New York Cheesecake w/ Strawberry Topping

"OH-MY-GOSH!" Seriously, that's how they should rename this cheesecake. You'll only be able to say "OH-MY-GOSH" every time you take a bite. Actually, that's not true. Towards the end, it will be more like this... "OH-MY-GOSH, I'm going to throw up if I eat another bite, but OH-MY-GOSH-I-CAN'T-STOP!!" This is not a lie, people. I went to bed Wednesday night with a stomach so full of cheesecake, I couldn't even finish harvesting my Farmville crops! I was K.O.-ed by cheesecake! But it was allll worth it because I got to use up two lonely egg yolks that were hanging out in the fridge, AND I found my very first go-to cheesecake recipe. SUCCESS!!I'm kinda proud of my photos in this post. I guess the daylight just happened to be very suitable at the exact moment I got these shots because usually my photos are nowhere near this good! Sorry for tooting my own horn. You can tell me to stop whenever you'd like! ;)NEW YORK CHEESECAKE (from "The America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book")
SERVES 12
Crust
8 whole graham crackers, broken into 1-inch pieces
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus 1 tablespoon for brushing pan
3 tablespoons sugar

Filling
2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, cut into chunks and softened (I used 2 packs Neufchâtel and 3 packs regular)
1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sour cream (I used reduced fat)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large egg yolks
6 large eggs

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Process the graham cracker pieces in a food processor to fine, even crumbs, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle the melted butter and sugar over the crumbs and pulse to incorporate. Sprinkle the mixture into a 9-inch springform pan (I used a 10" pan and still got a tall cheesecake). Press the crumbs firmly into an even layer using the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake the crust until fragrant and beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Let the crust cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees. Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until smooth, 1 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and beaters as needed.

3. Beat in half of the sugar and salt until incorporated, 1 to 3 minutes. Beat in the remaining sugar until incorporated, 1 to 3 minutes. Beat in the sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla until incorporated, 1 to 3 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks and eggs, two at a time, until combined, 1 to 3 minutes.

4. Being careful not to disturb the baked crust, brush the inside of the prepared springform pan with melted butter. Set the pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Carefully pour the filling into the pan. Bake the cheesecake for 10 minutes.

5. Without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temperature to 200 degrees and continue to bake the cheesecake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the cake registers 150 degrees, about 1 1/2 hours, rotating the pan halfway through baking.

6. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and run a knife around the edge of the cake. Let the cheesecake cool until just barely warm, 2 1/2 to 3 hours, running a knife around the edge of the cake every hour or so. Wrap the pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours.

7. To unmold the cheesecake, wrap a wet, hot kitchen towel around the cake pan and let sit for 1 minute. Remove the sides of the pan and carefully slide the cake onto a cake platter. Let the cheesecake sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. (I think this is a matter of preference. We liked ours cold, straight from the fridge!) The cooled, tightly wrapped cake can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

STRAWBERRY TOPPING
MAKES about 3 cups

4 cups (20 ounces) fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced thin
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
Pinch salt
1/2 cup strawberry jam
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
(1 tablespoon cornstarch, my own addition)

1. Toss the strawberries, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl and let sit, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries have released their juice and the sugar has dissolved, about 30 minutes.

2. Process the jam in a food processor (or blender) until smooth, about 8 seconds. Simmer the jam in a small saucepan over medium heat until no longer foamy, about 3 minutes. Stir the warm jam mixture and the lemon juice into the strawberries. Let the topping cool to room temperature before serving, about 1 hour. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

(I chilled this mixture overnight, but I wanted it to be thicker, almost like pie filling. So, I strained the liquid off of the strawberries, reserved about 3 tablespoons of it in a measuring cup, and brought the rest to a simmer. I whisked 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into the reserved 3 tablespoons of strawberry juice, then stirred that into the simmering pot. I brought it back to a simmer and whisked it for about 3 minutes to thicken. I chilled that until completely cold, and then stirred it back into the strawberries. The result was a nice, thick strawberry glaze!)

Sweet Potato Cheesecake w/ Marshmallow-Sour Cream Topping

Mooooooove over, candied yams! There's a new tuber in town (oh yeah, I know my botany). Why not dress your table with this big, honkin' masterpiece for Christmas?? It's a sweet potato cheesecake in a ginger snap crust with marshmallow-sour cream topping. I'm not sure if it's possible to fit more of my favorite words into a food description!

