Monday, April 27, 2009

Cheesecakeletes three ways - DB April 2009




I admit my defeat. I finally caved in to these cheesecakes. I never used to like cheesecakes. The texture, the sligtly tangy and sweet taste just never work for me. Especially that stuck-in-your-throat feeling you get everytime you eat a spoonful. Bleh! The one and only time I ever made a cheesecake, a baked one I might add was for my boss's birthday and I still wasn't sold by this dessert. However, I think I might just found a recipe that could change my skepticism.The recipe that is this month's Daring Bakers challenge was soooo creamy and the texture was so soft (soft enough for me to wreck one when I tried to unmold it). Not the easiest or simplest recipe I'm afraid. The baking time plus resting time, and the water bath makes this recipe quite challenging (coming from a girl who burnt herself in too many occasion from trying to remove the heavy water-bath-filled pan). But this water bath is the key to achieve it's creamy texture.



We were given total freedom to change the recipe this month. In fact, that is part of the challenge, creating different flavour combination or ways to serve the cheesecake. Me being the indecisive that I am, of course couldn't decide on one flavour, so instead, I did it three ways. The three most favourite ways of how I do dessert. Fruity, chocolatey and not forget the very best, cookies and creme. You can say that my love of desserts are summed up in this three cakelets. Eventhough I adore figs, but this is not actually my first preference, but my all time favourite, the berries and cherries are long gone since we are well in the winter season now here in downunder. And figs seems to be at it's top of the season, so I paired it with a lovely bush honey for my fruity cheesecake.



Before I forget, this is the official blurb that needs to be posted:
The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.



Abbey's Infamous Cheesecakeletes:
(2/3 of recipe) I use three ramekin dishes

crust for the honey and marble cheesecakelets:
120 g graham cracker crumbs
74g butter, melted
16g caster sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Oreo crust:
60 g Oreo biscuit, set aside the white parts for the cheesecake
37g butter, melted
8g caster sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

cheesecakeletes:
450g cream cheese, room temperature
2 large eggs
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. vanilla extract (or the innards of a vanilla bean)
1 tbsp liqueur, optional, but choose what will work well with your cheesecake

Honey & Fig:
25g sugar
25g bush honey
3-5 dried figs

Plain:
50g caster sugar

Cookies & Cream:
25g sugar
white cream leftovers from crust
3-4 oreo biscuits, roughly crushed into big chunks

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (Gas Mark 4 = 180C = Moderate heat). Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside.

3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and alcohol and blend until smooth and creamy.

4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.

5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.

Pan note: The creator of this recipe used to use a springform pan, but no matter how well she wrapped the thing in tin foil, water would always seep in and make the crust soggy. Now she uses one of those 1-use foil "casserole" shaped pans from the grocery store. They're 8 or 9 inches wide and really deep, and best of all, water-tight. When it comes time to serve, just cut the foil away.

64 comments:

  1. Ooooh, so pretty! I love all the flavors you picked. Yum. :)

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  2. love you cheesecakes :)
    they look stunning :)

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  3. Figs and honey!! We must be connected!! And the cookies and cream one is absolutely to die for!!

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  4. Aww 3 rasa! the one with figs is my favorite :)

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  5. It's always been my belief that people who don't like cheesecake have just never met the right cheesecake for them. I'm glad you've met yours!

    Gorgeous photographs and yummy flavour combinations. Great job on this month's challenge!

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  6. BEAUTIFUL! great photographs. I love the fig one :)

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  7. YUUUMMM why didn't I think of cookies and cream?? It's my favourite! I think that we are "in the culinary club" once we take off a chunk of our thumbs with a knife or madolin. Nice to meet you fellow club member!

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  8. hehe. you know Christy used figs too. sheesh. what's with you Australians :D hehehe

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  9. Fig+Honey and cakelettes=perfect

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  10. Mmm, your cheesecakelettes look amazing! Awesome job on this challenge =D.

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  11. They all look very pretty and delicious! Great job!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  12. Your little cheesecakes look amazing. I had the same feelings about cheesecake that you did. I had never made one myself; never feeling the need to do so, but this recipe... it was simply delicious so I am now officially a cheesecake - convert..:)

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  13. absolutely d'lish looking cheesecakes! i was never a huge fan of cheesecake either but this was good eh?

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  14. Oooh PRETTY! I love it that you made little cheesecakes. Next time I'm gonna do mine in ramekins too. BEE-YOO-TI-FUL!!

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  15. Great flavors and such cute presentation - I love the little cheesecakelets!

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  16. Great job! I wouldn't know which one to eat first they all look so delish!

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  17. Omg figs and honey, how decadent and beautiful! You did an amazing job!

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  18. Those figs on top look stunning. What a great flavor combination!

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  19. These cakelettes look so good. And each one so unique!

