Limoncello Ricotta Cheesecake ~ #TheCakeSlice Bakers

The only way cheese is dessert is when it's followed by the word cake.

Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake ~ #TheCakeSliceBakers

Advice from a pumpkin - be well-rounded, get plenty of sunshine, have thick skin, keep growing, be outstanding in your field, think big, make spiced pumpkin cheesecake.

Manhattan Cheesecake

For this month, and until the end of baking through Great Cakes by Carole Walter we are doing things a little differently in the Cake Slice Bakers.  Instead of voting and and everyone baking the same cake we are choosing between a few different cakes, and each member can bake the one that appeals to them the most.  This is quite exciting, and has never been done before in this group.  I am really looking forward to seeing which cake each person made.

Pina Colada Mini Cheesecakes

I always look forward to the middle of the month because it means that I get to share another recipe from Lick the Bowl Good, the wonderful cookbook by fellow blogger Monica Holland.  This month we are sharing Pina Colada Mini Cheesecakes - and they are soooooo good.

Banana Cream Cheesecake

Although we don't have them all, we do have our fair share of chain restaurants - the good, the bad, and the ugly.  If I am going to visit one my choice is The Cheesecake Factory, even though the wait can sometimes be 1 to 1½ hours.  Of course it isn't for the faint-hearted as their meals can be enough to feed a small army.  I usually try to stick to a salad (the Seared Tuna Tataki Salad is very good) but not because I am being particularly "good".  I really do this so that I have room to have a piece of cheesecake.  Of course these servings are huge too, so we share.  There is usually some discussion before we settle on the Fresh Banana Cream Cheesecake (we always do).

When my daughters' 18th birthday was coming up I asked her what kind of cake she would like and she really wanted a cheesecake.  She usually picks a Chocolate Chip Cheesecake so I was surprised that she changed her mind and decided upon a Banana Cream Cheesecake.  I thought it would be a good time to try a clone recipe of the one from The Cheesecake Factory.  After a quick search I found one that looked really good at Epicurious.

I made a couple of minor changes to the recipe.  Out went the margarine and in came butter for the crust.  Also, instead of using vanilla sandwich cookies I decided to use chocolate sandwich cookies because I like chocolate and banana together.  For the filling I used regular Cavendish bananas but for the decoration on top I used Apple bananas because I love their firmness and color.  As I always do with cheesecakes I wrapped the removable bottom of the spring-form pan with non-stick aluminum foil as this makes plating the cheesecake a breeze.

This was definitely a winner.  It was like eating a banana cream pie in cheesecake form.  The birthday girl was super happy and the cheesecake didn't last long.  Just the way I like it.

The Cheesecake Factory Banana Cream Cheesecake

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 20 chocolate sandwich cookies
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• 24 oz cream cheese, softened
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 3 eggs
• ¾ cup mashed bananas (about 2)
• ½ cup whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• additional bananas and whipped cream for decoration, if desired

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Place cookies in a blender; process with on/off pulse until finely crushed.
3. Add butter and continue to process with pulses until blended. 
4. Press crumb mixture onto bottom of 10" springform pan and refrigerate.
5. Beat cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until creamy. 
6. Add sugar and cornstarch and beat until blended. 
7. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
8. Beat in bananas, whipping cream, and vanilla. 
9. Pour cream cheese mixture into prepared crust. 
10. Place pan on cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes.
11. Reduce oven temperature to 200°F (DO NOT forget to reduce temperature - very important) and continue baking 75 minutes or until center is almost set.
12. Loosen edge of cheesecake; cool completely on wire rack before removing rim of pan.
13. Refrigerate cheesecake, uncovered, 6 hours or overnight.
14. Allow cheesecake to stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.
15. Decorate top with sliced bananas and whipped cream, if desired.

Recipe submitted to Epicurious by janewayne31.

To Try Tuesday - Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Growing up I had a choice of vanilla, strawberry, or chocolate ice cream. My favorite back then was always chocolate. Sometimes we had Neapolitan but the strawberry always seemed to be the last lonely flavor in the container. Times have certainly changed because I now love strawberry ice cream, especially home-made strawberry ice cream that tastes like cheesecake.
 

When I first saw this recipe over at Diethood I knew I just had to make it. Not only did the ice cream sound to-die-for, but Kate's photos are stunning. I know that the ice cream will be the first of many things I want to try from her blog - they all look so good!
 

