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Wednesday, June 6, 2012

PinterTest Kitchen 9: Pam's Cheesecake

I will begin by saying cheesecake terrifies me.


I have very little trouble eating cheesecake.


It's the whole "making one from scratch" that I try and avoid.


Half of my relatives are from New York.


Californians do not make cheesecake for New Yorkers.


It's a rule somewhere, I'm sure.


Julie, a Californian, made it for us last week.


And I first tasted it when Kimberlee, a Kansan, made it for Meg's Craft Weekend earlier this year.


And it alone was worth the flight to the mid-west.



What I'm trying to say is this is some GOOD stuff.


So, for this month's Pintertest Kitchen, I was feeling brave.


I had Julie on the horn for a clarification question or two.


Or twelve.


Surprisingly easy for how terribly delicious it is.


I don't care what state you're from.


You NEED to make this.


The crust?


Crushed Keebler Fudge-Stripes cookies.


FUDGE.  STRIPES.  COOKIES.


Almond extract is very much involved.


And fresh whipped cream.


I know.


Here's a detailed step-by-step.


From a California girl who's never made a cheesecake in her life.


I didn't even own a Springform pan until Tuesday.


 If I can do it?


You can, too.



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Spray the bottom and sides of a 9" Springform pan with baking spray.


For the crust:


1 package Keebler Fudge Stripes cookies


1/4 cup butter (melted)


1/4 cup sugar



Using a rolling pin, smash 24 cookies in a large Ziploc bag.


Once finely crushed, add melted butter and sugar.


Thoroughly combine ingredients within bag.


Press crust into the bottom of the Springform pan and set aside.



For the cake:


4 - 8 oz. boxes of cream cheese


1 small 8 oz. tub of sour cream


4 eggs


1/3 cup sugar


1/3 cup powdered sugar


1 tsp. vanilla


1 tsp. almond extract



In separate bowl, soften cream cheese in microwave 1-2 minutes.


Stop and stir after the first minute.


Keep microwaving in 30 second intervals and stirring until cream cheese is smooth but not warm.


It took me 1 minute, 30 seconds total to reach desired consistency.


Smooth but NOT warm.


It should look something like this:



Next, transfer softened cream cheese to stand mixer.


Add all 4 eggs and mix on high speed 4-5 minutes.


Mixture should be very smooth, creamy and gooey.


Add sour cream, both sugars, vanilla and almond extract.


Continue to mix on high speed for about 2 minutes until mixture is smooth.



MUY IMPORTANTE:


As you're mixing, be sure to thoroughly scrape the bottom and sides of your mixing bowl to avoid chunks.


Chunks are for Californians.



Next, place Springform pan on a baking sheet to prevent a cheesecake party in your oven.


Pour contents into pan.


Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.


When finished, let it set on the counter for a bit.



For best results, refrigerate, covered overnight before removing from pan.


And it will probably crack in the middle.


Cracks are for Californians, too.


Obvs.


But that makes whipped cream and it's flaw covering properties all the more awesome.



For the whipped cream topping:


1 pint heavy whipping cream


1/3 cup sugar


1 tsp. vanilla


Mix on medium speed 5-7 minutes, until cream is firm but not too thick.


I also threw in a dash of almond extract.


End result was perfection.


My New Yorkers would be proud.



I let it sit (still in the Springform pan) in the fridge overnight before serving.


Also MUY IMPORTANTE:


After removing the Springform ring, let it chill in freezer for 30-45 minutes prior to removing the base of the pan.


Slide sharp knife under the crust and pop the whole thing off, THEN cut.


Make sense?


Feel free to ask questions.


You can do this.


Original recipe here.




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9 comments:

  1. You are hilarious! I'm sure the rule does exist about Californians making Cheesecake for New Yorkers -- but I'm pretty no one will care about the rule after eating this delicious cake!

    You had me at fudge striped cookies...and Seth loves cheesecake so I WILL learn this!!

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  2. Best cheesecake ever. And mine always cracks. Now I can blame it on California.

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  3. sooo....i am pretty much a cheesecake skeptic.
    especially for all of those calories - i need to REALLY like it.
    and that crust.
    i would probably just eat that alone.
    in my room.
    by myself.
    for a month.

    i need to make this.
    ASAP.

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  4. if marriage is ever in my future, will you please make 10,000 of these for my wedding?? thanks in advance.

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  5. I love cheesecake and I am TOTALLY intrigued that the crust is Keebler cookies. Interesting. I think I need to try it! Just linked up my pins!

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  6. cheesecake is my FAVORITE.

    i am lactarded and must stay away from cheesecake production. i will give this recipe to michael, he'll make it for me. he makes me a heath-toffee-crunch-cheesecake with homemade caramel. i love my cheesecake-making-husband.

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  7. Mine is in the refrigerator chilling right now.
    I wish you and Cuppa were going to be here this weekend.

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  8. This cheesecake was soooo good I had the tiniest portion at first because I'm wary of certain cheescakes, i.e. the real new york kind is too bland for me but this one is nothing like that. It is the perfect balance of salty to sweet too

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  9. I LOVE the idea of pinterest testing! I will have to try this, pick a project or recipe once a week and try it. I am following your blog, so interesting!

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