Rich and creamy, heavenly chocolately, melt in your mouth goodness! There are a few steps to get through but it is worth the effort…guaranteed!
Black Forest Cheesecake
1 cup Chocolate Cookie Crumbs
1/4 cup Butter, melted
2 pkgs 250g Philly Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 cup (100g bar of chocolate) Dark Chocolate, melted
1/3 cup Cream
2 Tablespoons Kirsch (Cherry Brandy)
1 can (425g) pitted Cherries, drained and reserving liquid
1 can (425g) pitted Cherries, reserve 8 – 10 whole cherries for garnish
Reserved liquid from first can of cherries
1 /3 cup Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
Combine cookie crumbs and melted butter.
Press into an 8″ Springform pan.
Chill.
Preheat oven to 300F (150C)
In tall mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar just until smooth.
Beat in eggs, one at a time.
On low speed, stir in the chocolate, cream and kirsch just until smooth. Do not over beat.
Stir in the first amount of drained cherries.
Pour into prepared crust and bake in 300F oven for 45 minutes.
Edges will be puffy and centre still a bit wiggly.
Turn oven off, allow cheesecake to cool in oven with the door ajar for about an hour.
Remove from oven and cool completely, then chill for two hours.
While cheesecake is chilling combine second can of cherries, reserved liquid from first can, and 1/3 cup sugar.
Bring to a boil.
In a small bowl, using a fork, stir together 2 tbsp of water and the cornstarch.
Add cornstarch paste to cherries and return to a boil; cook for a minute, stirring constantly.
Reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened.
Remove from heat and cool.
In tall mixing bowl that has been chilled along with mixing beaters, whip the cream until slightly thickened.
Add icing sugar a lil at a time.
Add vanilla and whip cream to desired stiffness; do not over whip.
Building the Black Forest Cheesecake.
Load piping bag with whipped cream and pipe a border around the top edge of the cheesecake.
Fill center of Whipped Cream border with the chilled Cherry mixture.
Sprinkle the Cherry filling with chocolate shavings/curls.
Decorate with reserved cherries.
I used to be a huge fan of those no-bake Cheesecakes but then discovered this recipe. I wish I could give credit where credit is due but the recipe I am posting here is recreated from crude notes over 4 bits of scrap paper! This procedure was a lil odd to me but the results were so amazing that I will blindly follow! Thanks Anita for asking about Cheesecake as it made me dig through my recipe box! BTW, this is kind of like those lil Cheesecakes you get at Save On Foods, but yummier!
Blueberry Cheesecake
1 1/2 cup Nilla Cookie crumbs or Graham Wafer Crumbs (<- can’t get the latter in .au)
1/4 cup Sugar
1/3 cup Butter, melted
2 1/2 cups Blueberries
1/4 cup Water
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
3 packages Philly Cream Cheese, slightly softened
1 cup Sugar
4 Eggs
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon Salt
Preheat oven to 325F.
Put together a 10″ Springform pan; set aside.
In medium mixing bowl combine crumbs, sugar and melted butter.
Press into springform pan.
Bake in 325F oven for 9 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool.
Meanwhile, in medium saucepan over medium – high heat stir together blueberries, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of the water.
Stir cornstarch into remaining water and keep handy.
Bring blueberries to a boil, stirring constantly.
When berries are bubbling, stir in cornstarch/water mixture and continue cooking for another minute.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
In large mixing bowl beat softened cream cheese just until no lumps can be seen; add sugar, 1/3 at a time, stirring to incorporate well.
Stir in eggs, one at a time.
Stir in cornstarch, salt and a bit of vanilla, if you like…I always do!
Pour cream cheese mixture over crust.
Top with blueberry mixture, gently swirl with a knife.
Swirled Blueberry Cheesecake to go back into the oven
Bake in 325F oven for an hour.
Bake in a low temperature oven
Remove from oven, cool on wire rack for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven, add sour cream topping
While Cheesecake is baking, combine sour cream, sugar and vanilla in a small mixing bowl.
Once cheesecake has cooled for 20 minutes, spread the sour cream mixture on top.
Return to oven and bake for another 10 minutes at 325F.
