Cheesecake again!

Another cheesecake recipe for us CHEESECAKE LOVERS!

Being in self quarantine AND self distancing has me baking and cooking most days!!

Today’s cheesecake has heavy cream in it and I’m curious to see if we enjoy this recipe  as much as my all time favorite cheesecake recipe..  Hint:  (It’s my Aunt Alda’s recipe) Which is also here on my blog.

Note:  The last two cheesecake recipes I have made  I don’t use a springform pan.  I have found I like serving it cut into squares.  For pretty presentation you may want to use the springform pan but for casual serving I recommend a 13x9 inch metal pan.




All Aldi ingredients!

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted
• 
  
• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 eggs

Note:  I separate my eggs and beat the egg whites and fold  them into Batter gently before placing the cake in oven.  Something my mom suggested years ago.

• 
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, chopped walnuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and melted butter. Mix well and press into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
• Step 2
  In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Beat in sour cream and heavy cream. Blend in the flour and vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add eggs one at a time. Pour batter over crust.
• Step 3
  Bake in the preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, or until center is almost set (filling will be soft). Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight before removing from pan.

Note:  this cheesecake cracked a bit!  I know some recipes suggest a water bath.  You could try it but I’m ok with it looking like this.  I do top my cheesecakes with our favorite toppings.  Cherry, pineapple, lemon or blueberry.  Yummy!  Enjoy!!

Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

Chocolate Brownie cherry cheesecake

11/2/16

Our Saturday social is going to be this Saturday and although I had several soup and dessert recipes to choose from I decided a new one I saw on the Hugs and Cookies site appealed to me and it really didn't require a lot of ingredients to make so I decided it was a dessert that would appeal to many....mostly me. lol

Last week I made wonderful cherry and chocolate morsels cookies (what's up with me)? and now I'm into the chocolate cherry cheesecake.  Don't have a clue why but hope you enjoy this recipe.  If I like it I may choose it for a holiday dessert.  Enjoy! Easy Baking from my kitchen to yours, M.j.

•  1 box Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix, prepare according to directions
• 1 can cherry pie filling(reserve 1/2 cup to top cake before serving if desired )

• Cheesecake Filling

• One 8 oz package cream cheese softened
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ⅓ cup sugar
• Hot Fudge sauce for topping (optional)

Directions:

1. Grease a 9" spring form pan, line it with parchment and grease again.
2. Preheat oven 350.
3. Spread half the brownie in the pan.

Cheesecake filling:

1. Beat cream cheese, egg, vanilla and sugar,
2. Spread this over the brownie batter.
3. Dollop scoops of the cherry pie filling on top, reserving a bit for the tops.
4. Use the rest of the brownie batter to top the cherries.
5. Spread carefully with offset spatula.
6. Bake about approx 60 minutes until baked all the way though.
7. Cool to room temp and then chill a few hours before cutting.
8. Top with extra cherries you reserved or use an extra can if you want a lot!!!

10-19-16

Double Lemon Cheesecake Bars

 New Recipe

I haven't tried many new recipes over the last few months for no apparent reason other than I like my basic recipes and winter is usually a soup, comfort food time of year so for I'm venturing out with a few new items.  I made a great Berry Spiral Ham that I posted the recipe earlier today and I also made Double Lemon Cheesecake Bars which were fabulous.  Creamy and with light lemon taste in the body of the cheesecake and a gorgeous lemon topping to die for.  It was a hit at our Brunch.

12/5/16

Here's the recipe for you lemon lovers.  Yummy!

2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
3 T butter melted
4 pkg. Philadelphia Cream cheese softened
1 3/4 sugar, divided
3 T flour
1 T lemon zest
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs, 1 separated
2 T cornstarch
1/2 cup water

Heat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a 13x9 inch pan with foil. Mix wafer crumbs with butter; press into bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes.

Beat softened cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, flour, lemon zest, 2 T lemon juice and vanilla with mixer until blended.

Add 1 egg white and 3 egg yolks, beating after each until blended.  Reserve yolk for later use.

Pour batter over crust.  Bake 40 minutes or until center is almost set.  Cool 1 hour... Refrigerate 4 hours.

Mix cornstarch and remaining sugar in saucepan; gradually stir in water and remaining lemon juice.  Bring to boil stirring constantly, cook and stir until clear and thickened.  Lightly beat reserved egg yolk until blended; stir in 2 T hot cornstarch mixture.  Return to remaining cornstarch mixture in saucepan and stir 1 minute or until thickened.  Cool.

