To Die For Homemade Cheesecake Ice Cream

My quest to use my ice cream maker lives on.  It all started with homemade vanilla bean ice cream.  And it has now progressed to cheesecake ice cream.  Is there anything more sinful??  And as we all know, sinful = DELICIOUS.  And this ice cream is no exception.

After making this, I got confirmation that Jérôme and I were truly meant for each other.  While eating it, he said to me "imagine this with Oreos stirred in".  Which is exactly what I had been thinking...  

I got this recipe from Food and Wine Magazine.  It is super, super rich.  You really only need a very small portion to be satisfied.  In fact, you probably won't be able to each much more than a very small portion.  Which is perfect, since it is so rich that if you eat too much of it, you'll never be able to do your pants up again ;P

6 ounces cream cheese, softened but still cool 
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1 cup cold sour cream 
1 cup cold heavy cream 
pinch of coarse (kosher) salt 
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.  Chill a medium mixing bowl and the beaters of an electric mixer. 

2.  In the bowl, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until soft and smooth. Gradually add the sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. 

3.  Beat in the sour cream and then the heavy cream. Add the salt, lemon juice, vanilla and beat the mixture just until thick and smooth. 

4.  Cover and refrigerate overnight, or until very cold. Wash and dry the mixer beaters and chill again. 

5.  Using the chilled beaters and gradually increasing the mixer speed from low to medium, beat the cold ice cream mixture until loose and creamy, about 3 minutes. 

6.  Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Serve immediately, or pack the ice cream into a covered container and freeze for up to 24 hours. Allow the ice cream to soften in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

Difficulty level: moderate

Sour Cherry Cheesecake

My parents have been up the past few days, visiting with us and the kids.  And what better opportunity to make a cheesecake than when you have visitors down for several days straight. I was convinced that in making this, I would have dessert for their entire stay.  I forgot that my dad was with us...

A shot of his very first slice:

In fact, I believe that this might have even been my slice, which was smaller than my dad's.

Then here's a shot of his next two slices. Yup.  Served at the same time.  At his request.

And when I jokingly asked if he wanted a fourth, he responded yes.  Except he wasn't joking.

True story.  

When he saw this picture he said, laughingly,
"well it looks like a small slice".  Which clearly means
that it wasn't and was just the camera angle ;)

He says this cheesecake has his endorsement.

Needless to say, the cheesecake did not last their entire stay (though it did thankfully last us through a second dinner!).

The recipe comes from 125 Best Cheesecake Recipes.  It's actually a recipe for a fresh strawberry chocolate chip cheesecake.  I've made it before in the past and I think it is my favourite of the few I have tried from this cookbook (though they have all been delicious).  But I realized as I went to make it that I was all out of strawberries.  So I dug through my freezer and a sour cherry cheesecake it became.  My intention had been to put in the chocolate chunks as well, but I was in a rush and decided to skip that so that I wouldn't have to chop the chocolate.  I defrosted the cherries, cut them in half and drained the liquid before using.

I didn't bother decorating the cake because I simply do not have the time these days...

My cheesecake came out slightly overcooked.  And by slightly, I mean that I left it in the oven for an entire 50 minutes after the buzzer had gone.  I got a call from a friend I haven't spoken to in 4 or 5 years, just as the buzzer went off.  Yup Natasha, that was you ;)  But, as my dad said, you couldn't even tell the difference (except from the somewhat crispy look of the top of it!).

Crust:
1 1/4 C chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs (Oreo crumbs)
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
 
Filling:
4 packages (250g each) cream cheese, softened
1 C ricotta cheese, drained
3/4 C sour cream
1 1/4 C granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. vanilla
1 C strawberries, crushed slightly
3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Decoration:
2 C strawberries, whole
3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled

1.  Crust:  In a medium bowl, combine cookie crumbs and butter.  Press into bottom of cheesecake pan and freeze.

 

2.  Filling:  In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, ricotta, sour cream and sugar on medium-high for 3 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.  Mix in flour, lemon juice and vanilla.  Fold in berries and chocolate chunks.  Pour over frozen crust.  Bake at 350 degrees Farenheit for 45 to 55 minutes or until top is light brown.  Cool for 2 hours.  Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours before decorating.

