Caramelised Cookie Cheesecake

This is the cheesecake that I made last Saturday. I used the same recipe as the Oreo Cheesecake I made before but this time I replaced the oreo cookies with caramelised cookies. This recipe is really a keeper, that’s not a surprise since it's created by a cheesecake teacher.  The cake is creamy, smooth & just slightly tangy. But the cookie crumb base was quite wet, not sure if it's caused by water sipping into the pan, which I doubt since I wrapped the base of pan with aluminium foil. So next time, I would bake the crust first before pouring the cake batter.

Update (30 May 2015):

Below is the caramelised cookies I bought, the Lotus Biscoff Biscuit & Caramelito. In Singapore, you can purchase them from Mustaffa, Candy Empire & Choco Express. I've also seen the Lotus brand at Fairprice Tampines Mall. 

Caramelised Cookie Cheesecake

Crust:
20 caramelised cookies (I used Lotus Biscoff brand.)
70g butter, melted
Blend the cookies into crumbs. Pour in melted butter & mix well. Press into cheesecake pan - 9-inch (23cm) round or square cheesecake pan, ungreased, or springform pan with 3-inch (7.5cm) sides, greased. Set aside in the freezer to firm.

Filling:
3 packages (each 8oz/250g) cream cheese, softened
280g yogurt. (I used 2 small tubs of Marigold low-fat yogurt.)
150g granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 caramelised cookies (broken into quarters)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F (180 deg C). Wrap the base of the pan with aluminium foil if you are using the water-bath method.
2. In a large mixer bowl, beat cream cheese, yogurt & sugar on medium high speed for 3 minutes. (I beat until the cream cheese is smooth.)
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
4. Stir in vanilla.
5. Fold in quartered cookies.
6. Pour batter over frozen crust. Bake in preheated oven for 45-55 minutes or until the top is light brown & the center has a slight jiggle to it. (I baked using water-bath method.)
7. Cool on a rack for 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap & refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving.

Recipe adapted from 125 Best Cheesecake Recipes by George Geary.

I am submitting this post to:

1. Bake Along, an event organised by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours, Lena of Frozen Wings and Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids & 
2. Little Thumbs Up (May 2015: YOGURT) organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY & hosted by Cheryl of Baking Taitai.

Oreo Cheesecake

My youngest son, Maisur, requested a home-baked Oreo Cheesecake for his 10th birthday. Although his birthday was last Wednesday, I told him I could only bake it on Friday, a  holiday to commemorate Teachers' Day. He didn't mind, as long as I bake one. 

This time, I chose a recipe by George Geary, a professional cheesecake teacher & baker. From the scribble I made on the recipe page, I realised this was my second time using this recipe. The whole family loves this luscious cheesecake, especially the birthday boy! He can't stop eating it!

Chocolate Cookie (Oreo) Cheesecake
Recipe by George Geary from 125 Best Cheesecake Recipes.

Crust:
1&1/4 cups chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs (I used 21 Oreo cookies & removed the filling.)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
10 chocolate sandwich cookies (These are for decorating the side of pan, but I didn't do this.)

1. In a medium bowl, combine cookie crumbs & butter. Press into cheesecake pan. 
2. Cut sandwich cookies in half at the cream filling. Place each half, cookie side, against side of pan, one after another, creating a wall of chocolate sandwich cookies. 
3. Set aside in the freezer to firm.

Filling:
3 packages (each 8oz/250g) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream (I used Marigold low-fat yogurt.)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla (I used 3 tsp pure vanilla paste.)
4 chocolate sandwich cookies, quartered - I used 6.

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F (180 deg C). 
2. Prepare a 9-inch (23cm) cheesecake pan, ungreased, or springform pan with 3-inch (7.5cm) sides, greased. (I used a 9-inch square cheesecake pan, i.e, a pan with removable base, just like a tart pan.)
3. In a large mixer bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream & sugar on medium high speed for 3 minutes. (I beat until the cream cheese is smooth.)
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
5. Stir in vanilla. 
6. Fold in quartered cookies. 
7. Pour batter over frozen crust. Bake in preheated oven for 45-55 minutes or until the top is light brown & the center has a slight jiggle to it. (I baked using water-bath method.)
8. Cool on a rack for 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap & refrigerate for at least 6 hours before decorating.

