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ARIOUS
What is Cheesecake?
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heesecake is a dessert consisting of a topping made of soft, fresh cheese, usually on a crust or base made from biscuit (such as a graham cracker crust), pastry or sponge cake.[1] It may be baked or unbaked. Cheesecake is usually sweetened with sugar and
may be flavored or topped with fruit, nuts, fruit sauce and/or chocolate. Various flavours of cheesecake exist, such as lemon, strawberry or toffee.
History
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heesecake was already a popular dish in ancient Greece even prior to Romans’ adoption of it with the conquest of Greece. The earliest attested mention of a cheesecake is by the Greek physician Aegimus, who wrote a book on the art of making cheesecakes
(Cato the Elder’s De Agri Cultura includes recipes for two cakes for religious uses: libum and placenta Of the two, placenta is most like most modern cheesecakes, having a crust that is separately prepared and baked. In 1872, William Lawrence, from Chester, New York, while looking for a way to recreate the soft, French cheese Neufchâtel, accidentally came up with a way of making an “unripened cheese” that is heavier and creamier; other dairymen came up with similar creations independently. In 1912, James Kraft developed a form of pasteurized cream cheese. Kraft acquired the Philadelphia trademark in 1928, and marketed pasteurized Philadelphia Cream Cheese which is now the most commonly used cheese for cheesecake.
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BOSTON CREAM CHEESECAKE • • • • • • • • • •
1 package 1-layer-size yellow cake mix 2 tablespoonscooking oil 3 ounce packagecream cheese, softened ¾ cupsugar 1 teaspoonvanilla 3 eggs 8 ouncecartondairy sour cream ¾ cupwhipping cream 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped 2 tablespoonsbutter, softened
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irections: 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan; set aside. Prepare cake mix
according to package directions, except add cooking oil. Pour batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly. Bake for 25 minutes.
2.
For filling:: Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in sour cream. Carefully
pour cream cheese mixture over cake layer.
3.
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a 2-inch area around the outside edge appears set and the center appears nearly set when gently shaken. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Using a small sharp knife, loosen
edge of cheesecake from side of pan. Cool completely (about 1 3/4 hours4. Before serving, in a small saucepan, bring whipping cream to simmering. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in butter. Chill about 15 minutes or until mixture is slightly thickened, stirring once. Spoon chocolate mixture onto cheesecake, spreading to cover top. Makes 16 servings. Makes: 16 servings Prep: 45 mins Bake: 325°F 1 hr 15 mins to 1 hr 20 mins Cool: 2 hrs Chill: 4 hrs 15 mins to 24 mins.
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HEADER RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE
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ngredients For the crust:
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers) • 1 tablespoon sugar • 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
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or the filling: • 2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature • 1 1/2 cups sugar 5 whole extra-large eggs, at room temperature 2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature 1/4 cup sour cream 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons) 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
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or the topping: • 1 cup red jelly (not jam), such as currant, raspberry, or strawberry 3 half-pints fresh raspberries
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irections To make the crust, combine the graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter until moistened. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan. With your hands, press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and about
1-inch up the sides. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
2.
To make the filling, cream the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed of the mixer to
medium and add the eggs and egg yolks, 2 at a time, mixing well. Scrape down the bowl and beater, as necessary. With the mixer on low, add the sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly and pour into the cooled crust.
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CHEESECAKE MIXTURE • • • • •
250g cream cheese, cubed, at room temperature 1/2 cup (115g) caster sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla essence 1/4 cup (40g) plain flour
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ilk chocolate mixture
• 180g milk chocolate, chopped 160g butter, cubed 3/4 cup (155g) brown sugar 3 eggs, whisked 3/4 cup (115g) plain flour
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1.
Preheat oven to 170°C. Line a 16cm x 26cm (base) slab pan with non-stick baking paper.
2.
For the cheesecake mixture, use an electric beater to beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs. Stir in vanilla extract and flour.
3.
For the chocolate mixture, melt the chocolate and butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl on Medium/50% power, stirring every minute for 1-2 minutes. Cool slightly. Add the sugar and eggs, and mix well. Stir in the
flour.
4.
Spoon cheesecake mixture and chocolate mixture alternately into the pan. Make a swirled pattern with a fine skewer. Bake 20-25 minutes or until crumbs cling to a skewer when inserted. Set aside to cool completely.
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HEADER WHITE CHOCOLATE AND RASBERRY CHEESECAKE • •
125g unsalted butter 250g packet Arnott’s Granita biscuits 20g (1/4 cup) desiccated coconut Icing sugar and raspberries, to serve
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heesecake filling
• 2 x 250g packets cream cheese, at room temperature 250g firm ricotta (see note) 1 tsp vanilla extract 150g (2/3 cup) caster sugar 3 eggs 80g (1/3 cup) sour cream 200g white chocolate 125g raspberries
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1.
Place butter in a small saucepan and cook, stirring, over low heat for 1 minute or until melted. Using your hands, break biscuits in half. Add coconut and process until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add melted butter
and pulse 4 times or until combined.
2.
Turn the base of spring form pan upside down. Secure back in pan (this makes shell easier to remove). Using your fingertips, press over base and up side of pan to the top. Using a straight-sided glass, press mixture firmly
to compact.
3.
Preheat oven to 160C. Using the claw technique, cut cream cheese into approximately 2cm pieces. Add cream cheese, in 2 batches, beating after each addition until well combined, then beat for 6 minutes or until smooth.
Crack eggs into a bowl.
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