And The Baker Said "Let There be Cheesecake!"

Cheesecake...dulce de leche...do you need to read the rest of this post to be convinced that you must make these? Let us consider the pros and cons. The pros: a rich texture of cream cheese with a buttery graham cracker crust, the sinful addition of dulce de leche, and a glossy layer of chocolate to top it all off. The cons: that these are just photos and you are not eating a piece this very second. I baked these squares for my coworkers at From the Top, and an clean pan was returned to me within hours of its arrival at the office. In other words, I highly recommend this recipe for all lovers of cheesecake, and possibly to those who have an aversion towards this classic dessert as well. It's just that good.

There is nothing more beautiful than dulce de leche. A simple ingredient, it has the capacity to transform any dessert from average to extraordinary. I always make my own based on David Lebovitz's recipe, and it turns out perfect every time (see above). The traditional method of preparation is boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk over the stovetop. This method seems particularly dangerous when one considers it could become a volatile procedure. The oven method is my preference, and has always produced the desired. That bowl of dulce de leche was extremely difficult to set aside to complete the recipe.

It is regrettable that cheesecake has not received due recognition on this blog considering it is a specialty of mine. But I do have one very special recipe in mind that will soon grace the archives of this site (it's a surprise, so stay tuned!). As far as this recipe is concerned, it takes a slightly different route than your traditional cheesecake: it calls for unflavored gelatin. Being the purist I am, this ingredient was one I initially opposed. Yet one of the setbacks in making cheesecake squares is their lack of stability. The addition of gelatin is a quick fix for said problem, and certainly proved its point with these squares.

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Squares

Adapted from SmittenKitchen

Make 24-30 squares

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 cup crumbled graham crackers (4 to 4 1/2 crackers)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Filling

• 1 tsp unflavored gelatin (from a 1/4-oz envelope, will be just about half an envelope)
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 3/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dulce de leche (store-bought, or homemade)

Glaze

• 3 oz bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), coarsely chopped (I used Ghiradelli)
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Directions

For Crust: Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with 2 sheets of foil (crisscrossed), leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.

Finely grind crackers with sugar and a pinch of salt in a food processor*. With motor running, add butter, blending until combined. Press mixture evenly onto bottom of baking pan. Bake 10 minutes, then cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes.

*If you don't have a food processor (like me), then grinds the crackers, sugar, and salt in a blender. Once done, place in a bowl and mix in the melted butter (much less of a mess this way)

For Cake: Sprinkle gelatin over milk in a small bowl and let stand 2 minutes to soften. Beat together cream cheese, eggs, salt, and gelatin mixture in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes, then stir in dulce de leche gently but thoroughly. Pour filling over crust, smoothing top, then bake in a hot water bath (I was able to fit mine in a 9×13-inch baking pan) in oven until center is just set (shake the pan gently to test for this), about 45 minutes.

Once done, turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside for at least 1 hour (this will prevent the unseemly crack notorious to all cheesecakes), then remove from oven and let cool on a rack for an additional 45 minutes to an hour. Chill, covered, at least 6 hours.

For Glaze: (within 2 hours of serving) Heat all glaze ingredients in a double boiler or a small metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth, then pour over cheesecake, tilting baking pan to coat top evenly. Chill, uncovered, 30 minutes.

Lift cheesecake from pan using foil overhang and cut into 1-inch squares with a thin knife, wiping off knife after each cut. (This is crucial! I had a glass of water next to me while cutting the squares, and I dipped the knife after each slice)

Note: Cheesecake (without glaze) can be chilled up to 3 days. If glaze is chilled overnight, it will make it difficult to cut

Two Temptations for Two Celebrations

Normally my birthday cakes, decoration-wise, consist either of topping the cake with chocolate chips, syrup, etc. or covering it with a simple buttercream or cream cheese frosting. Yet these two cakes required a few extra steps in terms of decorating. Each cake was made for a friend's birthday, and both were well worth the extra effort put into these cakes. The two cakes are a Strawberry Basket Cake with Whipped Crème Fraîche Frosting and a Brown Sugar Cake with Dulce de Leche Cake and Almond Praline.

This cake was incredible!!! The cake gets a richness from the sour cream as well as density of flavor from the addition of orange juice and zest. I chose square pans rather than round cake pans to better emulate a basket. It also made the basket weave design (see link at end of recipe) easier than had it had round edges.