Decoration - Classic Whipped Cream: ( I didn't decorate my cake.)
1/2 cup whipping (35%) cream
2 tbsp granulated sugar

1. In a well-chilled bowl, whip cream on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. 
2. With the mixer still running, sprinkle sugar into cream & continue whipping until firm peaks form. 
3. Ice top of cheesecake with whipped cream & top with chocolate sandwich cookies.

I'm linking this post to Cook-Your-Books No 4 hosted by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours.

Durian Custard Layer Cake

I made Durian Custard Cake after seeing a facebook post. Since I was already planning to bake cotton cheesecake, I thought why not replace the regular vanilla sponge with the cotton cheesecake. Well,  that may not be a good idea after all.... though the cake tasted really good, I think the rich & amazingly delicious durian custard just overrode the subtly-rich cheesecake. Maybe the cake would taste as good just with a regular sponge cake... why waste the cheese.. right? Anyway, I won't really know unless I make it again using the vanilla sponge.

Durian Custard Layer Cake

Japanese Cotton Cheesecake
Recipe by Alex Goh from Fantastic Cheesecake.

Ingredients:
160g cream cheese
25g butter
120g milk
40g flour
30g cornflour
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
100g sugar
pinch of salt

Method:

1. Grease & line the bottom of two 20-cm oval pans. Wrap outside of the pans in a foil. (I used one 14-cm & one 18-cm round pans.)
2. Place cream cheese, butter & milk in a mixing bowl & stir over double-boiler until thick. Remove it from double-boiler.
3. Add in flour & cornflour & mix until well combined. Add egg yolk & continue mixing until well blended.
4. In a clean & dry bowl, whip the egg white until foamy. Then add in cream of tartar, sugar & salt & continue whipping until soft peak.
5. Fold in the meringue, in thirds, into the cheese mixture & mix well.
6. Pour the mixture into the pans & bake in water bath at 160 deg C for 40-45 minutes (I baked for 30 mins.) or until firm & golden brown.
7. Remove cake from the oven. Remove the cakes from the mould immediately. Set aside to cool.

Durian Custard
Recipe by Kak Fida @ My Resipi.

Ingredients:
250g durian flesh
1000 ml diluted coconut milk (I used 500ml regular milk & 500ml water.)
300ml thick coconut milk
1 packet (12g) agar-agar powder
6 tbsp custard powder
200g fine sugar
1/4 tsp salt
yellow colouring

Method:

1. Blend durian flesh together with the diluted coconut milk. Strain & pour into a pot. 
2. Add in the rest of the ingredients & cook over medium fire, stirring continuously, until mixture thickens. Remove from fire & set aside.

How I assembled my cake:

1. Prepare a ring mould. Wrap the bottom of the mould with a cling wrap. Then place the mould on a cake base. 
2. Cut the cake into two horizontally. The diameter of baked cake must be about 2cm smaller than the mould because the outer part of the cake served later will be covered with the custard.
3. Place one piece of the cut cake into the mould, positioning it in the center.
4. Then pour the custard into the mould, making sure the cake is totally covered with custard.
5. Then gently place the other piece of cake into the mould & pour some more durian custard.
6. Decorate the top of cake using the remaining custard or toasted sliced almond. (I left the top plain.)
7. Allow the cake to cool down. Then chill it. 
8. Before serving, remove the plastic base by sliding it out gently while the cake is still on the cake base.
9. Then lift up the mould gently. Slice & serve.

NB: If there's leftover custard, pour it into jelly moulds & chill them. Serve as durian pudding.

I'm posting this entry to Aspiring Bakers #33 (July 2013) - Tropical Spiky Month hosted by Charmaine of MiMi Bakery House.

I'm aso linking this post to  Bake Along  hosted by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Lena from Frozen Wings.

Creamy & Fluffy Cheesecake

After a delightful experience with the Creamy Cheesecake a week ago, I'm here with a cheesecake again... This time, as I've mentioned I was going to do, I did a slight tweak to the method, in the hope of duplicating The Coffee Bean Chicago Cheesecake, at least the texture.... 