I don't make cheesecake very often. However, it must have been in the stars for me to make a cheesecake this week. Josh and I were in the car going somewhere, and somehow we got on the subject of cheesecake. He suggested I make one, and that's when I realized I've only ever made like two cheesecakes in my entire life! It also hit me that cream cheese had been on sale, and as a result, we had 3 lbs. in the fridge. Ummm I think that pretty much spells out c-h-e-e-s-e-c-a-k-e! I knew I wanted to use up my Murray ginger snaps before they went stale (as much as I love them, I just can't eat a whole bag!). I was going to go the pumpkin route, until I realized we didn't have any canned pumpkin. But we DID have canned sweet potatoes! You can't have sweet potatoes without marshmallows. I did a little googling and found this recipe on Epicurious.com. It's wonderful! I followed reviewers' suggestions and baked it in a larger pan. I still had a few tablespoons of filling that wouldn't fit. There's no way all of it would've fit in the suggested 9" pan. And somehow my cheesecake baked 20 minutes faster than the recipe suggested. Sounds like someone needs to go in and do some editing on that one! Other than that, the cheesecake is outstanding! The sweet potato flavor is subtle, of course, but you definitely recognize it. And the marshmallow topping is fabulous. You know I can't complain about a ginger snap crust. I give this cheesecake an A+!

(PS: It would make a great Christmas present... *hint hint*)
Sweet Potato Cheesecake with Marshmallow-Sour Cream Topping (adapted from epicurious.com)

For crust:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (about 9 ounces)
1 cup pecans (about 3 1/2 ounces)
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger (I omitted this only because I didn't have it)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For filling:
4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin (or 15 ounces, by weight, of pureed sweet potato)
5 large eggs
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I upped it to 1 1/2 teaspoons)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (I upped it to 3/4 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vanilla extract (I reduced to 1 tablespoon)

For topping:
2 cups mini marshmallows or large marshmallows cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream (next time I would reduce to 3/4 cup to help marshmallow flavor come through more)

Crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with nonstick spray (I definitely recommend using a 10-inch pan. Also, the cooking spray burned in the oven, so I would omit it next time). Grind cookie crumbs, pecans, brown sugar, and ginger in processor until nuts are finely ground. Add butter; using on/off turns, process to blend. Transfer mixture to prepared pan; press onto bottom and 2 inches up sides of pan. Bake crust until set and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.

Filling:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in pumpkin. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating on low speed to incorporate each addition. Add flour, spices, and salt; beat just to blend. Beat in vanilla. Transfer filling to cooled crust. Bake until filling is just set in center and edges begin to crack (filling will move slightly when pan is gently shaken), about 1 hour 20 minutes (Mine was ready after only 1 hour). Cool 1 hour. Run knife around sides of pan to release crust. Chill cheesecake uncovered in pan overnight (I would never leave something like this uncovered! Wrap it in plastic unless you want it to taste like your fridge! Btw, I only chilled mine for 2 hours.).

Topping:
Stir marshmallows and milk in medium saucepan over low heat until marshmallows are melted. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt. Cool marshmallow mixture to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Add sour cream to marshmallow mixture; fold gently just to blend. Pour topping over cheesecake and spread evenly, leaving 1/2 inch uncovered around edges. Chill to set topping, at least 1 hour.

Pumpkin-Spice Cheesecake Brownies

After making the Pumpkin Yeast Bread, I had a bit of pumpkin leftover. Again, trying to stray away from traditional recipes (and also wanting to make a dent in the cream cheese stock pile in our fridge), I decided to go with pumpkin spice cheesecake brownies! I ran the idea by my bestest pal from work, Wendi, and she thought it was a great idea. I browsed the internet until I found the perfect recipe at Cara's Cravings. First, let me say this. I'm fairly confident when it comes to baking most things, but I'll admit I'm a little brownie challenged. I suck at brownies! Every time I've attempted brownies from scratch I've underbaked them, and they came out too fudgy and raw-tasting. Even when I make brownies from a mix it's hard for me to tell when they're done. I usually end up overbaking those because I'm afraid of a goopy chocolate mess. In the case of these pumpkin cheesecake brownies, it's possible that I may have underbaked them. At room temp they were very soft and mushy. That could be because of the cheesecake factor, but that factor also means they had to be refrigerated. They firmed up nicely in the fridge, and boy were they delicious! The tang of the cream cheese compliments the pumpkin nicely. And the subtle spice mixed with the chocolate brownie is perfect! The brownies were pretty rich, so we made about 12 servings out of an 8x8-inch square pan. I'll definitely be making these again soon! :) Thanks, Cara, for a great recipe!Pumpkin-Spice Cheesecake Brownies
Brownie Batter
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon

Cheesecake Batter
6 oz cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp each ground ginger and ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8" square metal baking pan.

