Desserts

Cranberry Cheesecake With Cranberry Orange Sauce

What a great time of year, when there is nothing better than sitting inside, watching the cold fronts come in all the while, looking through magazines to find new recipes that just seem like you have to jump up and make them right then. This cheesecake will be sitting on our dessert buffet table this season.

Crust:

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teas salt

1/4 teas baking powder

10 tables cold butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg yolk

Pam Vegetable Spray

Filling:

1 lb fresh cranberries

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup frozen raspberries

2 tables cornstarch

3 table orange liqueur (or orange juice concentrate)

2 1/2 table coarsely chopped lemon zest

1/4 teas kosher salt

Cheesecake:

3 ( 8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened to room temp

2 (8 oz) containers mascarpone cheese or sour cream

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 teas kosher salt

5 large eggs

2 tables vanilla extract

Parchment paper

Sauce:

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

2 teas lemon juice

Crust:

Preheat oven to 350. Pulse first 4 ingredients in a food processor until blended. Gradually add cold butter and pulse after each addition to combine. With processor running, add egg yolk through food chute and process until combined. Press mixture onto bottom and up sides of a lightly greased (with cooking spray) 9″ spring form pan. Chill 10 minutes. Bake 10-12 min or until golden brown; cool In pan on a wire rack 30 min.

Prepare filling:

Bring cranberries and next 7 ingredients to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat; cook, stirring often 2 min or until cranberry skins begin to split and mixture thickens. Let mixture stand 30 min. Reserve 1/2 cup cranberry mixture for sauce. Spread remaining mixture on to prepared crust. Set aside.

Reduce oven temp to 325. Beat cream cheese and next 3 ingredients at medium-low speed with mixer in a large bowl, just until well blended. Do not over mix. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating at low speed just until yolk disappears after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Pour cream cheese mixture over cranberry mixture in crust. Smooth top of batter to level. Place cheesecake on a parchment -paper lined baking sheet.

Bake at 325 for 1 hr and 10 min or until center of cheesecake jiggles. Turn oven off. Do not open oven door. Let cheesecake sit in closed oven for 30 min.

While sitting in oven for the 30 min, prepare sauce:

Process 1/4 granulated sugar and next 2 ingredients, reserved 1/2 cup cranberry mixture and 1/4 cup water in a blender until smooth. Pour mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a bowl. Discard solids. Cover sauce and chill until ready to use (up to 1 week).

Remove cheesecake from oven and gently run a knife around outer edge of cheesecake to loosen from sides of pan. Do not remove side of pan. Cool completely on a wire rack about 2 hours. Cover and chill 8 to 12 hours before serving. Serve with chilled sauce over each piece.

Taken from November 2014 Southern Living magazine.

Uncategorized

Strawberry Italian Cream Cake

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The Fall weather just keeps me in the baking mood. Yesterday caught me making a strawberry Italian Cream Cake for our DIL birthday and the fresh apple cake is for a party we are going to tonight. When Mandy ask that I make either a strawberry cake or an Italian Cream cake, I went looking for either of these recipes and found a great recipe for a strawberry cake which had coconut and chopped pecans, which in my mind said, “wow, this is like a strawberry Italian cake” so I thought I would bake it. I ended up making the layers in 3 pans instead of two, which made them a little thin for my liking, so I went ahead and baked a two layer French vanilla cake mix and combined the two cakes, put together with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting with chopped pecans and coconut. Turned out so good, I wanted to share.

Strawberry Cake

1 package plain white cake mix

1 ( 3 oz) package strawberry gelatin

1 cup mashed fresh strawberries with juice (I used frozen)

1 cup veggie oil

1/2 cup whole milk

4 large eggs, room temp

1 cup frozen unsweetened grated coconut, thawed (I find this by the frozen fruit)

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

1 package ( 8 oz) cream cheese, room temperature

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (1 box)

3/4 cup fresh ripe strawberries, rinsed and mashed to make 1/2 cup, then drained well. (I just used the left over mashed strawberries that I didn’t use in the cake mix)

1/2 cup frozen unsweetened coconut, thawed

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Lightly grease 3 9″ round cake pans. Preheat oven to 350 (unless your cake pans are dark coated, then bake at 325)

Place cake mix, strawberry gelatin, mashed strawberries and juice, oil, milk and eggs in large mixing bowl. Blend together on low for 1 min, then scraping sides, increase speed to medium and beat for 2 more min. Fold in the coconut and nuts. Divide mixture between the 3 pans and bake until cake tests done. Cool completely.

At this point, I made a Duncan Hines French Vanilla cake, according to directions on box, except that I always substitute milk for the water. Make in 2 9″ round pans.

For Frosting:

Mix the cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar until well blended and no lumps remain. Stir in the coconut and pecans.

To assemble cake:

Place a white cake layer on the bottom of a serving platter. Frost the top. Place a strawberry cake layer on top and frost. Repeat with another white cake layer and frost, then end with another of the strawberry layers. Frost top and sides, using the rest of the frosting. *Also would be good to completely wrap the entire cake, after frosting, with a layer of fresh whipped cream, heh, just sayin). Store in fridge. Keep the 3rd cake layer for another time, wrapped in foil, zip lock bag in freezer.