So, did I succeed? Well, I think I was not exactly there..... but almost.. I'm very happy with the result though. So, beating the egg whites separately did produce a fluffier cheesecake, just like the Souffle Cheesecake. 

I'm also happy with how it tastes this time... rich & creamy but not so tangy. This time, I reduced the Greek yogurt significantly & mixed it with a can of cream. Hmmm.... I wonder what the outcome would be if I were to use whipping cream... No... I'm not going to experiment with that so soon.. or we'll all be cheesecake overload! 

Ok.. before I leave you with the recipe, just some notes:

1. This recipe is still based on the recipe by Dorie Greenspan.
2. You may vary the combination of cream & yogurt. It all depends on how creamy or tangy you want the cheesecake to be.
3. Again, mine is the low version, so if you want a tall cake, just double up the cheesecake ingredients.

Creamy & Fluffy Cheesecake

For the crust:
170g (1 3/4) cups graham cracker crumbs
30g (3 tbsp) sugar
pinch of salt
60g (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
500g (two 250g boxes) cream cheese, at room temperature
120g (2/3 cups sugar) - divided
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla paste
2 large eggs (separated), at room temperature
1 can (170g) Nestle cream (sterilised pure dairy cream)
50g (3 tbsp) Greek yogurt

This is the cream that I used. Picture taken from fairprice.com.sg.

To make the crust:

1. Butter a 9-inch square (with removable bottom) or  round springform pan & wrap the bottom of the pan in a double layer of aluminium 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  pan & use your fingers to pat an even layer of crumbs along the bottom of the pan. You may put the pan in the freezer while you preheat the oven. I didn't do that.
3. Center a rack in the oven, preheat the oven to 180°C & place the pan 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 170°C

To make the cheesecake:

1. Put a kettle 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 salt & 3/4 of the sugar & continue to beat another 4 minutes or so, until the cream cheese is light. Beat in the vanilla. Add the egg yolk one by one, beating for a full minute after each addition. Reduce the mixer speed to low and stir in the cream & greek yogurt. Set aside.
3. Place the egg white in a mixing bowl & beat on medium speed for about 1 minute. Then add the rest of sugar & continue beating until soft peak.
4. Scoop 1/3 of meringue into the cream cheese mixture & fold in, preferably, using a hand whisk. Then add in the rest of meringue & continue mixing until well blended.
5. Put the foil-wrapped baking pan in the roaster pan.
6. Scrape the batter into the baking pan. Put the roasting pan in the oven and pour enough boiling water into the roaster to come halfway up the sides of the baking pan.
7. Bake the cheesecake for 50 minutes, at which point the top will be browned. 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.
8. After 1 hour, carefully pull the setup out of the oven, lift the pan out of the roaster—be careful, there may be some hot water in the aluminium foil—remove the foil. Let the cheesecake come to room temperature on a cooling rack.
9. When the cake is cool, cover the top lightly and chill the cake for at least 4 hours. Chill it overnight for better flavour.

Creamy Cheesecake

On the last day of the school term, my colleagues & I went for  tea at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. We wanted to reward ourselves for all the hard work we had put in.... Oh boy....we sure rewarded ourselves! Each of us ordered a different type of cheesecake.... so, between us, we ate four different types of cheesecake in one sitting! 

We all agreed that the Tiramisu cake was not that fantastic. Two of them were actually variations of  its Chicago Cheesecake. And yes... the Chicago Cheesecake is to die for....!! It's creamy, smooth, velvety & slightly fluffy. It's just PERFECT! 

Funny thing is, that was not my first time eating the sinfully delicious cheesecake, but the experience on that day felt different.... Must be the combination of good things on that day.... the last day of school, the company &, of course, the 4 different types of cheesecake! Haha....