Beat together melted butter, sugar, and vanilla, then beat in eggs one at a time. Combine dry ingredients and then gradually stir into butter mixture with a wooden spoon. In separate bowl, beat together cheesecake batter ingredients.

Spread about 2/3 of chocolate batter into prepared pan, and spoon cheesecake batter over. Dollop remaining brownie batter over cheesecake batter. Swirl the batters together by running a butter knife back and forth through the pan.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until center is set. Cool completely on wire rack and chill before cutting and serving. Keep refrigerated.

Cheesecake Pie w/ Strawberry Sauce!

Hey guys! First off I wanna say sorry I've been M.I.A. lately. I've been staying busy working at Just Cupcakes, and in my free time Josh and I have become addicted to watching Dexter (all 3 seasons are on Showtime On Demand!!). I made some 7-grain bread last week, but we ate it all before I could take photos and post the recipe. I know i'll be making it again, so look out for that recipe coming soon. Also, my dad's birthday is September 10th. YOU KNOW I'll be making his cake, so keep an eye out for that post as well.

Until then, how about a cheesecake recipe?? It's simple, but it's delicious. I used Teddy Grahams for the crust, and the cheesecake is creamy and mm-mm-good! The homemade strawberry sauce is... well, it's just okay. I won't make it again because it's just too sweet and the strawberry flavor is diluted. It might taste better after a night in the fridge, but as of this moment it's lackluster. =/ At least it's pretty to look at! If you have a better recipe for strawberry sauce, you know where to leave it! ;) Cheesecake Pie w/ Strawberry Sauce

Graham Crust
2 1/4 cups Honey Teddy Grahams (or 20 graham cracker squares)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/8 teaspoon salt

Filling
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Strawberry Sauce (from Junior's Cheesecake Cookbook)
2 quarts fresh strawberries
1 cup cold water
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract
2 to 3 drops red food coloring, optional

In a food processor, pulse Teddy Grahams until no big pieces remain. Add melted butter and salt. Pulse until evenly blended; press onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-inch pie plate. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in vanilla just until blended. Pour into prepared crust.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate overnight.

For strawberry sauce, wash, hull, and dry the strawberries on paper towels. Slice them 1/2 inch thick, vertically from top to tip, into a large bowl.

Bring 3/4 cup of the water and all the sugar to a boil in a medium-size sauce­pan over high heat and let boil for 5 minutes.

Dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining 1/4 cup water in a cup. Whisk this mixture into the boiling syrup and cook until the mixture thickens and turns clear, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the extracts and food col­oring, if you like.

Drizzle over the berries and toss lightly to coat. Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pie

I was in the mood to make pie crust on Sunday, so my next task was figuring out what should go IN the pie crust! I browsed my collection of cookbooks and found one that I've probably only opened once since I got it (not because I don't like it, I simply forgot I had it!). I found a recipe that is perfect for Thanksgiving AND it combines two of my favorite things: pumpkin pie and cheesecake. How could this not be incredible?!? Have a look for yourself...

I started with the pie crust I'm in love with making now. I gather my mise en place (because I'm "particular" like that).
First, a layer of cheesecake batter...

Then a layer of yummy pumpkin pie batter!

Protect the crust from over-browning by covering it with foil.

Finished off with pecan streusel, FANTASTIC!

The cheesecake layer looks a bit thin, but you can definitely taste the cream cheese flavor!