Spoon glaze over cheesecake.  Refrigerate 1 hour.  Use foil handles to remove cheesecake from pan before cutting to serve.

4/22/14 original

8/22/14

11/1/16

Cheesecake of all cheesecake recipe..."Aunt Alda's" Cheesecake recipe + Cool Gift #10

Many years ago this recipe was handed down to me by my favorite aunt on my hubby's side also known as "Aunt Alda". She is smiling down from heaven knowing that I am continuing the Christmas tradition making her recipe. xo


Here is a recipe that my hubby's aunt gave me many years ago and it is the best!!

I have a few of Aunt Alda's recipes and today I would like to share her cheesecake recipe.  You can follow this as I have before with success or try it my way.  I decided this was a good time to try it with a different twist.  I will post the recipe as the original. :  Enjoy!  

Happy Baking

2– 8 oz. Pkg. Cream cheese softened

1 lb. Ricotta

1 ½ cups sugar

1 stick margarine (I use butter)

5 eggs

1 large container sour cream (15 oz.)

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Cream butter, sugar and cream cheese.  Add Ricotta and 5 eggs.. Add cornstarch, flour and sour cream beating well after each addition.  Add vanilla and lemon juice to mixture beating well until all is blended..  Butter spring form pan and sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs.. Pour mixture slowly into pan and bake 325 approx. 1 hour 10 minutes..  You can  use a 9” springform pan or larger..Cool on wire rack.. Serve alone or with favorite topping. I have made this recipe with success as is but wanted to change it a bit so I did the following:

Note: I wanted to add a little twist to Aunt Alda’s recipe so I separated my eggs, beat the egg whites separately and added them to the mixture at the very end, hoping to get a lighter cheesecake.  I also used  butter instead of margarine in my recipe and used a cooking spray to coat pan before sprinkling with the graham cracker crumbs.  My final opinion is stick to Aunt Alda's way of making this cheesecake. My way was a little too soft but very light so if you like soft and light make it my way but if you like dense cheesecake make it Aunt Alda's way.  To make sure your cheesecake is set leave the cheesecake in your refrigerator overnight before you take it out of the spring form pan.  Happy Baking!

Cool Gift #10 

Salt and Pepper Grinders!!!  Mine are battery operated and light.   Really cool!

I love these..I bought them on overstock.com for $19.99

From my happy kitchen with love,

10/1/11 original 
8/21/14

Individual Mini or muffin cup Cheesecakes

Did you know you can freeze cheesecake or cheesecakes? 

 Yes you can. I do it all the time and today is not an exception.

 These pretty babies once they are cooled will be laid on waxed paper and placed in a medium size aluminum throw away pan and covered securely with wax paper between the layers. I then  place them on top wax paper and aluminum foil and freeze them until I am ready to serve. 

 I take them out of the freezer a few hours before I am ready to serve and then top them with any of our favorite pie fillings.  Cherry, pineapple, strawberry and maybe a little whipped cream too!

Note:  you can make these for convenience in a muffin pan with a cupcake liner or I get creative and use various decorative pans.  You must grease pans slightly if using without a liner and cool completely before removing them from the pan.  Happy Baking!

I generously greased(cooking spray works) a Christmas tree pan with cooking spray and added my graham cracker crumbs to make a few cheesecakes a fun way. When cooled I loosened edges and out them came.

Don't feel like making a large cheesecake but you'd like to serve something sweet in bite size servings well this mini cheesecake recipe is for you.

At Christmas especially with all the cookies I bake a whole cheesecake is way too much.  So I make mini ones and they are perfect for those who love cheesecake but can't eat a whole piece because they want to save room for other sweets too.

This recipe takes little time and bakes quickly and as I do once they cool I either store them in the refrigerator (I think there is no problem storing them for a week).   If you have doubts do as I do and pack them between waxed paper and secure in a plastic container or cover with aluminum foil and place in freezer, then when you want to serve them take them out about an hour before serving and add your topping to them.  I make mine all plain and add either strawberry, cherries or blueberries when serving.  Easy peasy dessert.

Here's the recipe

3 -8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
3 eggs room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
graham cracker crumbs or chocolate cookies crumbs. I also used Aldi’s Benton vanilla wafers as a base too!
mini muffin cups or regular muffin cups

Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs or cookie crumbs on bottom of muffin cups.  If you are not using muffin cups/liners you must grease pan well and then add crumb mixture....