Topped with Sour Cream Topping and back into the oven
Turn the oven off, open the door a few inches and allow cheesecake to cool in the cooling oven for about 60 minutes.
Remove from oven, run a knife around the edge of the cheesecake and cool completely on wire rack.
After cooling cake in the oven for an hour, remove and run knife around the edge. Remove springform side.
Nope, you are not done yet! And you thought it was over!
In small saucepan combine sugar, water and cornstarch and bring to a boil.
Continue cooking until mixture has thickened.
Remove from heat, stir in blueberries.
Cool.
And last, but not least,
In large mixing bowl, whip cream until it starts to thicken a little.
Add the icing sugar, a teaspoon at a time and finally adding the vanilla.
Beat a little for soft peaks, a bit more for stiff peaks but do not overbeat!
Load whipped cream into a piping bag and pipe a border around the outer edge of the cheesecake.
To serve, cut into wedges, top with a bit of the blueberry mixture.
Serve with a dollop of fresh Whipped Cream
Alright, you have now really and truly earned yourself a piece of the Best Blueberry Cheesecake you will ever try!
Some Notes about making Cheesecake:
Cracking Cheesecake? Are you over beating the Cream Cheese?
*Bring cream cheese to room temp before beating by allowing to sit on countertop for 30 minutes or you can gently microwave in 10 second intervals until soft enough to easily beat.
*No peeking…well, you can look through the oven glass but def no opening oven door for at least the first 30 minutes of baking.
Most cheesecakes want to be baked for about an hour but I would recommend you start checking at 50 minutes.
*When done, the outer edges of cheesecake will be puffy and the center may still look a little jiggly; the cheesecake will continue cooking as it cools.
*Do allow cheesecake to cool in the oven once you have turned the oven off, leaving the door ajar.
Don’t despair if your cheesecake cracks! Easy to cover up with a bit of whipped cream!
Which brings to mind:
*When making whipped cream, chill CLEAN stainless steel or glass bowl and CLEAN beaters in the freezer for 10 – 15 minutes
– residual grease will hinder your efforts to get nice peaks in your whipped cream
*Store prepared Whipped Cream in CLEAN stainless steel or glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap.
* If using piping bag, it is essential that the bag is clean and free from any residual grease from icing
One heck of a sinful dessert! Shortbread crust, yum; cream cheese layer, yum; chocolate pudding layer, yum; whipped cream topping, yum! Yum, Yum, Yum!
I got this recipe out of a newspaper about 18 years ago and it quickly became a family favourite. Sometimes I misplace my old, faded recipe card and I google it but have never found this exact recipe online. Hopefully it is now immortalized in the world wide web!
Sex in a Pan
Base:
1/2 cup Butter
1 cup Flour
1/4 cup Sugar First Layer:
1 8 ounce pkg Cream Cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup Icing Sugar
1 tub Cool Whip Second Layer:
3 cups Milk
1 pkg Instant Chocolate Pudding, (6 serving size)
1 pkg Instant Vanilla Pudding, (6 serving size) Third Layer:
250 ml Whipping Cream, whipped with 1 Tablespoon Icing Sugar and a splash of Vanilla
Chocolate Curls or Shavings
Base:
Combine flour and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl.
Cut butter into flour and sugar until mixture resembles fine crumbs.
Press into a 10″ Springform pan.
Bake in 325F oven for 20 – 25 minutes, or until slightly golden.
Cool completely.
First Layer:
Beat together cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth.
Stir in Cool Whip topping.
Spread evenly over the base; refrigerate
Second Layer:
Measure cold milk into mixing bowl.
Add pudding mixes; beat on slow speed until blended; increase speed and mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
Spoon over Cream Cheese Layer.
Third Layer:
Prepare whipped cream and spread over Pudding Layer.
I decided to make use of a loaf of bread I found lurking in the freezer and since my menu plan for the day did not include something that called for a side of Stuffing, I made good old fashioned Bread Pudding.
Classic Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce
2 cups Milk (or soy milk)
1/4 cup Butter
1/2 Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 Eggs, slightly beaten
6 cups dry Bread Cubes
1/2 cup Rasins (optional)
Rum Sauce
1 cup packed Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Butter
3 – 4 Tablespoons Bundaberg Rum
Preheat oven to 350F.