After that day, I started itching to bake a cheesecake, hoping to duplicate the Chicago Cheesecake from Coffee Bean.... So, after looking through some recipes on the internet & some books,  last Thursday, I baked one using the recipe from Baking: From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan. Well, it didn't turn out as good as expected in terms of the texture... it was smooth & velvety but it wasn't as fluffy. Taste wise, I would give it a 9 out of 10! The only minus point is, since I used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream or heavy cream, the cake was too tangy to my taste.  Not sure if the yogurt was the cause...  Anyway, I'm planning to bake it again using the same recipe but with some tweaking. That's coming up, hopefully, soon..

What changes I made when making this cheesecake:

1. Instead of using a 9-inch round springform pan, I used a 9-inch square pan, the one with a removable base.
2. I only used half of the cheesecake recipe because I did not want my cheesecake to be too tall. (By the way, the original name of this cake is Tall & Creamy Cheesecake.) I still used the whole recipe for the crust.
3. Since my cheesecake is not as tall, I only baked for about 1 hour.
4. Oh yes, I replaced the sour cream / heavy cream with greek yogurt because I didn't want to buy the big tub of sour cream sold in the supermarket.

Creamy Cheesecake
Recipe by Dorie Greenspan from Baking: From My Home To Yours.

For the crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
2 pounds (four 8-ounce boxes) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons 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-inch springform pan—choose one that has sides that are 2 3/4 inches high (if the sides are lower, you will have cheesecake batter leftover)—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. (I do this with my fingers.) 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.

To make the cheesecake:

1. Put a kettle 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 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—remove the foil. Let 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, although overnight would be better.

Soufflé Cheesecake - A Japanese Cheesecake

This Soufflé Cheesecake is not the typical dense cheesecake that makes me stop at just a few bites. Its light & airy texture made it quite easy for me to finish the whole slice in the picture. It's also easy for my family to finish the whole cake in just 2 days!

Some points to take note if you wish to try this recipe.

1) For the sponge base, I used an 8-inch pan as recommended by Chef Yamashita. The cake came out quite high, as you can see here. I sliced horizontally about 1cm high for the cheesecake base. I'm going to use the rest of the sponge to assemble another cake. I also used an 8-inch pan for the cheesecake, instead of a smaller pan as specified in the recipe... I think the height of my cheesecake is just nice.

2) The sponge recipe uses glucose. It's a thick sugar invert syrup. According to Chef Yamashita, it adds body to the end product & helps cakes remain soft & moist. Unlike honey, glucose does not impart any flavour of its own.

3) When preparing the meringue for this sponge, just beat the egg white until it turns white but still runny, not soft peak like is normally required.

4) This cake is best eaten the next day when the flavour has fully developed. I tasted a slice yesterday & today. The cake tasted better today.... so it's worth to be patient. 

Soufflé Cheesecake
Recipe by Yamashita Masataka from Tanoshii, Joy of Making Japanese-style Cakes and Desserts.

1 round sponge, 18cm x 0.5 cm (recipe below)
300g cream cheese, at room temperature
3 eggs, yolks & whites separated
24g pastry flour (top flour), sifted
75g milk
75 g heavy cream
1/2 lemon, grated for zest & squeezed for 30g juice
60g sugar
icing sugar for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 200 deg C. Line an 18-cm round baking tin  with parchment paper, leaving a 2-cm overhang. (I used an 8-inch round pan.) Place sponge into base of baking tin. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl & using a hand whisk, whisk cream cheese until smooth. Add 2 egg yolks & whisk until incorporated, then whisk in remaining egg yolk.
3. Whisk in flour. Set aside. Bring milk & heavy cream to a simmer over low heat. Add to batter & whisk until fully incorporated. Mix in lemon zest & juice. Set aside.
4. Prepare meringue. In a large bowl & using a handheld mixer, whisk egg white & sugar at high speed until white & still runny.
5. Fold meringue into batter, half portion at a time. Pour into prepared tin & place in a deep baking tray. Fill tray with water to come 1 cm up the side of tin. (Note by chef: When incorporating the meringue into the batter, folk briskly & be careful not t deflate the meringue or the cake will lose its light & airy texture.)
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the top cake is light brown. Lower oven temperature to 160 deg C & continue baking for another 40-48 minutes.
7. Test if cake is done by pressing the center of cake lightly. It should spring back. Remove baking tin from water bath & leave to cool for 5 minutes.
8. Turn cake onto a plate & peel off parchment paper. Leave to cool, then cover with a plastic container & refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
9. Dust cake with icing sugar & decorate if desired just before serving. This souffle can be kept refrigerated for up to 2 days.