Beat cream cheese, vanilla and sugar with mixer until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended.  Use a Spoon for mini cheesecakes and an ice cream scooper for uniformity over larger muffin crusts.

Bake 350 degrees approximately  25 to 30 minutes for regular muffin cups or until almost set. Try not to overbake.


Note:  They do not have to brown.  They will be light in color with a tinge of golden.

From my kitchen to yours

11/2/16

Two cheese Lemon Cheesecake

I had the ingredients.  All I needed was the desire to bake. It all came together and this beauty of a cheesecake was born.

Fresh lemon, vanilla wafer cookies, cream cheese, ricotta and sour cream. How can you miss with these wonderful ingredients with this recipe of mine?.

That's a sour cream coating on top. Yum

Combing two recipes is what this recipe is about.

Crust

2 cups crushed vanilla wafers( I used store generic brand)
4 T melted butter
1/4 cup sugar

Crush wafers in a food processor or you can place the cookies in a large seal-able bag and with a rolling pin press back and forth until fine.

In a medium size bowl add crushed wafers, butter and sugar. With a fork mix all. Press into a spring form pan. Refrigerate pan until you mix the below ingredients together.

Cheesecake ingredients

 6  large eggs
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 stick softened butter
1 -15 oz. ricotta
1 cup light sour cream
2-8 oz. packages softened cream cheese
3 T cornstarch
3 T flour
1 whole large lemon squeezed (2 small to medium)
Rind of one lemon

Sour Cream topping:

1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. sugar

Beat softened cream cheese with sugar and butter.  Add eggs one at a time until blended. Beat well...at least a few minutes.   Add ricotta, cornstarch and flour. Add lemon juice, sour cream and rind of lemon. Beat until all is blended. Pour gently over crushed cookie mixture.

Bake at 325 degrees about 90 + minutes or until top is just about set in center. Remove from oven and carefully spread sour cream mixture over cheesecake. Place back in oven and bake for 10 minutes more. Remove from oven and cool on rack. Gently go around edges with a sharp knife around cheesecake to loosen. Do not remove sides until completely cooled.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.  **Cool at least 4 hours before slicing.

It's creamy and delicious.  I like the sour cream topping and using the crushed cookies on the bottom instead of the usual graham cracker crust was a plus. We had a slice tonight and it was very light and not as rich as others I have made.  Less sugar and still a great taste. Yummy!!!

We'll see how it is tomorrow after it has totally set. 

So far so good!

P.S. I'm serving mine with crushed pineapple but any fruit topping would work. Of course just as it is was perfect tonight.

Please note**** I placed my springform pan on aluminum foil before I filled it. Sometimes I have had the pan leak onto my oven floor and boy does it create a mess. Smoke and having to clean up a dirty oven.

A final note.  I decided to try this recipe in a 11 x 14”

Pan.  Beautiful cheesecake squares.  Easy to serve! Convenient too!

Ps:  I didn’t top this cheesecake with sour cream but easily could have. Enjoy!

From my happy kitchen to yours,

Brownie Cheesecake!!!

I haven't had much of a chance to go over many recipes that I have collected over the years.  Today I started to browse through the many sheets of magazine papers that I have collected.  This is one I am definitely going to make for our Christmas or even Christmas Eve dinner.  Any leftovers will easily store in your refrigerator.

This recipe was cut out from People Magazine 2005.  It looked delicious then (I have the picture) and after reading it again I am definitely making it this year.

Everyone in my family loves cheesecake and the grandchildren love their brownies so if you have chocolate lovers this mix might work for you too!

Brownie Cheesecake

1 pkg (13 x9  inch size pan) brownie mix

4 pkg. (8 oz each) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup Sour Cream

3 eggs

2 squares Semi Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted, cooled slightly

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 13x9 inch pan with foil extending over sides of pan. Spray with cooking spray.  Prepare brownie batter as directed on package, pour into prepared pan.  Bake15 minutes or until top of brownie is shiny and center is almost set.

Meanwhile beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.  Add sour cream;mix well.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over partially baked brownie batter in pan.(Filling will come almost to top of pan).

Bake 40 minutes or until center is almost set.  Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake..  Cool.  Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. (I always refrigerate cheesecake over night.)  Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Lift cheesecake from pan using foil handles.  Drizzle with chocolate, let stand until chocolate is firm.  Cut into 16 pieces to serve. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

Happy Baking from my kitchen to yours,

M.J.

12/23/12 original
12/19/13
8/19/14
11/3/16