Double-layered coffee cheesecake

I am starting to feel the wintry cold in the middle of January. The cold is biting, chilling my extremities till the point they stiffen.

I was told yesterday, however, that if your fingers are cold, it means your heart is warm. :) I really liked that!

So owing to cold fingers and warm hearts, I've made some cheesecake. It is real simple to do, even benumbed fingers can manage! ;)

What?

• 1 cup oreo cookie crumbs
• 50g butter, melted
• 180g x 2 cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp hot water
• 2g instant coffee granules
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

How?

1. Mix cookie crumbs and melted butter and press onto the bottom of a pan lined with parchment paper.
2. In a cup, mix the hot water, coffee granules and cinnamon and set aside.
3. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add in the mix and beat just until combined.
4. Divide the batter in half and stir the coffee mixture into one portion. Pour this batter over the prepared cookie crust. Spoon the remaining batter over the coffee layer.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 160 degC for 40 minutes, or until the centre is almost set. Cool and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Quark pumpkin cheesecake

For some time now, I have wanted to try baking with pumpkin. And since it is now fall, pumpkin seems to be the most fitting accompaniment to the season.

I used quark in place of cream cheese. I first had a quark cheesecake in Germany at a welcoming party. It tasted lighter than those made with cream cheese, yet with no compromise in taste. So here's my virgin attempt with quark and pumpkin! I am pretty much pleased with the turn out: a spiced pumpkin cheesecake, top with fresh velvety homemade whipped cream that balances out the rich flavours.

"Autumn is a second spring, when every leaf is a flower." - Albert Camus

What?
Crust base

• 3/4 cup digestives, crumbled
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Cheesecake filling

• 250 g quark
• 1/2 cup pumpkin purée
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tsp vanilla

Whipped cream

• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 tbsp sugar

How?

Crust base

1. Combine the ingredients for the base and mix with a fork.
2. Scoop about 1 tbsp of the mixture into a base of muffin tin and press down to form the base.

Cheesecake filling

1. Mix the quark, puree, eggs, sugar and spices until smooth.
2. Add flour and vanilla to the mixture and stir until combined.
3. Pour the filling over prepared based.
4. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degC for 20 minutes.
5. When cakes are done, remove from the oven and let it cool.

Whipped cream

1. Beat cream until soft peaks form. 
2. Add in the sugar and beat until soft peaks form again.
3. Put into a piping bag and pipe on cooled cheesecakes.

Cheesecake brownie

For mommy's birthday this year, we decided to stay in and have dinner at home. We had steamboat for dinner and despite the fact that the cooking was carried out as we eat, there was a lot of preparation work to be done prior to dinner time. This meant that I didn't get any kitchen space until 1-2 hours before everyone returned home - I had just enough time to whip up a brownie cheesecake. Chocolate and cheese, 2 of mom's favorite flavors.

A simple brownie recipe was used to make the base, topped with cream cheese and some swirling with a knife for marbling effect. As an afterthought, some chocolate chips in the brownie would be nice to further enhance the fudginess.

And so it was a pleasant night with home-prepared dinner, after-meal soccer-watching, a birthday song and some cheesecake. Simple and warm.

Mini cheesecakes

I love these liners - pretty plaids in bright cheerful colors. The plaid designs are on the inside, apt for these mini cheesecakes that will not rise or be filled up to the brim of the liners.

These are made with the classic cheesecake recipe, scaled down in baking proportions to fill only 2/3 of a liner. 

So I made about 9 of these minis. Philadelphia cheesecakes, lighter in texture yet richer in flavor than NY style cheesecakes.

Boxed up as a gift. Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag.

Cream cheese pie

It's unbearably warm here now and I'm ashamed to say I dread turning on the oven in the kitchen because of the heat. However, sweet desserts aren't all baked, how about some chilled ones for a change?

Cheesecake is a baked dessert, a dense one with cream cheese, eggs and sugar. This cream cheese pie, however, is a chilled dessert made without the eggs and sugar but replaced with condensed milk. Squeezed in some fresh lemon juice to add some tartness. Smooth, sweet and creamy, and pairs well with a graham crust. I baked the crust for a while though, despite trying to avoid the oven heat...

The only thing about this recipe was that I had to chill it for really long. Even after a day it was still difficult to make a clean cut. Next time I'll go easy on the condensed milk and prolly throw it in the freezer, maybe then it'll be firm enough to cut.

Regardless, my mom and I enjoyed it. I made a teeny small one so we finished it in one setting. The addition of condensed milk to the cream cheese gives the impression that this pie is gonna be overly sweet, but really it isn't (ok, coming from someone with a sweet tooth you wouldn't think it's a good gauge).

Top a slice of the pie with fresh fruits or some strawberry sauce (my slice was too tiny for any fruit topping)...

Or some chocolate bits (drizzle with chocolate or caramel if you like)...

I like mine plain. Old boring me. *gobbles*