Hey y'all! Sarah here. Despite it's short length, that's a pretty loaded title, because today, I'm going to tell you about one of the most influential inventions the ancient Greeks* bestowed upon us. (Think: up there with democracy, advances in math, medicine, astronomy, physics...)
Cheesecake.
Just typing the word, I can taste it.
Yes, I know that's weird.
But when you make cheesecake so much that you practically hyperventilate when you get an amazing, beautiful, fancy schmancy, springform pan for your birthday? You know exactly which Fine Cooking magazine and page the recipe is on? (Issue 104, p. 62) You refer to cheesecake as, "My baby"? And your family knows not to mess with your baby or you'll go all mother bear protecting her cub on them? Then it becomes a little less weird.
Actually, that probably makes it weirder, but at least the tasting while typing thing makes more sense.
Anyway, when
Fine Cooking ran said, "Create Your Own Cheesecake," article two years ago, we decided to give it a try. You could customize the crust, filling, topping, and flavor options to amend a simple, base cheesecake recipe. Sounds harmless, right? Just a little cheesecake recipe. No big deal.
Um... FALSE.
We had just unleashed a beast. He's huge. And never rests. And always wants cheesecake. (Thanks Abagail Johnson Dodge!!) Case in point: We had to actually make a
rule that cheesecakes would be reserved for special occasions after we made three in a row last summer. Yes. Three.
No shame.
The article, (which has since won a Silver EDDIE for Best Consumer Epicurean, Single Article) has given us six amazing variations that we've devoured over the past two years, with plenty more still to try. Because of it, cheesecake has become the top recipe in my baking repertoire; and this White Chocolate Raspberry version has earned the coveted spot of, "Stand by," right up there with "Uncle Joe's Cookies" and
Beth's Cinnamon Rolls. It is that good. (It has also made us realize that no recipe is complete without chocolate ganache. #dessertproblems)
Please do yourself a favor and make this soon! Or today... Today would be spectacular.
White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Start to feel butterflies of anticipation. (Can you tell I like making cheesecake? Second only to eating said cheesecake... *drool*)
The Ingredients
For the crust, you will need:
Sugar, Graham Crackers, and Butter
For the filling, you will need:
Cream Cheese, Eggs, Vanilla Extract, White Chocolate, Sugar, Salt, and Flour (not pictured... because I'm staring at this photo and realizing I forgot to put it in the picture... I apologize!)
For the glazed raspberry topping, you will need:
Raspberries, Seedless Raspberry Jam (or you can be a rebel like me and use Strawberry),
and Water.
And finally, for the chocolate ganache topping, you will need:
Chocolate Chips and Butter.
Now for the good part... LET'S MAKE THIS PUPPY!!
Woof.
Part 1: The Crust
To make the crust, start by weighing out 8 oz. of graham crackers. (This should yield about two cups of crumbs.)
Next, put the graham crackers in a food processor and pulse until you have fine crumbs.
Another way to do this (as shown) is to place the graham crackers in a plastic bag and crush them with a heavy bottom pan or rolling pin. You won't get tiny, uniform crumbs, but it does the job quite well, lets you get your frustrations out, and BONUS: No extra dishes to wash!! (That last point is pretty much the entire reason I do this method. I know. I'm such an over achiever.)
Crumbly and delicious.
Next, take 7 Tbs. of butter...
...dice it up, and melt it.
Add 3 Tbs. of sugar to the graham cracker crumbs...
And mix in the butter. The color should be a bit deeper and all the crumbs slightly moistened.
Next, take out your springform pan! It should be 9 or 10 inches in diameter with a clasp that closes tightly. The top portion should fit snugly in the groove of the bottom portion. (Make sure the top portion isn't upside down when you assemble it! It will leak the cheesecake amazingness all over your oven. And you want to be able to eat the amazingness.)
(This pan is my soul mate.)
Pour the crumbs into the pan and press them down so they lie evenly on the bottom and about 2 inches up the sides. You can use a cup to press them down, but I just use my hands.
Tip: Try and make the sides as thick as the bottom! And make sure the edge where the bottom and the sides meet isn't too thick or it will be hard to cut. Just press your fingers into where they meet to alleviate the problem.
Bake on 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
Take the crust out of the oven and let it cool completely.
Part 2: The Filling
Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees. (Hi reflection! Your hands are really awkward in this picture. I have no idea how you are holding the camera like that. Love, Self.)
Melt 8 oz. of white chocolate in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval.
Put the cream cheese, melted white chocolate, salt, and flour into a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. (I've also made this at the beach with a handheld mixer and it worked just fine! Yes, Cheesecake + Bikini seems counter intuitive, but it worked. At least that's what I told myself.)
Mix on medium speed for 5 minutes until there are no lumps, scraping down the sides of the bowl frequently.
Add the sugar...