I would recommend letting the Whipped Crème Fraîche chill for a little bit. It is not as stiff as buttercream or cream cheese frosting, and is thus difficult to make a basket weave using. I would also recommend making this the whole 8 hours ahead - that way the filling will have time to absorb into the cake and really take up the flavor!

Strawberry Basket Cake with Whipped Crème Fraîche Frosting

Bon Apetit

Serves 10

Ingredients

Cake

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs

• 2 12-ounce baskets strawberries
• 1/3 cup strawberry preserves

Whipped Crème Fraîche

• 3 cups chilled whipping cream
• 3/4 cup chilled sour cream
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper. Sift first 4 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and 1 cup sugar in large bowl until well blended. Beat in sour cream, orange juice, orange peel and vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add dry ingredients and beat until well blended. Divide batter between prepared pans; smooth tops.

Bake cakes until light golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 28 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on rack 30 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks and cool completely.

Whipped Crème Fraîche: Using an electric mixer, beat all ingredients in a large bowl until stiff peaks form.

Meanwhile, hull and slice 1 basket strawberries. Place in medium bowl. Add preserves and 2 tablespoons sugar; toss to blend. Let stand at room temperature until juices form, about 2 hours.

Place 1 cake layer, flat side up, on platter. Top with sliced berry mixture in even layer. Spread 1 3/4 cups Whipped Crème Fraîche over berry mixture. Top with second cake layer, flat side down, pressing slightly. To make basket weave, spread 1 1/4 cups Whipped Crème Fraîche over top and sides of cake; then follow directions in the box at right. Or to frost simply, spread all of Whipped Crème Fraîche over top and sides of cake. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover with cake dome and refrigerate.) Mound remaining whole berries in center of cake.

Visit the original recipe to learn How to Pipe a Basket Weave

This cake was uh-mazing! Dulce de Leche makes any dessert 10x better, and this recipe is no exception. The most difficult part of this recipe is the praline. Be careful to not overcook the sugar as it will burn and ruin the mix. As mentioned in the recipe, use a fork, NOT you fingers to rearrange the almonds once you have poured the sugar mixture on top of them.

This recipe comes from another blog I follow called Bake and Shake. She mentions that the praline was not a favorite by her guest given that it was too sharp too eat, but when I served this everyone loved it! I may have made my pieces a little smaller as well. Also, she purchased a can of Dulce de Leche whereas I made my own (click here to see David Lebovitz's recipe, the only one I've used and trust). She also replaces buttermilk with a combination of milk and cream. When I made this, I just used 1/2 cup of regular whole milk + 2 tsp distilled white vinegar. Other than that, prepare yourself for an amazing dessert experience!!!

Brown Sugar Cake with Dulce de Leche and Almond Praline

Bake and Shake

Serves 8 - 10

Ingredients:

Cake 


• 1 stick salted butter, melted and cooled

• 1 cup packed Dark Brown sugar

• ½ cup buttermilk (or ¼ cup milk, ¼ cup cream and two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar)

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 ½ cups AP flour

• 2 large eggs

• ½ teaspoon almond extract

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Praline:

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar

• 1/3 cup cold water

• ¾ cup almonds, toasted and roughly chopped

Frosting:


• 1 cup heavy cream

• 3 oz cream cheese

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• ¼ teaspoon almond extract

• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

• 1/3 cup (heaping) of powdered sugar

• 1 14 oz can prepared Dulce de Leche

Directions

Praline:
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Put on a shirt with long sleeves, and fill a large bowl with cold water.

In a small saucepan (with high sides) over medium heat, melt the sugar and water together until the mixture is clear and all sugar granules have dissolved. Bring to a rapid simmer and continue cooking for at least eight minutes (it took me longer, it may take you less time to reach that state), swirling the pan gently, until the sugar turns golden or light-amber, if you prefer – once the mixture has turned from yellow to gold, remove from the heat immediately – carry-over cooking can turn caramel from golden to completely burnt.

Pour the caramel over the chopped almonds, and use a fork (NOT YOUR FINGERS) to rearrange the almonds if needed. Leave to cool completely.

Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour one 9-inch round cake pan. Whisk together the sugar, eggs, salt. vanilla and almond extracts until smooth. Add the flour and baking soda, and stir just until combined. Pour in the butter, and whisk until batter has absorbed it all. Then add the buttermilk and whisk again, until the batter has absorbed all of the liquid.

Pour into the prepped pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool in-pan for ten minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely.