Mmmm, so yummy! Here's the recipe just in time for Thanksgiving!!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pie from Better Homes and Gardens: New Baking Book
Prep: 20 minutes - Bake: 1 hour
Makes: 8 servings – Oven 350F

1 recipe pastry for single-crust 9-inch pie (recipe here)
----------------------------------
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 slightly beaten egg
----------------------------------
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin
1 cup evaporated milk
2 beaten eggs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (I used dark)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
----------------------------------
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, softened

1. Prepare and roll out pastry. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the pastry. Trim and crimp edge as desired; set aside.
2. In small mixing bowl beat cream cheese, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the vanilla, and the 1 slightly beaten egg with electric mixer on low to medium speed until smooth. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate.
3. In a medium mixing bowl combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, the 2 eggs, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Carefully pour over cream-cheese mixture.
4. To prevent overbrowning, cover edge of the pie with foil. Bake in a 350F oven for 25 minutes.
Remove foil. Bake for 25 minutes more.
5. Meanwhile, combine the pecans, flour, the 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and butter. Sprinkle
over the pie. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes more or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 1 to 2 hours on a wire rack. Refrigerate within 2 hours; cover for longer storage.

Nutrition Facts per serving: 477 cal., 29 g total fat (11g sat. fat), 122 mg chol., 295 mg sodium, 46 g carbo., 2 g fiber, 10 g pro. Daily Values: 103% vit. A, 4% vit. C, 12% calcium, 17% iron

Daring Bakers Challenge - Cheesecake Pops

I wasn't really thrilled about this challenge because baking is only about 25% of it and the rest is rolling the balls and dipping them in chocolate. I got exactly 50 pops, and I probably used almost 2 pounds of chocolate. While the recipe is great, they are a pain in the rump to make. They're very yummy, but I think I'll stick with a regular cheesecake when I'm craving a massive amount of fat grams.

ingredients cheesecake before the waterbath
after baking for 55 minutesa million cheesecake balls getting frozendipped in milk, semisweet, and white chocolate (there are about 10 more not pictured that were dipped in melted peanut butter chips, which were BY FAR the best!)Tasty!

Recipe (see other people's creations at Daring Bakers' Blogroll):
Cheesecake Pops
Makes 30 – 40 Pops

5 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¼ cup heavy cream
Boiling water as needed
Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks
1 pound chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees, etc...

Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Set some water to boil.
In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.
Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.
Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.
When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.
Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.
Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate. Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.
Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

While I was out of town last week, I made cupcakes for my aunt's birthday. She said she likes anything with chocolate or cream cheese... So I used both! The recipe is from The Great Book of Chocolate by David Lebovitz. These are absolutely heavenly. Maybe it was the lack of frosting (must mean lack of calories, RIGHT???), but I ate two of these suckers one right after the other!If you love chocolate and cheesecake, they really are that good!

Soo warm and sooooo tempting......but I waited until they cooled and ate them while watching "Don't Forget the Lyrics!"

Ingredients
Makes 12 cupcakes (I got 14)

For the filling
8 ounces cream cheese, regular or reduced fat, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 ounces semisweet mini chocolate chips

For the cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup unflavored vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method
MAKE THE FILLING
1. Beat together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Set aside.

MAKE THE CUPCAKES
1. Adjust the rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 12-cup muffin tin, or line the tin with paper muffin cups.
2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, stirring until just smooth. Stir any longer and you will over mix the batter and end up with less-than-tender cupcakes.
4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Spoon a few tablespoons of the filling into the center of each cupcake, dividing the filling evenly. This will fill the cups almost completely, which is fine.
5. Bake for 25 minutes (Mine were done at about 19 minutes), or until the tops are slightly golden brown and the cupcakes feel springy when gently pressed.

These moist treats will keep well unrefrigerated for 2 to 3 days if stored in an airtight container.

Overall rating on a scale of 1-5
Moistness: 5
Tenderness: 4
Frosting: none

No Poll!

Sorry kiddos, but I have my mind firmly made up about what kind of cupcakes I want to make next week. I very rarely have such a strong feeling for one cupcake flavor that I deny everyone the pleasure of making my mind up for me. But I'm sure you'll be excited next Tuesday when you see what it is!

To hold you over until then, here is a photo of a Mini Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Cheesecake that I made for my boyfriend Mike's birthday last week. I used the same recipe from these cheesecake cupcakes except I used chocolate graham crackers for the crust, and I put peanut butter chips and chocolate chips on top (and some extra chocolate drizzled on top as per the birthday boy's request!)

-Cassie

Cherry Cheesecake Cupcakes

I was totally swamped with baking cupcakes over the weekend for my dad's 50th birthday party on Saturday. I made 4 different flavors , 152 cupcakes total (56 regulars + 96 minis). Remember the Cherry Cheesecake Cupcakes that came in second place in the last poll? Well, I couldn't resist the recipe, so I made them! These cheesecake cupcakes taste okay, definitely nothing like REAL cheesecake. The cheesecake filling baked into the center of the regular cupcake is barely noticeable. But I'll eat anything with canned cherry topping... I'm talking cheeseburgers, cereal, cardboard... anything! I love the stuff!