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  20. Uh, yum! Yours look awesome!! Your photos are beautiful, too!

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  21. The fig sounds great! I love fig! The fresh figs look great! Great job!

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  22. Perfect little bites of heaven! They are beautiful too :)

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  23. I LOVE your flavors so much, especially the honey-fig! Not only that, they look stunning! Your photos are amazing! Totally blown away..great job all around!

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  24. You've chosen some fantastic flavours there to cover every taste! They look so delicious! :D

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  25. Thanks for stopping by! You're so funny! Yours looks great too!!! So many great looking cheesecake photos, I might be dreaming of cheesecake tonight! Anyway, hope you enjoy the Japanese cheesecake too! :)

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  26. Figs and honey what a great treat you made. Yes this is one fabulous recipe one of the best I have made. Thanks for nice comments on my blog. CHeers

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  27. Love the pics with the different toppings! The cookies and cream ones are especially speaking to me right now....*come eatttt me*

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  28. Oh wow, 3 flavours and all 3 beautiful to boot!

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  29. Mmm great idea to do 3 different flavours! Cookies & Creme...wow!!

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  30. Stunning ohotos and wonderful flavor combinations!!! Wonderful challange!
    Thanks for visiting my blog.

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  31. Three cheesecakeletes. Your photos look great with the fig one looking so tempting. Wonderful flavor combos! Great job!

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  32. You did a fantastic job! I'm glad that you didn't pass this challenge up, and that you've now found a recipe that you LIKE! yeah! :)

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  33. I love the name Cheesecakeletes! And Fig and Honey sounds so perfect!

    I thought this recipe was better than some cheesecakes I've had in restaurants....even in New York!

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  34. the Figs cake is calling my name
    great flavours and photos

    thanks for stopping by

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  35. The fig and honey cheesecake looks awesome!!! I have never had a fresh figs before. I need to go to my farmers market stat!

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  36. Loved your option too!
    Figs and honey, uau. And good photo by the way.

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  37. The figs look gorgeous!!! I just adore figs...next fall I will have to try your recipe!

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  38. These are so pretty and the flavors you chose sound fantastic!

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  39. Figs and honey, impossible to resist for me.
    Looks delicious!

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  40. What great flavor combinations, and so beautiful!

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  41. Oh my your cheesecakeletes look amazing!!! FIg and honey... yummy!!!!!! Great job :)

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  42. Beautifully photogaphed, and what a delicious combination. Enjoy your fall--may there be many more (delicious) cheesecakes to come!

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  43. One more person won over to the dark side of cheesecake-love. Hehe. I love the choices you made on this challenge, and I think figs would be delicious with this recipe! Thanks for being a part of this month's challenge!

    Jenny of JennyBakes

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  44. Fig and HOney sounds perfect, love all your cakes

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  45. Such a lovely photo with the figs. It's true that in Australia you are headed into winter, but if not, no fresh figs...and with honey! Yum. This was the creamiest cheesecake I've ever tasted and so light, which is amazing considering all the cream cheese in it. Glad you now have a cheesecake to call your own.

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  46. My favorite is the fig! Looks so pretty!

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  47. OO, your combination sounds soooo good! And they look good too.

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  48. Your little cheesecakes look wonderful. Nicely done!

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  49. These look so gorgeous! I'm with you on the indecision, but I congratulate you on settling on three. I love your choices.

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  50. Your cakelets are adorable. I have a special fondness for figs but I would dive into any one of those, happily.

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  51. What a smart idea to pair it with figs!

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  52. Those figs look fantastic! I love your different flavor combination's. Everyone in DB is so creative!!!

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  53. Those all look so pretty, especially the figs!

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  54. Awesome job on the cakelets, and love the burger cake too!

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  55. Love the fig and honey combo! I'm also down with the Oreos. They both look absolutely delicious!

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  56. Very elegant presentation.
    I'd like the one with the figs please.:)

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  57. I love what you did with the cheesecakelets! You absolutely put me to shame. The figs on top look beautiful.

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  58. I absolutely love the honey and fig! Great idea!!

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  59. Frankly, I would mind defeat in the kitchen every time, if this is what being defeated looked like.
    Your little cheesecakes loook lovely. I had figs in my fridge, but would have never thought of using them like this. :)

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  60. We don't get figs in the Phiippines, not fresh ones at least! And I do so love them. The halved figs atop your cheesecake just ooze with sweet poetry. I'm sure they tasted as good as they look!

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  61. Though I love figs, they are sadly not available to me in the Philippines. Your halved figs atop the cheesecake just ooze of sweet poetry! I'm sure they tatsed even better than they look!

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  62. They all look delicious! Great job on this challenge!

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  63. Yummm Honey and Fig two of my favorite flavors. Sadly I do not get figs often enough. The stores around here just don't carry them. So I'll be right over. LOL

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