com

Tall & Creamy Cheesecake

For last month’s Daring Bakers’ challenge, we had to make a cheesecake that had me longing for my go-to cheesecake from Dorie Greenspan’s “Baking: From My Home to Yours”. Since I live alone, I knew it would not be a good idea to make the cheesecake unless others were around. Fortunately, my stepmother, her husband (I still call her my stepmother even though she divorced my father and remarried many moons ago), and my half-brother wanted baked cheesecake. I brought down my stand mixer and new springform pan (which claims to be leakproof) to Houston and made the cheesecake for them.

I also made some homemade whipped cream to accompany the cheesecake. It was so good that my half-brother, who usually can eat forever without getting full, knew he had to stop eating more after one small slice in order to eat the bbq and sides my stepmom made (yes, he ate dessert first haha).

It was very rich. It was perfection.

My stepmom added a little bit of store-bought 🙁 strawberry glaze to my cheesecake, but I knew I couldn’t say anything about it haha. I just smiled, thanked her for her contribution, and took pictures of it.

An imperfect, yet perfect slice of cheesecake. YUM!

You MUST try this cheesecake. I’m serious. The recipe can be halved easily. I wish I could make some more right now. *sigh*

My opinions about the springform pan:

When I first bought this pan, I tested it out by submerging it in water to see if it would leak. Since it didn’t, I made this cheesecake without foil. I noticed that the crust was a bit moist when I took off the sides of the pan (see pic below).

That could just be from condensation, though. Next time, I’m going to put on one layer of foil to see if it makes a difference. The crust was not soggy; it tasted just fine. So, I’m happy with this pan. I bought it for about 10 dollars from Wal-Mart.

In the photo above, you can see how the sides are flushed into the bottom of the pan to prevent leaks. You can also see the condensation on the sides of the pan.
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Tall and Creamy Cheesecake: A Basic

source: Dorie Greenspan, Baking: From My Home to Yours

recipe copied and adapted from Smells Like Home.

For the Crust

  • 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted

For the Cheesecake

  • 2 lbs (four 8oz boxes) cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 1/3 cups sour cream or heavy cream, or a combination of the two

To Make the Crust

  1. Butter a 9″ springform pan – choose one that has sides that are 2 3/4″ high (if the sides are lower, you will have cheesecake batter left over) – and wrap the bottom of the pan in a double layer of aluminum foil.
  2. Stir the crumbs, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour over the melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist. ( I do this with my fingers.) Turn the ingredients into the springform pan and use your fingers to pat an even layer of crumbs over the bottom of the pan and about halfway up the sides. Don’t worry if the sides are not perfectly even or if the crumbs reach slightly above or below the midway point on the sides. Put the pan in the freezer while you preheat the oven. (The crust can be covered and frozen for up to 2 months.)
  3. Center a rack in the oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place the springform on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool on a rack while you make the cheesecake..
  4. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

To Make the Cheesecake Batter

  1. Put a kettle of water on or a very large pot on to boil.
  2. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese at a medium speed until soft and creamy; about 4 minutes. With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt and continue to beat for another 4 minutes or so, until the cream cheese is light. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs one by one, beating for a full minute after each addition – you want a well-aerated batter. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the sour cream and/or heavy cream.
  3. Put the foil-wrapped springform pan into a roasting pan that is large enough to hold the pan with some space around it.
  4. Give the batter a few stirs with a rubber spatula , just to make sure that there is nothing left unmixed at the bottom of the bowl, and scrape the batter into the springform pan. The batter will reach the rim of the pan. (If you have a pan with lower side and have leftover batter, you can bake the batter in a buttered ramekin or a small soufflé mold.) Put the roasting pan in the oven and pour enough boiling water into it to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
  5. Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, at which point the top should be browned (and perhaps cracked) and may have risen just a little above the rim of the pan. Turn off the oven and prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon. Allow the cheesecake to luxuriate in its water bath for another hour.
  6. After 1 hour, carefully pull the setup out of the oven, lift the springform pan out of the roaster – be careful, there may be some hot water in the aluminum foil. Let the cheesecake come to room temperature on a cooling rack (about 1 hour).
  7. When the cake is cool, cover the top lightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours; overnight is better.
  8. At serving time, remove the sides of the springform pan (Greenspan suggests using a hairdryer to do this) and set the cake on a serving platter or leave it on the pan.
Copyright – Memoria James – http://www.mangiodasola.com

Daring Kitchen Challenge: Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake

Interesting Daring Kitchen conversation about the name of this cheesecake:

Daring Baker (DB) 1: Are you sure you mean infamous and not famous? Infamous means “having a reputation of the worst kind: notoriously evil’! Big Grin”

DB2: Ha, you haven’t met my friend Abbey. *grin*

Me: Then if Abbey is the infamous one, shouldn’t it be called “Infamous Abbey’s Cheesecake”? The cheesecake is not the infamous one, unless you are personifying it.

DB3: hahaha. I love the vocabulary battle!

So yeah, I still don’t quite understand why this cheesecake is being referred to as infamous, but that is the name! haha

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

This was my first Daring Kitchen challenge, and I was hoping to get something more difficult and new like the lasagne from last month. At least I got to try another cheesecake recipe! Also, I was afforded the opportunity to jazz up a plain cheesecake, which aside from strawberry toppings or glazes, was something I had never done before. This was the first time I’d ever used a real piping bag, as opposed to a Ziploc bag. So, I will need to practice a lot more to get it perfect.

Since I already have a go-to cheesecake, I was sort of doubting that this cheesecake was going to knock my socks off.

I decided to spruce it up by making it a key lime cheesecake. It was good, but not great. In fact, I gave almost the entire cheesecake to my neighbor/colleague. If I had never been exposed to Greenspan’s Tall and Creamy Cheesecake, I think I would have really enjoyed this cheesecake, though. It was creamy, and the crust was really good. I doubled the crust and halved the filling because I love graham crackers!

As you can see, I didn’t put much effort into decorating it because we are nearing the end of the semester, and I have way too many other things to do. Aside from adding 1/4 cup of key lime juice and some lime zest, I followed the recipe exactly. You may get the full recipe here.

Thanks, Jenny! Be sure to check out the other Daring Bakers results: Daring Bakers Blogroll

Copyright – Memoria James – http://www.mangiodasola.com