Are you done in from the Christmas season… the hustle and bustle, fighting the crowds, making a list and checking it twice? When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I like to take the time to pause and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas and what it means to me. The wonder and awe, the spirit of giving, the merriment of children are all around us during this beautiful time of year. As I close my eyes and reflect on these things, I am instantly renewed with fresh purpose and drive, ready to finish all of those tiring Christmas chores!
In the Words of Grinch “Christmas Doesn’t Come From the Store”
This, my friends, is my idea of heaven! The idea of cake and cheesecake baked into one irresistible goodie is enough to entice me, but gee, then to have it be red velvet cake AND frosted with cream cheese butter cream…OMG… I’m all in! I don’t think it can get much better than this so I have decided this is the desert that will be adorning my holiday table come Christmas day.
I hope you find this beautiful Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake as appealing and delicious as I do. I urge you to give this a go… you will definitely not be disappointed. I would love to hear your thoughts on the combination of cake and cheesecake together. Do you find it as irresistible as I do? To me, it truly is a thing of beauty! 🙂
So until tomorrow everyone, take good care of yourselves and happy Christmas baking!
Holy cow! Christmas is just a mere 10 days away! I’m sure most of you have been shopping ’til you drop. It truly is the most wonderful time of year, but also the most exhausting. So with that in mind, why don’t ya’ll come on in, grab yourself a nice cup of hot cocoa and cozy up next to my virtual fireplace.
Grab your hot cocoa and cozy on up next to my virtual fireplace.
For all of you who have been following my 12 Days of Christmas posts you know that yesterday I posted a delicious recipe for the French classic Buche de Noel. I love roulades and the Buche de Noel is a fun and festive one to make during the holidays, not to mention totally delicious!
So, since cake was featured for Day 5 I decided for today’s Day 6 post that I would offer up a delicious cheesecake recipe. I don’t know about you, but I absolutely adore cheesecake, any and all cheesecake. I have never met a cheesecake I didn’t like. Their creamy, scrumptious goodness sends me over the top – all the way to foodie heaven… yummmmy!
I have had a lot of people tell me they are intimidated by cheesecakes and so they have never attempted to make them. Let me just say right here and now cheesecakes are easy and fun! Please, do not be intimidated. Here are some simple steps to follow that will assist you if you are not familiar with making these delicious desserts:
If the recipe calls for a springform pan be sure to use it. These pans have a removable bottom and spring-locked tube that makes it easier to remove the cheesecake from the pan.
Springform Pan
One of the most frequent complaints in making cheesecake is the appearance of a surface crack(s). This can happen for a number of different reasons but to assist in preventing them it is useful to use a water bath. This is achieved by selecting a pan larger than the springform pan with a depth of 2 – 3 inches and placing very hot water into it to a depth of about 1/2 to 1 inch. Before placing the springform pan in the pan with the water be sure to wrap the bottom and partially up the sides with heavy-duty aluminum foil. The water bath will also assist in evenly baking the cheesecake.
Always use full fat cheese and milk. In my opinion, the use of lower fat dairy will result in an inferior cheesecake. It’s all about the cheese in cheesecake dearies – you want that full fat flavor! And since it is a dessert that you probably won’t be making on a daily basis then, hey, it’s worth the splurge. 🙂
Allow your ingredients to come to room temperature. This is true for all baked goods, but in this case it is particularly helpful in removing all of the lumps from the cream cheese.
When adding the eggs avoid over mixing as this can trap air in the batter and also result in a cracked surface.
Bake your cheesecake in a low temperature oven… 325 deg. is usually the optimum temperature. Bake your cheesecake until the center is just set – it should still be slightly wobbly and slightly moist. At this point, turn your oven off and allow your cheesecake to remain in the oven for an additional hour. The slower you cool your cheesecake the less the chance of developing those surface cracks. At the end of the hour carefully take your cheesecake from the oven and remove the foil. Use a knife to go around the outer edge of the cheesecake and allow the cheesecake to completely cool to room temperature. This will allow the cheesecake to pull away from the pan as it continues to cool.
Once completely cooled again use the knife around the outer edges and remove the sides of the pan. Place the cheesecake in the refrigerator and allow to chill for an additional 4-6 hours.
If you find that you still have ended up with a crack in the surface (because, alas, they do still happen from time to time no matter your precautions) then you can choose a topping to put over the top to hide that pesky crack. Whipped cream, sweetened sour cream, and fruit make great and tasty choices. Luckily, since this recipe calls for a whipped topping you don’t to have to worry so much in the event of a crack in the surface.
Speaking of whipped cream, this featured cheesecake calls for the use of Cool Whip. I personally believe that if I am going to go to the trouble of making a spectacular cheesecake then I want a true whipped (chantilly) cream. Nothing wrong with Cool Whip, mind you, because I do use it from time to time but NEVER for cheesecake! 🙂
Here is the recipe that I use:
Whipped Cream (aka Chantilly Cream)
1 cup heavy cream
1 – 1/2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar (I aso use regular sugar if I don’t happen to have confectioner’s on hand).
1-1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
For successful whipped cream I always place my bowl and beaters in the freezer until they are ice cold.
Once cold remove the bowl and beaters and add the whipping cream to the bowl. With your mixer whip the cream until loose peaks form. Add in the confectioners or plain sugar and the vanilla and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Do not over beat or you will end up with butter. Use in place of the Cool Whip called for in the above recipe.
Well ya’ll, I really hope you enjoy this cheesecake. It’s a beautiful and delicious cheesecake. The combination of chocolate, oreos, and peppermint is over-the-top, gotta-have-a-second-piece, ooooohhhh sooooo good delicious!
Be sure to drop back by tomorrow for Day 7 of Christmas Cake and Cheesecake as I will have another awesome goody waiting for you to grace your holiday table with.
Hmmmmm… chocolate and truffles and cheesecake… yummy! This next Christmas treat is truly a sinful confection of Holiday goodness! I don’t know about you but cheesecake is truly one of my favorite desserts and this Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake from Southern Living (via MyRecipes) certainly does not disappoint. I collect cheesecake recipes the way my kids used to collect fireflies on a hot, summer evening. I have made many a delicious cheesecake in my day and this recipe is a great example of a mouthwatering, oh-so-good, melt-in-your-mouth, chocolately goodness cheesecake. Oh my dears… it truly is!
Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake | Southern Living | Photo: Jim Franco; Styling: Lydia DeGaris Pursell
A link for the instructions, along with a free template, for the pretty and festive white chocolate topper is also included in the recipe. For those of you who would enjoy watching a video on how to make beautiful white chocolate snowflakes visit the Cake Journal’s YouTube tutorial for step-by-step instructions.
I hope you have enjoyed Day 2 of my 12 Days of Holiday Cakes and Cheesecakes I’d love to hear your thoughts on this cheesecake recipe along with what other favorite cheesecake recipes you enjoy.
Be sure to stop by tomorrow for Day 3’s recipe(s) featuring (hint) some “fruity, boozy” goodness! 🙂
Dibbles and Dabs 