Kahlua Cappuccino-Fudge Cheesecake

No matter how you look at it birthdays are wonderful milestones in your life.

It's funny when I was younger like in my kiddo days, I absolutely loved birthdays. The silly excuse to eat cake, have an awesome party all in your honor and the insane amount of presents from your friends and family. Nowadays, my view on birthdays are "UGH, I'm getting old!" or "OMG, it's here again - another year has past?" Birthdays shouldn't be painful reminders of how old you are, but they should make you appreciate the simple and positive things that happened in the past year. The birth of my beautiful daughter, saying goodbye to the working world and becoming a stay at home mommy, and enjoying the love of my family and friends. Birthdays are your very own personal holiday, and that never gets old.

One of my favorite birthday celebrations is baking up my birthday cake. Some may think that this is silly that I bake up my own birthday cake, and that maybe I should buy a cake. Or maybe have my husband, bake me a cake - that might happen later down the road. I really love the baking challenge of finding my birthday cake and creating and enjoying it. It's my own private birthday relaxation and celebration all rolled into one special cake.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Happy Friday!

Every year I tell myself that I need to get better about buying candy for Halloween. The ratio to kids to candy leftover is always off. We didn't take Elena trick or treating but passed out candies instead. We had about 4 or 5 groups of kids visit us on Halloween and we were left with half a bucket of candy. Secretly, I had purposely bought a large bag of Reese's Peanut Cups because I wanted to eat a one or few. Not a problem right?

Luckily, I also wanted something extra sweet and something to use up the leftover candy before I ate them all to myself. This decadent and candy-licious cheesecake came together as a matter of chance because I had Oreo cookies leftover from my batch of Slutty Brownies. You can easily use graham crackers for the crust, but where's the chocolate fun in that? This dessert would be ideal for all you peanut butter and chocolate fans and an extra bonus to those cheesecake lovers...it's one spectacular dessert that is absolutely amazing.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups + Cheesecake = AWESOMEness.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cheesecake
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven
ZipList Add Recipe

Carrot Cake Cheesecake

Happy Friday!!

This wonderful month of March is almost a day being over, and I can't believe it! Eric and I have been really busy these past couple of weeks: finishing up our home renovation projects and nesting for cookie. Everything is finally coming together because living out of boxes is never fun, and cookie's nursery is halfway completed. We have the crib and dresser assembled, and the bassinet is ready to go in our bedroom, but there are tons of laundry to be washed and to be folded and put away.

I'm a little overwhelmed on where to put everything for cookie  or feel that we don't have everything that we need but it seems that we got plenty of diapers, blankets and a couple of outfits to keep us prepared for the first couple of weeks. I figure once cookie is here, we'll adjust and figure out what's missing. Currently, I'm at 34 weeks, and 3 days right now. These next 6 weeks will fly by because we are jam-packed with activities. Hospital tour, our 4 year wedding anniversary, my sister's bridal shower and a couple of birthdays and celebrations and hopefully we'll have the reveal of our sweet nursery and maternity pictures, too.

This scrumptious dessert is another sweet treat that I prepared for my husband. If you remember from my last post that I had made him the gorgeous Kitchen Sink Carrot Cake for his birthday. I had made that dessert to share with our friends at his Mustache Bash, and this was his actual request for his birthday to share with the family- a carrot cake cheesecake. He wanted the best of both worlds - cheesecake and carrot cake all in one. We have never had this dessert at the popular chain, The Cheesecake Factory, but I figured if my girl, Nikki, had made it - it was definitely a winner.

Happy Birthday again to my wonderful husband, Eric.

Carrot Cake Cheesecake
Adapted from Pennies On A Platter
Printable Recipe
For the cheesecake:
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon flour
3 eggs

For the carrot cake:
3/4 cup veggie oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
8 oz can crushed pineapple, packed in 100% juice, drained well, reserve juice
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For the Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon reserved pineapple juice

Preheat oven to 350˚F and grease a 9- or 9 1/2- inch springform pan.

For the cheesecake batter, the bowl of the stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add in the flour, eggs and vanilla until fully incorporated and no lumps remain. Make sure to scrape the sides down if needed with a spatula, and set aside.

To prepare the carrot cake batter, combine the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and spices. Stir into the egg mixture and mix well. Add the pineapple, carrots, coconut and walnuts. Stir until just combined.

To assemble the cheesecake, pour 1 1/2 cups of the carrot cake batter over the bottom of the prepared pan. Drop spoonfuls of the cream cheese batter over the bottom layer of carrot cake, using up 1/4 of the batter and reserving the rest for the top layer. Top with large spoonfuls of remaining carrot cake batter. Repeat with remaining cream cheese batter, spreading evenly with a knife.

Bake for 50 to 65 minutes or until cake is set and cooked through. Cool completely, then cover and refrigerate. When the cake is cold, prepare the Pineapple Cream Cheese frosting.

Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting:

In the bowl of the stand mixer, combine the cream cheese, butter, sugar, vanilla and pineapple juice. Beat until smooth. Add additional juice or sugar to desired spreading consistency. Frost the top of the cheesecake. Grate fresh carrots on top for additional garnish, if desired.  Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours before serving.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings

Review: Absolutely creamy and luscious. Like Nikki, I wanted more of a cheesecake layer to be evident. She had suggested baking the cake and cheesecake layers separate and then assembling it all together. My husband loved the swirled effect of cheesecake and carrot cake all in one because it gave him the best of both desserts. This would be perfect for the upcoming Easter holiday or any carrot cake/cheesecake lover in your life. ;-)

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

For Easter dinner, I was in charge of dessert. I've been wanting to make this cheesecake recipe for a long time, and knew this would be the perfect occasion to try it out. Also, Eric's uncle - his favorite dessert of all time is cheesecake! I found this recipe at Bake at 350's blog, her cookies and desserts are so beautiful and perfectly crafted, her food looks like artwork. She has a fantastic photo step-by-step post of the recipe, too. The main reason why I picked this recipe was the use of vanilla bean paste in the recipe. You could easily substitute vanilla extract, but the vanilla bean paste gives the beautiful black flecks in the creamy white cheesecake. I bought mine at Sur La Table and it could be found at speciality cake shops, too. I'm sorry Cheesecake Factory, but this recipe supercedes your original cheesecake!

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
Adapted from Bake at 350 source from King Arthur Flour
Ingredients:
Graham Cracker Crust:
1 & 3/4 cups crushed graham crackers
4 tablespoon melted butter
4 teaspoon. sugar
1/8 teaspoon coarse salt
1. Combine all ingredients. Press into the bottom of a 9" springform pan. Bake at 350for 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
Cheesecake:
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 & 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
4 eggs
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons of lemon zest
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
1 cup sour cream, full fat
1/2 cup heavy cream
Sanding sugar*optional*
Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 325.
2. On low speed, beat the cream cheese until no lumps remain; scraping down the sides as needed. Add the sugar and salt and beat until combined. Add the eggs one at a time until the mixture is smooth before adding the next egg. Scrape the bottom of the bowl after each addition.
3. Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla bean paste, sour cream and heavy cream until smooth.
4. Pour onto the cooled crust and bake 50 minutes or so until the edges are set and the cheesecake is a light golden brown. The middle will still jiggle when the pan is shaken.
5. Turn off the oven, crack the door and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 1 hour. (This helps prevent cracking.) The center will finish setting in the oven.
6. After 1 hour, remove the cheesecake from the oven and run a knife around the edge of the pan.
Raspberry Sauce
2 teaspoon cornstarch
3 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup water
12 ounces frozen raspberries, thawed
Preparation
1. In a small saucepan, stir together the cornstarch, sugar and water. Add the raspberries and cook over medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixture boils. Continue stirring and boil one additional minute.
Pour the sauce into a mesh sieve placed over a bowl to remove seeds. The sauce can be served warm or cold. Store in the refrigerator.
When serving the cheesecake, I cut the slices for everyone, drizzled the raspberry sauce, and added little bits of sanding sugar for that extra touch of Krystal love! Everyone loved how my cheesecake sparkled!
Review: PPPPPPPPPP--EEEEEEEEE--RRRRRRR---FECT!!!!! I love this cheesecake just as much as my go-to Mascarpone Cheesecake. This was a nice change up and a great recipe to be enjoyed with the family. The tang from the lemon and the vanilla bean paste was a creamy heaven, a very classic take on the dish. Happy belated Easter everyone!

Mascarpone Cheesecake with Almond Crust

I must admit this is the best cheesecake I've ever made to date. I hadn't made it since April, and this is my fave dessert for parties! This was the perfect treat for everyone to enjoy at our family party. My uncle who has had my cheesecake before thought I did something different. I was like no, what are you talking about??? He was like it's sooooo creamy, and I thought about it because I contemplated what I had done differently. I worked on getting that perfect almond crust, it wasn't mushy as I had made in the past. I used pure vanilla extract from Williams-Sonoma, and I picked lemons from our backyard....and I used my Kitchen Aid Mixer!! A-ha...all those factors, have made the best cheesecake ever!!! Seriously, the creaminess of the cream cheese & mascarpone, and the hint of lemon...truly melt in your mouth. I hope I can duplicate recipe for next time!! The water bath for the cheesecake is the best way to cook it as well. Thank you Giada for showing me your family's favorites!! The only item I omitted was the chocolate topping, but you can add that if you like, but the cheesecake is perfect either way!

Mascarpone Cheesecake with Almond Crust

Adapted from Giada de Laurentis

Ingredients

Crust:

1 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted

2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted**I always add extra butter*

Filling:

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature

2 (8 oz) containers mascarpone cheese, room temperature

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 large eggs, room temperature

Topping: **I omitted this process, but feel free to add - I have done this before, and it's delicious*

1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread aka NUTELLA

1/4 cup whipping cream

Preparation:

For the crust, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Tightly wrap the outside of a 9-inch diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with 3 layers of heavy-duty foil. *Make sure it's heavy-duty, the water will get into your pan if you don't do this.* Finely grind the almonds, cracker crumbs, and sugar in a food processor. Add the butter and prcoess until moist crumbs form. Press the almond mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan (not on the sides of the pan). Bake the crust until it is set and beginning to brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool. Decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

2. For the filling, Using my kitchen aid mixer, beat the cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, and sugar in a large bowl until smooth, occasionall scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until just blended after each addition.

3. Pour the cheese mixture over the crust in the pan. Place the springform pain in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the center of the cheesecake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour 5 minutes (the cake will become firm when its cold). Transfer the cake to a cooling rack, cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days.

*For the topping, combine the nutella and cream in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave until warm, stirring every 20 seconds to blend, about 1 minute. Cut the cake into wedges, and drizzle the chocolate sauce over the wedges and serve!*

Enjoy, because I know my family & I sure did!!!!!