Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Thanks to my inability to read, I picked up a recent cookbook thinking that it was the "Cake Bible," and instead I got the "Cake Mix Bible." Instead of returning it (it was only $7), I decided to keep it and see what recipes I could use. Although there aren't many recipes that look impressive, this cheesecake looked beautiful in the picture. It is a standard cheesecake recipe, but I do think that a chocolate crust using a cake mix is a pretty good invention.

Ingredients:

1 package DUNCAN HINES Moist Deluxe Devil's Food Cake Mix

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 packages (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup sour cream

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 eggs, slightly beaten

3/4 mini semisweet chocolate chips, divided

1 tsp. all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 10-inch springform pan.

2. Combine cake mix and oil in large bowl. Mix well. Press onto bottom of prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 min. or until set. Remove from oven. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F.

3. Place cream cheese in large mixing bowl. Beat at low speed w/ electric mixer, adding sugar gradually. Add sour cream and vanilla extract, mixing until blended. Add eggs, mixing only until incorporated. Toss 1/2 cup chocolate chips with flour. Fold into cream cheese mixture. Pour filling onto crust. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Bake at 450 degrees F. for 5-7 min. Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees F. Bake at 250 degrees for 60-70 min. or until set. Loosen cake from side of pan with knife. Cool completely in pan on cooling rack. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Frozen Honey Cheesecake with Praline Crust

Hello to everyone who has been faithful enough to keep up with my blog! I know it's been awhile since I've posted a recipe on here and I am simply hoping that someone is still possibly visiting my website occasionally. I could go into the details as to why it's been so long since I've posted anything, but I highly doubt that anyone out there cares about the happenings of my personal life.

Needless to say, there will be a slight change in the recipes posted on here. As of recently, I have been tampering and falling in love with new and more evolved flavors other than my typical favorite--chocolate. Because of this, many of my upcoming recipes are going to be a little more advanced in their taste as opposed to more mundane brownie recipes. I hope this is ok with everyone--I hope that these new flavors will excite you as they did me as I was working away in the kitchen with my Itunes on shuffle. :) I also have the wonderful and new addition of my roommate and her awesome camera and photography skills, so the pictures posted on here should be elevating from what they used to be.

Crust:

3 1/2 oz. flaked almonds

6 oz. (3/4 cup) sugar

7 oz. plain sweet biscuits (I bought regular biscuit dough and added some white and brown sugar on top when I baked them).

3 1/2 oz. unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

8 oz. mascarpone cheese

8 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1 13-oz. can condensed milk

2 oz. (1/4 cup) honey

10 oz. (1 1/4 cups) cream

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. To make the praline, spread the almonds on a foil-lined, greased baking tray. Put the sugar in a pan with 1/2 cup water and stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil, then simmer without stirring until the toffee is golden brown. Pour over the almonds (don't touch it!), then set aside to cool and harden before breaking into pieces.

2. Lightly grease a 23 cm. (9 inch) diameter springform tin and line the base with baking paper. Reserve about half the praline and finely chop the rest with the biscuits in a food processor. Stir in the butter, spoon int the base and press firmly on the side of the tin (I "skipped"/didn't see this step, so I just put all the mixture on the bottom for a thicker crust). Bake for 15 min. and then leave to cool.

3. To make the filling, process the mascarpone and cream cheese together until soft and creamy. Add the condensed milk and honey. Whip the cream until soft peaks form and then fold in slowly. Pour into the tin, sprinkle with cinnamon and swirl gently with a skewer or knife. Do not overmix. Freeze for several hours, or until firm, and decorate with the remaining praline.

Crust:

3 1/2 oz. flaked almonds

6 oz. (3/4 cup) sugar

7 oz. plain sweet biscuits (I bought regular biscuit dough and added some white and brown sugar on top when I baked them).

3 1/2 oz. unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

8 oz. mascarpone cheese

8 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1 13-oz. can condensed milk

2 oz. (1/4 cup) honey

10 oz. (1 1/4 cups) cream

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. To make the praline, spread the almonds on a foil-lined, greased baking tray. Put the sugar in a pan with 1/2 cup water and stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil, then simmer without stirring until the toffee is golden brown. Pour over the almonds (don't touch it!), then set aside to cool and harden before breaking into pieces.

2. Lightly grease a 23 cm. (9 inch) diameter springform tin and line the base with baking paper. Reserve about half the praline and finely chop the rest with the biscuits in a food processor. Stir in the butter, spoon int the base and press firmly on the side of the tin (I "skipped"/didn't see this step, so I just put all the mixture on the bottom for a thicker crust). Bake for 15 min. and then leave to cool.

3. To make the filling, process the mascarpone and cream cheese together until soft and creamy. Add the condensed milk and honey. Whip the cream until soft peaks form and then fold in slowly. Pour into the tin, sprinkle with cinnamon and swirl gently with a skewer or knife. Do not overmix. Freeze for several hours, or until firm, and decorate with the remaining praline.

Pistachio White Chocolate Cheesecake

This is a recipe from the Pilsbury website. It has one of my most favorite flavoring and scents in the world--almond extract! There's something oddly invigorating in watching the cheesecake turn a light shade of green when you add the pistachio pudding mix to the cream cheese mixture. 

Ingredients:

Crust

1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs (I used Oreos)

1/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp. butter, melted

Filling

20 oz. cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup sour cream (I used light)

1/2 tsp. almond extract

4 eggs

1 (3.4-0z) package instant pistachio pudding and pie filling mix

2 cups white chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped shelled pistachios

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine cookie crumbs and 1/4 cup sugar; mix well. Stir in butter. Press crumb mixture in bottom of ungreased 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 min. Cool 10 min. Wrap outside of pan, bottom and sides,with heavy duty foil. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Beat cream cheese in large bowl at medium speed until creamy. Beat in 3/4 cup sugar until very soft and creamy. Add sour cream and almond extract; beat well. Reduce  speed to low; add eggs one at a time, beating just until combined and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

With a whisk, beat in pudding mix until well-mixed. Stir in white chocolate chips. Pour into crust-lined pan. Sprinkle pistachios over top. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 min or 1 hour and 20 min., or until sides of cheesecake are set and slightly puffed but center still moves when pan is tapped. Cool cheesecake in pan on wire rack 1 hour. Cover; refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving. To serve, remove sides of pan. Cut cheesecake into wedges. 

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

 

Ingredients:

2 cups Oreo cookies, finely ground

3 tbsp. sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

10 ounces raspberries, thawed

2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp. cornstarch

1/2 cup water

2 cups white chocolate chips

1/2 cup half-in-half

24 ounces cream cheese, softened (3 packages)

1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place a large baking sheet with edges into oven w/ 1/2 inch water in it. In a medium bowl combine cookie crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press onto the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Wrap the bottom of pan w/ aluminum foil.

In a medium saucepan combine raspberries, 2 tbsp. sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil and continue boiling until sauce thickens, approximately 5 min. Strain sauce to remove seeds.

In a double boiler (or microwave oven) melt the white chocolate chips and half-in-half, stirring until smooth.

In a large boil mix together the cream cheese and 2 tbsp. of sugar until smooth. Add eggs on at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and melted chocolate. Pour half of mixture over crust. Spoon 3 tbsp. of raspberry sauce over the top. Pour the remaining cream cheese mixture into the pan. Spoon 4 more tbsp. of raspberry sauce over the top (you can use the remaining sauce to serve).

Place springform pan in water in the oven. Bake for 60 min. or until filling is set. Turn oven off, open door halfway, and let sit for 30 min. Remove from oven and cool. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours. Serve with remaining raspberry sauce.