Red Velvet Cheesecake

October 27, 2010February 10, 2011 The Culinary Chronicles2 Comments

So it makes perfect sense that I test out some Red Velvet Cheesecake. 🙂

I took the lead from Southern Living but chose to top the cheesecake with fresh whipped cream as opposed to their additional top layer of cream cheese mixture. For some added fun, I also made them individual sized—no sharing required!

The recipe was easy to follow and did not require a water bath method when baking. However, I did choose to bake the crust for 6 minutes on 325 degrees to ensure crispiness. As for the “cake”, their method gave a nice creamy texture with a slight tangy flavor profile—-I’d assume from the addition of buttermilk.

I don’t think I’ll give up my favorite cheesecake (white chocolate-raspberry cheesecake) for this one but it’s definitely a fun twist. Plus–with Halloween around the corner, the “blood red” hue would be fantastic!

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Red Velvet Cheesecake
From Southern Living

Ingredients:

Crust:
1½ Cups Chocolate Graham Cracker Crumbs or Chocolate Wafters
¼ Cup Unsalted Butter, melted
1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar

Filling:
24 Ounces Cream Cheese, softened
1½ Cups Granulated Sugar
4 Large Eggs, lightly beaten
3 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa
1 Cup Sour Cream
½ Cup Buttermilk
2 Ounces Red Food Coloring

Fresh Whipped Cream:
1 Cup Heavy Cream, chilled
1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extra

Stir together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; press mixture into bottom of a parchment paper lined pan. Bake crust for 6-7 minutes at 325 degrees. Cool completely.

Beat cream cheese and 1½ cups granulated sugar at medium-low speed with an electric mixer. Add eggs and the rest of the listed ingredients, mixing on low speed just until fully combined. Pour batter into prepared crust.

Bake at 325° for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 300°, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until center is firm. Run knife along outer edge of cheesecake. Turn oven off. Let cheesecake stand in oven 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven; cool in pan on a wire rack 30 minutes. Cover and chill 8 hours.

Prepare whipped cream. In a stand mixer, whisk the heavy cream on high until it just holds stiff peaks. Slowly sprinkle in sugar. Add vanilla. Pipe the whipped cream on top of unmolded cheesecake.

ENJOY!

**Since I chose to make individual sized cheesecakes, I only needed to prepare half of the filling amount.

Desserts/Pastries

Mini Spiced Cheesecakes with Gingerbread Crust

November 23, 2009February 9, 2011 The Culinary Chronicles4 Comments

Since we were preparing a “heavy meal” for my family the other night, I wanted to make something light for dessert to end things off with a little sweetness. What better than mini cheesecakes? They’re small enough for folks who have had a bit too much for dinner but perfect for those of us who have a spare “dessert tummy” that we reserve specifically for delicious treats. They’re quite small so you can just pop them into your mouth.

This particular recipe is wonderful for the holiday season with its gingerbread crust and spiced cheesecake filling. The ricotta also offers a light pairing to the cream cheese that is neither too sweet nor dense. For those who prefer even more warmth in flavor, add an additional ½ teaspoon of cinnamon to the cheesecake mixture. You can also swap out the raspberry garnish for a drizzle of white chocolate ganache.

Enjoy!

Mini Spiced Cheesecakes with Gingerbread Crust © Photo rights reserved.

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Mini Spiced Cheesecakes with Gingerbread Crusts
Makes approximately 18-20 mini cheesecakes

Ingredients:

1 Cup Gingersnap Cookies
4 Tablespoons Melted Butter
½ Cup Ricotta Cheese
4 Ounces Cream Cheese
½ Cup Granulated Sugar
½ Tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
Raspberries for Garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees.

In a food processor, pulse Gingersnap cookies into an even powder. Transfer to a bowl and add melted butter until the mixture has the consistency of wet sand. Generously spray 2 mini-muffin pans with cooking spray. Place a heaping teaspoon of the gingersnap mixture into the bottom of each cup, pressing firmly down to pack the bottom. Place the prepared pans in the oven and bake for approximately 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

In a food processor combine the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and the eggs. Blend until smooth. Fill the cups with about 1½ tablespoons of the cheesecake mixture. Situate the mini muffin pans in a water bath by placing them in a baking dish and pour boiling water in the baking dish to come halfway up the sides of the mini muffin pans. Bake for 25 minutes. Transfer the mini muffin pans to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes then refrigerate for 20 minutes. Use a small pairing knife to gently pop the cheesecakes out of the cups. Plate the mini cheesecakes and garnish with one raspberry atop each cake.