 

3.  Decoration:  Slice stems from strawberries to create a flat bottom.  Dip only the tips of berries in melted chocolate and place flat with tips upward on lined baking pan to dry.  When dried, arrange strawberries, tips up, on top of cake.

Tip:  If the strawberries are not slightly crushed for the batter, you will get large pockets of liquid from the berries in the cheesecake (which is why I cut the cherries in half, just in case).
Serves 10 to 12 (or Bill Baynton and two others for two meals)

Difficulty level: moderate 

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Mom's Cheesecake

When I was a kid, I hated cheesecake. I know. What was I thinking?????? This was my mom's classic go-to dessert whenever we had company over and I always hated it. I used to give my parents a bit of a run for their money in terms of being a picky eater. Kind of funny, given that I love such a wide variety of foods now and will at least try almost everything you put in front of me (the list is long, including snails, rabbit, blood sausage, tongue, intestines, brain, etc. Can't say I liked much of any of those, but at least I tried them!). Perhaps Logan is following in my footsteps, as you can see in the following clip, for those of you who haven't already seen it on facebook:



Well, I have come to my senses as an adult and now love cheesecake. Love. With a capital L. I only make it when we have company over, as I figure that a whole cheesecake for two people is perhaps only slightly excessive. I made this this weekend when our friend Steve came over with his fiance Melanie and his son, Malcolm. All I can say is that it was good enough that the whole thing disappeared in one sitting. Only due to the guys, of course, as us girls managed to stick to one piece despite it being so delicious. Enjoy!Crust:
1 1/4 C graham crackers
1/4 C melted unsalted butter

Mix together and press into the bottom of an 9-inch round pan. Place in freezer for a bit. (Note: for a gluten free dessert, omit the crust, as I did this weekend, but will never do again, as I'm sure it just makes it that much better!).

2 x 8 oz. packages of cream cheese (don't use light!)
3/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Beat well. Pour over graham cracker crust. Bake 25 minutes in a 350 degree Farenheit oven. Cool 20 minutes.

1 C regular sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
3 tbsp. sugar



Mix and spread on top. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees Farenheit.

I served mine with a strawberry coulis, that I made by pureeing some strawberries that we had picked this summer and adding in just a bit of sugar.

Update April 14/11: you can substitute Splenda for the sugar for a diabetic-friendly version.

Chocolate Cookie Cheesecake

What better opportunity to make a cheesecake than when you have 6 members of your family coming down to stay with you for the weekend? I find that cheesecakes are generally way too big to make unless there's a big crowd, so I decided to take advantage of having my big family down to make another cheesecake. And sure enough, there are only 2 pieces left now that the weekend is over.

This recipe also comes from the cookbook 125 Best Cheesecake Recipes, which I've cited before and which is basically the source for any cheesecakes I ever make. I always try a new recipe and find that any I have tried from this cookbook have always been good. I made the recipe with Fudgeeos, though Oreos would also work well.

Chocolate Cookie Cheesecake

Crust:
1 1/4 C chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs (I used Oreo crumbs)
1/4 C unsalted butter, melted
10 chocolate sandwich cookies

Filling:
3 packages (each 250g) cream cheese, softened
1 C sour cream
3/4 C sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
4 chocolate sandwich cookies, quartered (I threw in maybe 6 extras)



1. Crust: In a medium bowl, combine cookie crumbs and butter. Press into a 9-inch cheesecake pan with 3-inch sides. (If you make your own crumbs by crushing cookies in the food processor, you can use double stuffed cookies and omit the butter in the crust). Cut sandwich cookies in half at the cream filling. Place each half, cookie side, against side of pan, one after another creating a wall of chocolate sandwich cookies. Set aside in the freezer to firm. (If the wall of cookies starts to fall, just prop them up when you pour the filling in the pan).