And whip again until very smooth and slightly lightened in color.
Add the eggs and vanilla extract...
And whip again until incorporated. (Don't whip too long after you add the eggs! Your cheesecake will puff too much and sink as it cools. Whipping for about a minute
tops after the eggs have been put in is usually plenty of time!)
Pour the batter into the cooled crust.
Smooth the top of the batter with a spatula and bake in the 300 degree oven for 55- 65 minutes. The middle will still jiggle slightly when nudged. (We like a slightly firmer texture in our house, so I normally bake it for the full 65 minutes and then until the middle no longer feels or looks loose when you shake the pan slightly. Now that we have our
amazing new ovens, I normally only need the regular 65 minutes.)
Ta- da!!! Leave the cheesecake to cool completely in the pan. Then refrigerate, un-molded, for 8 hours. (This is the hardest part. Try to be strong... even though you just want to go in with a spoon and shovel every last bit into your face. Gain strength from thinking about how good the toppings will be. And do yourself a favor walk away from the fridge as soon as possible. 8 hours goes a lot faster when that deliciousness isn't staring at you... Or at least that's what I tell myself. I have to tell myself a lot when it comes to cheesecake.)
Part 3: The Toppings
Chocolate Ganache
First, weigh out 3 oz. of chocolate chips.(Weighing keeps you accountable so you can't sneak any. Unless there's extra. You have to make it an equal 3 oz., right? And putting little chips back in the bag is hard! So 3.2 oz? Don't mind if I do.)
Then, take 5 Tbs. of butter...
...dice it up, and microwave it with the chocolate chips until there are just little lumps of butter left.
Take the bowl out of the microwave and stir until smooth and glossy.
Try not to lick the spoon. Or the bowl. Or the counter.
Because licking a counter would just be awkward.
Next is the fun part, because you get to do more with your amazing
cheesecake pan!!!! :D Oh... and you're getting closer to eating the
cheesecake. That's important too. Sorry; I got distracted staring at my soulmate's beautiful, non-
stick finish.
Unclasp the side portion of the springform pan and gently lift it off. (Run a butter knife around the edge if you feel the need to.)
Take a minute to admire another piece of kitchen beauteous- ness, our lovely, new cake plate! It has gorgeous, little medallions (the starfish being one) that can be switched out depending on the season/ event. Our old one had little penguin figurines hanging off the side. (There is absolutely nothing wrong with adorable penguins, but they looked pretty odd in the middle of summer. We kind of OD'd on Christmas in July.)
Wiggle the cheesecake off the base, running a butter knife between the crust and the pan while pushing gently on the side of the cheesecake with your hand.
Pour the fresh ganache over the top of the cheesecake, scraping the bowl with a spatula to make sure every drop fulfills its purpose in life. (The spoon you used to stir the ganache is fair game though.)
Using the back of a large spoon, gently spread the ganache all the way to the edges of the cheesecake, letting some spill over the sides to create drips. (Boom. You have the secret to a professional- looking cheesecake. You're welcome.)
Refrigerate the cake again while you make the glazed raspberries to allow the chocolate to harden somewhat.
Glazed Raspberries
Now for the raspberry part of the, "White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake." (I know the chocolate ganache doesn't fit in to that description
exactly, but since I'm being a rebel and using strawberry jam, I might as well pour extra chocolate on top. Just sayin'.)
Take a 1/4 cup of Seedless Raspberry/ Strawberry Jam and put it in a small sauce pan.
Add 2 Tbs. of water to the saucepan...
...and turn the burner to medium high heat.
Stir constantly until the jam and water have melted together.
(Halfway, switch to a fancy, shmancy wooden spoon because your older sister makes fun of you for using a tiny, metal one.)
The glaze should become smooth and shiny with the consistency of heated maple syrup.
Pour in 2 pints of raspberries and toss until they are all coated in the glaze. (With the fancy, shmancy wooden spoon.)
Pour the raspberries over the top of the hardened ganache...
...then stand back and admire.
For about .2561 seconds before going at it with a knife.
(Or before your family goes at you with a knife while sitting at the table demanding to be served. Seriously. All four of them. My skills so appreciated around here! They don't want to stand around looking at my masterpiece. Noooooo. All they want to do is eat it!)
Well... so do I. ;)
There you have it my friends! The ultimate cheesecake. (Or just one variation of it.)
Here's the link to the article online. It let's you build your own and then print it off as one recipe! Aka, the best invention ever.
Have fun y'all! :)
*The ancient Greeks (namely from the Greek island of Samos) are credited with creating cheesecake, called, "
placenta." First mentioned by the Greek physician Aegimus, it, and another cheese based cake, the "
libum," were both used for religious purposes. However, the
placenta is most similar to the modern cheesecake, as it has a crust. Cheesecakes were also served to the athletes during the first Olympic games in 776 B.C.E.