The Fabulous Dessert Table!! (recipes for the other cupcakes are in the entries above)cherry cheesecake cuppies

Recipe from Cupcakes From The Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn.

MY NOTES: I used cheesecake flavored pudding instead of the vanilla pudding. I used vanilla extract instead of the almond extract. I recommend to anyone that makes these, use a traditional graham cracker crumb/butter mixture for the crust instead of the vanilla wafers. The wafers got soggy and didn't taste like much of a crust at all. I filled my cups 2/3 full with batter before adding the cheesecake filling (I got exactly 28). If you don't want these to rise above the cupcake liners, only fill the cups 1/2 full with cupcake batter before adding the cheesecake filling (you'll probably get around 30-32).

CHERRY CHEESECAKE CUPCAKES
Makes 28 cupcakes

FILLING:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

CUPCAKES:
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup whole milk
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
28 vanilla wafers

TOPPING:
Vegetable oil spray for misting a spoon
1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting (optional)

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 28 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

2. Prepare the filling: Place the cream cheese in a small mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer on low speed until the cream cheese has softened, 15 seconds. Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla and continue to beat on low until the ingredients just come together, 1 minute. Set the filling aside.

3. Prepare the cupcake batter: Place the cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, eggs, and almond extract in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed.

4. Place 1 vanilla wafer in the bottom of each cupcake liner. Spoon or scoop 1/4 cup batter on top of each vanilla wafer. Gently dollop 1 heaping teaspoon of filling on top of each cupcake. The cup will be nearly full. Do not shake the pans. Place the pans in the oven.

5. Bake the cupcakes until they are golden and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cup­cakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your finger­tips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for
15 minutes before topping.

6. Mist a teaspoon with vegetable oil spray and use this to press down on the cupcake to create an indentation. Place a heaping teaspoon of cherry pie filling in the well of each cupcake. Dust with con­fectioners' sugar. The cupcakes are ready to be served.

Store these cupcakes in a cake saver at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze them wrapped in aluminum foil or in a cake saver, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cupcakes overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

Cheesecake Cupcakes

My original plan for baking cupcakes with my cousin was to make 3 different flavors while she was here. However, with a continuous stream of cupcake cookbooks arriving in the mail, we couldn't help but throw another batch in the mix. My parents invite friends over every Tuesday night for hot wings. My cousin and I decided to make the dessert.

ingredients for cheesecake cupcakes filling the cups with the very watery batter chocolate chip and plain cheesecakes cooling chocolate chip, cherry, and plain cheesecake cupcakes the Oreo crust of chocolate chip cheesecakes cherry cheesecake and a chocolate chip cheesecake hiding in the back

I had a cherry cupcake and a chocolate chip cupcake for breakfast this morning, and they were both delicious! The recipe says it yields 1 dozen, but I beg to differ. After doubling the recipe I ended up with 43 cupcakes (there would've been more if the dog hadn't sniffed out the bowl of leftover batter).

Here is the recipe from 500 Cupcakes.

MY NOTES: One batch yields about 24 cupcakes NOT 12. I left out the blueberries. I used half of an Oreo for crust and mini semi-sweet chocolate chips on some, and I used canned cherry topping for others. I only had 3 3/4 cups of ricotta so I added 1/4 cup sour cream.

Baked Cheesecakes
These mouthwatering little cupcakes make stunning individual desserts. Make them ahead of time and all you'll have to do is pop them on a plate when your guests are ready.

1 cup (4 1/2 oz.) graham cracker crumbs
5 tbsp. sweet butter, melted
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups cream cheese, softened
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 325'F (160'C). Place 12 paper baking cups in a muffin pan.
Put the cracker crumbs into a medium bowl and stir in the butter. Spoon tablespoons of the crumb mixture into the cups, pressing firmly into the bottom. Chill until set.
In a large bowl, beat the ricotta until smooth. Add the cream cheese, vanilla, and confectioners' sugar, blending until smooth. Slowly add the eggs, blending well. Spoon the mixture into the cups.
Bake for 25 minutes. Remove pan from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Then remove the cupcakes and cool on a rack. Chill until time to serve. Serve topped with blueberries.

Store covered for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.

Makes 1 dozen