2. Filling: In a large mixer bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Fold in quartered cookies. Pour batter over frozen crust. Bake in preheated 350 degree Farenheit oven for 45 to 55 minutes or until the top is light brown and the centre has a slight jiggle to it. Cool on a rack for 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before decorating.

3. Decoration: Ice top of cake with whipped cream topping. Top with chocolate sandwich cookies.

Variation: during Halloween, use Oreo cookies with orange centres.

Serves 10 to 12.

Blue Ribbon Cheesecake

This recipe also comes from the cookbook 125 Best Cheesecake Recipes. I made it for the first time for our New Years party, but any of the recipes I've made from this cookbook have all been delicious.

Crust:
1 1/4 C graham cracker crumbs
1/4 C unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
4 packages (each 8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 C granulated sugar
4 eggs
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:
1/2 C sour cream
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Decoration:
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced



I don't recommend using light cream cheese for this recipe, unless perhaps you're just making it for yourself at home. And even then, I'd recommend just freezing it and eating it less often rather than using light cream cheese.

1. Crust: In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of cheesecake pan and freeze (for a gluten-free version, just omit the crust altogether).

2. Filling: In a large mixer bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla. Pour over frozen crust. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes or until the top is light brown and the centre has a slight jiggle to it. Cool on the counter for 10 minutes (do not turn the oven off). The cake will sink slightly.

3. Topping: In a small bowl, combine sour cream, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. Pour into centre or cooled cake and spread out to edges. Bake for 5 minutes more. Cool on a rack for 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before decorating.

4. Decoration: Top with sliced strawberries when completely chilled.

As strawberries were no longer in season, I defrosted some that we had picked over the summer, crushed them and added them to the top of the cheesecake (without adding any more sugar).

Some tips that I've just learned to avoid having your cheesecake crack:

- allow all ingredients to come to room temperature before using
- incorporate one egg at a time
- make sure oven is preheated
- remove the cheesecake from the oven while the centre still jiggles

Good luck! Though this is super easy to make and also freezes well.

Girls Night Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake

So I’ve been completely lazy at updating my blog lately… I know… I have a bunch of different recipes to post up here, but just haven’t gotten around to it. 

I made this cheesecake for last week’s girl night and it was pretty good. Rich, but good (don’t the two usually go hand in hand?). I find the quantities required in the recipe a bit much. My cheesecake pan was overflowing, even though I had put some of the mixture into two individual cheesecake pans. So if you’ve got the patience, you may want to make a smaller version of the recipe. Or you can do as I did and make some little individual portions. In any case, be sure to make this when you have lots of people around to eat it, as it is HUGE. Though it freezes well. I didn't bother decorating it, but I'm sure it would have been much prettier if I had (though I'm sure it tasted just the same).

This recipe comes from the cookbook 125 Best Cheesecake Recipes, which is a great cookbook. I've only made about 4 or 5 of the cheesecakes in it so far, over the years, but they've all been fantastic.

Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust:

2 ½ C graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/3 C unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

5 pkgs. (each 250g) of regular cream cheese, softened
1 C sour cream
2 ¼ C granulated sugar
6 eggs
½ C all-purpose flour
1 C pumpkin purée (not pie filling)
1 tbsp. vanilla
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
½ C pure maple syrup
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground allspice

1. Crust: In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, ginger and butter. Press into bottom of a 10-inch ungreased cheesecake pan with 3-inch sides, and freeze.

2. Filling: In a large mixer bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream and sugar on medium-high speech for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in flour, pumpkin, vanilla, lemon juice, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Pour batter over frozen crust. Bake in preheated oven at 350^oF for 65 to 75 minutes or until the top is light brown and the centre has a slight jiggle to it. Cool on a rack for 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours before decorating with whipped cream topping or serving.

Serves 18 to 20.