 

Sponge Cake
25g unsalted butter
40g milk
300g eggs (about 6 eggs), at room temperature
170g sugar
16g honey
16g glucose
170g pastry flour (top flour), sifted

1. Preheat oven to 180 deg C. Line a 21-cm (8 inch) round baking tin with parchment paper, leaving a 2-cm overhang. Simmer butter & milk until butter is melted. Remove from heat.
2. Fill a pot with water up to 4 cm high & simmer over medium heat. In a heatproof bowl, lightly whisk eggs, sugar, honey & glucose.
3. Place bowl over pot of simmering water & whisk constantly in large strokes until mixture is warm, about 40 deg C. Transfer to the mixing bowl of a stand mixer.
4.  Using a stand mixer, whisk mixture at high speed until tripled in volume & very pale. Use the whisk to draw a ribbon in the batter. The shape should not dissolve  immediately.
5. Using a spatula, fold in flour, a third at a time, ensuring full incorporation after each addition. Turn the bowl as you fold the flour in & scrape base & sides of bowl well.
6. Using a rubber spatula & mixing in a circular motion, mix in warm milk & butter mixtrue. Mix thoroughly, scraping base & sides of bowl. Stop as soon as mixture is even.
7. Pour the batter into prepared baking tin & bake fro 35-40 minute, until top of cake is golden brown & skewer inserted into the centre of cake comes out clean.
8. Unmould sponge & place on a wire rack to cool for about 30 minutes before peeling off parchment paper. Sponge is now ready for use.

Japanese Soft Cotton Cheesecake

           The soft & moist texture of the sponge cake used for my Strawberry Shortcake I made two weeks ago reminded me of the cotton cheesecake which I've not baked for sometime. Yesterday, I managed to bake it in the morning. 

            The cake is super delicious! Unlike the regular cheesecake, this cake is spongy, moist & tastes very light. Preparing it is quite similar to preparing chiffon cake. Like the regular cheesecake, it is baked using the water bath method. I thought it would taste better if eaten with chocolate ganache & strawberry. I was right! The rich ganache & fresh strawberry provide a good balance!

Japanese Soft Cotton Cheesecake

Adapted from Diana's Desserts

Ingredients:
250g/9 oz. cream cheese
50g/2 oz. butter
100 ml/3 fluid oz. fresh milk

6 egg yolks
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp vanilla paste (I added.)
60g/2 oz. cake flour /superfine flour (sifted)
20g/1 oz. cornflour (cornstarch)

140g/5 oz. fine granulated sugar
6 egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Instructions:

1. Melt cream cheese, butter and milk over a double boiler. (I used a hand whisk to stir.) Cool the mixture. 
2. Add in egg yolks, lemon juice & vanilla to the cream cheese mixture & mix well. 
3. Fold in flour. Set aside.
4. Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add in the sugar and whisk until soft peaks form. 
5. Fold in the egg white mixture into the cheese mixture.   
6. Lightly grease and line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch cake pan with greaseproof baking paper or parchment paper. Wrap bottom of pan with aluminium foil to prevent water from seeping into the pan.
7. Pour cake batter into pan &  bake in a water bath for 1 hour 10 minutes or until set and golden brown at 160 degrees C (325 degrees F). (I baked for 30 minutes in my small oven.)
8. Remove pan from oven & leave to cool slightly for about 10 minutes.
9. Remove cake from pan & leave to cool completely or store in fridge.
10. To serve, slice cake & pour ganache over & serve with sliced fresh strawberry.

Makes 1 (8-inch) cheesecake.

Chocolate Ganache 

Source: Creative Making of Cakes by Alex Goh.

500g chocolate
270ml whipping cream
20g butter

           Melt chocolate over double boiler. Cook whipping cream till boiling. Pour into chocolate & mix till well blended. Add butter & mix till well combined.