Lightly spray an 8″square (2 litre) casserole dish with vegetable oil spray [The casserole dish needs fit into a 9×13 (22cmx33cm)]Place bread cubes in a large mixing bowl.
In small saucepan, heat milk and 1/4 cup butter over medium heat until butter is melted and milk is hot.
In a small bowl whisk together sugar, cinnamon, salt and eggs; pour over bread cubes and stir to coat cubes.
Stir in milk mixture.
Pout into prepared baking dish.
Place casserole in a 9×13 (22cmx33cm) pan; pour boiling water until 1 inch deep.
Bake uncovered 40 – 50 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from edge of baking dish comes out clean.
Rum Sauce
In small saucepan over medium, bring brown sugar, butter and Bundy rum to a boil, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved.
Serve sauce over warm bread pudding.
Store in refrigerator.
Serves 8
Bread Pudding with Bundy Rum Sauce and a dollop of Spiced Whipped Cream
Original Recipe taken from Betty Crocker Cookbook 1983 Edition
Strawberry Shortcake is synonymous Canada Day around our place. It marks the beginning of those long, lazy days of Summer!
Shortcake:
2 1/4 cup Flour
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
2 Tablespoon Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/3 cup Shortening, cold
1 Egg
2/3 cup Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Whipped Cream:
1 litre Whipping Cream
Vanilla
Icing Sugar
Strawberries:
5 cups Sliced Strawberries, divided
1/4 cup Honey
Lemon Juice
or
Amaretto
8 Whole Strawberries, washed, leave stems on
Strawberries:
Place 4 cups of Sliced Strawberries into a bowl, drizzle with 1/4 cup of Honey, a scant amount of Lemon Juice or Amaretto, stir.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to let the flavours blend; I recommend doing this the day before.
Whipped Cream:
Whip cream in cold bowl using cold beaters.
As cream starts to slightly thicken, add a generous splash of Vanilla and icing sugar, a tablespoon at a time, to taste. I usually use about 3 Tablespoons.
Remove 1 cup of whipping cream to make the filling, cover remainder of the whipping cream with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
Filling:
1 1/2 cups Bavarian Creme <- I always get mine at SOF in the Bulk section
1 cup Fresh Strawberries, chopped
1 cup Fresh Whipped Cream
Combine bavarian creme, chopped strawberries and 1 cup of whipped cream.
Shortcake
Preheat oven to 425F (220C)
Prepare baking sheet by lightly spraying with vegetable oil spray and dusting ever so lightly with cornmeal.
In mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
Using pastry blender, cut in cold shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Measure out milk, add egg and vanilla, using a fork, stir well to combine.
Add liquid ingredients all at once to dry ingredients and stir until the dough gathers and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Turn out onto lightly floured surface and gently knead 10 times.
Gently pat down into a 10″ (25cm) circle or ever so gently roll out and cut with the large scalloped side of the top right cutter, for individual shortcakes.
Place on prepared baking sheet, score the 10″ (25cm) (keeping in mind you will be splitting the shortcake so very light scoring) circle into 8 wedges and bake in hot oven for 15 – 20 minutes, rotating pan(s) at 8 minutes. Continue baking until lightly golden.
Remove from oven and transfer shortcake(s) to wire rack to cool completely.
Building your Shortcake
When cooled, split shortcake(s).
Place bottom half of shortcake on serving platter.
Spread filling to cover, leaving an inch on the outside border.
Load large CLEAN piping bag (if there is any grease residue from say, Buttercream Icing, it will compromise the Whipped Cream!) with fresh whipped cream and pipe a high border around the filling.
Gently spoon a cup of macerated berries over the filling.
Gently refresh score lines.
Gently place scored top layer over filled bottom layer.
Pipe a border around the top and bottom of the cake.
Spoon remaining macerated strawberries on top of the cake and spread to fill area inside piped border.
Decorate with remaining whole strawberries.
If making the individual shortcakes, follow same procedure on each shortcake.
Welcome to my Kitchen where the most important ingredient is Love.