It is hard to believe that this is not a custard-based ice cream because it is so creamy. It is also a snap to make because all of the ingredients, except for the strawberries, go into a blender or food processor. The mix then cools for about two hours in the refrigerator before heading into the ice cream maker.

This ice cream really is like eating a strawberry cheesecake. I loved it in a waffle cone because this kind of mimicked the base of a cheesecake. It might not look like there is much ice cream in the photo above but I made sure I pushed lots of it down into the base of the cone. I think this batch may have lasted just over 24 hours in our household, with lots of sad faces when it was gone. I know that I will be making it again very soon.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 8 ounces (1 package) cream cheese
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup of half-and-half (I used heavy whipping cream)
• 2/3 cup of sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup of chopped strawberries (if you like more berries, add another 1/2 cup - I did)

Preparation

1. Cut the cream cheese into pieces.
2. Put all ingredients, excluding the strawberries, into a food processor or blender.
3. Mix until smooth.
4. Put the mixture into the refrigerator to chill for about 2 hours.
5. Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze it according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
6. 3 minutes before the ice cream is done, pour the chopped strawberries into the mixture through the ingredient spout on the ice cream maker.

Recipe by Diethood via David Lebovitz (The Perfect Scoop)
 

Espresso and Cream Bars

To me, one of the most enjoyable past-times is drinking a great cup of coffee.  I am extremely partial to the coffee produced by Coffees of Hawaii, and in particular their Ka'u.  I didn't really become a coffee drinker until about ten years ago.  Growing up, tea was the drink of choice in my family, and if we did have coffee it was always instant.  That is probably why I didn't like coffee back then.  My taste has definitely changed now and our coffee is always freshly ground before we brew it, and then it is timed to perfection.

Of course I love coffee desserts too - tiramisu, affogato, Kahlua brownies, coffee ice cream are all favorites.  I really wanted to create some type of bar cookie and I thought the flavors of espresso and cream would be perfect.  I did a quick search but didn't find exactly what I was looking for so I used components from a few different recipes to come up with my bars.  I used the base from a berry tart that I recently made, the cheesecake filling is from Bakerella, and the ganache topping is from the LA Times.  The combination was delicious.





Once all of the steps were complete I put the tart in the refrigerator overnight so that the ganache could harden.  After a few photos I cut it into bars.  I have already put it into containers so that my girls can take it to school tomorrow and share with their friends.  Having these in the house is just too dangerous for me - before I knew it I would have eaten way too many.

Espresso and Cream Bars

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

Base -

• 1 cup (2 sticks), melted and cooled
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt

Filling - 

• 2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoons flour
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
• ¼ sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 teaspoons espresso powder
• 2 teaspoons hot water

Ganache Topping -  

• 10 ounces premium-quality white chocolate, finely chopped 
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Decoration -

• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• 5 teaspoons hot water

Preparation

Base -

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Grease a square tart tin that has a removable base.
3. Stir together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
4. Add the flour and salt and stir to make a soft dough.
5. Press dough evenly into base and side of square tart tin with fingertips.
6. Put the tin on a baking tray and bake for 12-15 minutes, until pastry is slightly puffy.

Filling - 

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Cream the sugar, cream cheese, and flour with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy.
3. On medium low, add eggs one at a time, mixing well with each addition.
4. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until just combined.
5. Mix espresso powder and hot water to dissolve, then add to cheesecake mixture, mixing well.
6. Pour on prepared crust and bake for about 40 minutes.
7. Remove and cool.

Ganache Topping -   

1. Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
2. Bring the heavy cream to a boil, then pour it over the chocolate. Working with a whisk or spatula, gently stir the chocolate and cream together.
3. When the ganache is smooth, stir in the butter.
4. Cool the ganache slightly and then pour over the top of the tart.
5. Place in the refrigerator to harden.

Decoration - 

1. Place sifted powdered sugar in a bowl.
2. Place espresso powder in a small cup and add hot water, stirring to dissolve.
3. Add espresso liquid to powdered sugar and stir until completely smooth.  Add more hot water if needed.  Do not make icing too thin.
4. Place icing mixture into a piping bag and pipe lines across the top of the tart.
5. Take a skewer or a toothpick and drag it from one end of the pan to the other. Then go to the other end of the pan and drag back the other way.  Continue doing this until you have completed the design.

Recipe inspired by Bill Granger,  Bakerella, and the LA Times.