Pumpkin Cheesecake Minis

Yup Pumpkin, again!

Are you sick of it yet?

Well, I have never added pumpkin to cheesecake before. I have made different variation of the cheesecake bite, with chocolate, mint chocolate etc. However, not a puree..

Well it really was too easy.

 

First of all with cheesecake anything, your ingredients should be at room temperature so they come together like they should. If one item is too cold you may have liquid chasing the cheese around the bowl. Not Kidding. Had it happen. Cream you cream cheese alone before adding anything else, just as you would butter, add each item one by one. After all ingredients are adding, Whip well.

Make sure you use liners in the your cupcake tins.

Bake for 15 minutes, allow to cool. Refrigerate for best eating results.

 

I didn’t add any spices, but I plan to top it with Whip cream and a dash of pumpkin spice.

I will be placing this in ziplock bags and freeze until Thanksgiving. Allow to thaw and top with whip cream and cinnamon or cocoa powder.

My first batch I left in just a few minutes over, so they browned a bit.

Let me know how yours turns out!

 

Gooey Bars AKA Cheesecake Bars (Easy Peasy)

 

 

So my mother’s day was spent laying down, my allergies got the best of me and my eyes went berserk  I wear contact lenses and early morning Sunday I woke up with my right eye burning. I wanted to scratch my eye out. I thought I might have Pink Eye, but  later with both my eyes weeping, and my nose running I deduced it to Allergies.

My husband and daughter woke me up to breakfast and a cute painted picture from my daughter. 

I spent my night in a Benedryl induced haze and slept wonderfully. Today I felt woozy but I decided to make an effort to have a good day. The weather was cold, again. It’s spring in Germany, but you wouldn’t know if with the cold.

The Herbs I planted are coming up, parsley, dill and basil. The rosemary hasn’tpopped up yet. My husband said I buried the seeds too deep. Which I did, but three of them have come up. So there is still hope for the parsley. We identified the broccoli which was the ones that popped up in the small planters which we replanted. The Strawberries died. Hoping to see more progress if the sun ever comes out.

So today I decided to relive a good memory. My mom used to make these for us when my brother and I were younger.  I never really thought of them as cheesecake. But I guess they are. I hear that Paula Deen Has made them more known. I know they have been around for quite some time.

This recipe is Easy and it uses a Box cake Mix (But Trust me it is very good)

1 Box Yellow Cake Mix
3 Eggs
1/2 Cup Butter or Margarine (Melted)
1- 8 oz package of cream cheese (Softened)
1lb Powdered Sugar

2 Steps:
1 box yellow cake Mix ,Melted Butter and 1 egg , Mix it together (makes the crust for the bottom of your bar)

Flatten that on the bottom of a greased 9X13 inch pan. (It will rise so make sure its a cake pan)

Mix the cream cheese, 2 eggs and Powdered sugar together 4-5 minutes. Should be very creamy (no lumps)

Take that cream cheese mixture and spread over the yellow cake mix that you flattened in the pan. Smooth it out
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit
40 minutes.  If you want it to be sightly gooey pull it out a few minutes prior. if you want it to be chewy leave it in the full-time.

Allow to Cool Completely before cutting. It will be messy.

Also try adding assorted nuts, chips. Maybe even try a different flavor cake mix. There are many possibilities with this recipe.

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Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake (Yes Cake (Pause) Cake) 2 in 1

In a promise to my husband to make him a cheesecake and a red velvet cake,  I did a 2 in 1, which turned into Rich Deliciously goodness. I took a recipe from the Recipe Girl Website http://www.recipegirl.com/2011/11/28/red-velvet-cheesecake-cake/, I have done Cheesecake mini bites but never a full on cheesecake so I followed the cheesecake recipe to the T and it turned out perfect.  I always expect Murphy’s law to intervene when I am doing something this thorough. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it turned out and was perfect

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Suggestion, with the cheesecake, make sure you foil the spring form pan really well, and the cheesecake wont be nearly as tall because it does not have a crust. The Cheese cake goes in the freezer once it cools in the pan on a cooling rack.  (It makes it easier to handle putting between the 2 layers of Red Velvet Cake.

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake

Note the layer of Red Velvet Cake on top, I changed the recipe a bit for the cake. I shaved off a bit of cake to flatten my layers. Which leaves crumbs, Note the crumbs. Then I Made a Simple Syrup: Which is Water and Sugar, Which is sugar dissolved in water at a low temp over the stove til it becomes a somewhat syrupy consistency, I do a 1:1 ratio but some recipes call for 1/4 cup more sugar than water. What a sugar syrup does is add moisture to a cake layer that may be dry or you just want to add the extra benefit to the cake. I take a pastry brush and brush the liquid over the cake layer, which also tamps down the crumbs (its a win win, with more moist cake ) *I know it totally sounds wrong if you read it aloud, More Moist Cake, More Moist Cake, More Moist Cake (Say it again 3 or 4 times) …As you note the shiny layers of cake too.

Here Comes the fun part. Which is putting the layers of cake and the layer of cheesecake together which is rather easy, I put a small layer of the cream cheese frosting (with walnuts and addition I made, because of my awesome mother-in-law who has the best red velvet cake ever) on the bottom layer of cake, the proceeded to place the frozen, cheesecake on that layer and added the last layer. Frosted the Top. Using all of the frosting. I made a half batch of the frosting again with no walnuts for the side. then proceeded to frost the side. Using all of the frosting on top made it about 2-3 inches thick (Nom Nom).  I frosted the side using as much as I could. then threw on the remaining chopped walnuts I had which had that I don’t care kinda look on the cake. Then I used a pastry tip in a bag to do dollops of plain cream cheese frosting on top. I will say that my husband walked in as I was adding the dollops, which then he proceeded to laugh and ask why I was doing this. I told him everything has to have its Ooo La La factor.  Now look at the photo Below. Stare at it in utter awe. I put it in the Fridge covered overnight and we ate a piece the next day. Reminds me I need to cut a few pieces to give to a friend of mine.  Follow the recipe and you wont be disappointed.