Frosting:
Chill the whisk/beaters/etc. and bowl you’ll be using for at least 15 minutes.Pour the cream and granulated sugar into the bowl, and whisk or whip until medium-stiff peaks form. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, and whip until combined. Transfer to a different bowl, and set aside.

Cream the powdered sugar and cream cheese together until smooth. Add 1/3 of the whipped cream, and beat together – this will lighten the cream cheese and make it easier to combine with the whipped cream. Switch to a spatula, and add the rest of the whipped cream. Fold the two mixtures together completely.

Assembly:
Split the completely cooled cake with a serrated knife, and pipe a border of frosting around the perimeter. Spread the Dulce de Leche within the boundaries, in an even layer, and place the second layer on top. Smooth the rest of the frosting over the top and sides.

Using a mezzuluna, your hands, or a long, large chef’s knife, crack the praline into small pieces. Press against the side of the cake, and scatter any extra over the top.

Setting the "Bar" High for Recital Receptions

Receptions are my number one venue for baking aside from birthday celebrations. I tend to lean towards cookies and bars for these events so distribution can be more easily achieved for a larger group. For my recital, I baked two sets of bars that were oh so good! I transported them to the recital in tupperware and plastic wrap (another reason for choosing bars and cookies over cakes). The two bars I made were Dulce de Leche Brownies and Chewy Toffee Blondies.

These brownies were devoured in no time at all. The combination of chocolate and homemade dulce de leche was an irresistible result. These brownies should be made the day ahead of time to allow the dulce de leche to set as well as time for enhancing the flavor.

This recipe comes frm one of my favorite pastry chefs, David Lebovitz. The recipe calls for 1 cup of Dulce de Leche. You can either make you own or buy it at a store. Here is a link for making you own Dulce de Leche. He uses the oven method rather than the stovetop one as it is much safer as well as more consistent. I also omitted the optional pecans/walnuts. These brownies will keep, stored in tupperware, for up to 3 days.

Dulce de Leche Brownies

David Lebovitz

Yields: 12 brownies

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons (115g) salted or unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 6 ounces (170g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

• 1/4 cup (25g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 3 large eggs

• 1 cup (200g) sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup (140g) flour
• 1 cup (100 g) toasted pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
(optional)
• 1 cup Dulce de Leche (or Cajeta)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 C).
2. Line a 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with a long sheet of aluminum foil that covers the bottom and reaches up the sides. If it doesn't reach all the way up and over all four sides, cross another sheet of foil over it, making a large cross with edges that overhang the sides. Grease the bottom and sides of the foil with a bit of butter or non-stick spray.
3. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the chocolate pieces and stir constantly over very low heat until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the sugar, vanilla, then the flour. Mix in the nuts, if using.
4. Scrape half of the batter into the prepared pan. Here comes the fun part.
Drop one-third of the Dulce de Leche, evenly spaced, over the brownie batter, then drag a knife through to swirl it slightly. Spread the remaining brownie batter over, then drop spoonfuls of the remaining Dulce de Leche in dollops over the top of the brownie batter. Use a knife to swirl the Dulce de Leche slightly.
5. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. The brownies are done when the center feels just-slightly firm. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

The second type of bar I made was Chewy Toffee Blondies. I LOVE blondies! Granted, they are basically brown sugar bars but that in itself makes them delicious. Like brownies, you can add pretty much anything you want to them (such as nuts, chocolate, etc). This recipe is from another blog I like to follow called Not Derby Pie. She adopted this recipe from Dorie Greenspan. I omitted the last 2 ingredients as she did (coconut and walnuts) and used butterscotch chips. These bars were still perfectly moist, but naturally the brownies overshadowed them at my recital reception.

Chewy Toffee Blondies

Not Derby Pie

Yields: 32 bars

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1 1/2 cups (packed) light brown sugar

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or 1 cup store-bought chocolate chips

• 1 cup butterscotch chips or Heath Toffee Bits
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
(optional)
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut (optional)

Directions:

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan and put it on a baking sheet.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or using a hand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add both sugars and beat for another 3 minutes, until well incorporated. Add the eggs one by one, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Turn the mixer to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear into the batter. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chips, nuts and coconut, if using. Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and use the spatula to even the top as best you can.
4. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the blondies comes out clean. The blondies should pull away from the sides of the pan a little and the top should be a nice honey brown. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for about 15 minutes before turning the blondies out onto another rack. Invert onto a rack and cool the blondies to room temperature right side up.

With my teacher, Renee Krimsier, after the recital