I would start off this post by wishing everyone a Happy New Year! I'm so grateful for 2010 that I'm still doing work that I enjoy and doing my hobby (baking that is) at the same time. Although I must say that compared to 2009, I baked A LOT more in 2010 and I'm glad that at least I think I'm growing in terms of knowledge. I also get to see and spend time with my mom, twin sis, and my other brother that I haven't met for years.
We just got back from a 5-day road trip this morning at 4am. I must say that the trip was very tiring, lots of driving (it is a road-trip) and coldness, but we got to see and experience quite a bit of stuff. We started the trip by driving down to Death Valley, the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere I think. The weather was quite warm in there too, about 60 F while the rest of the country is blistering cold. We also went to Utah and saw Bryce Canyon, the trip wasn't quite as we anticipated as there was a snow storm on the two days we were in the area. It was literally hurting when the freezing wind of snow hits your skin, we had to cover our entire skin including the eyes (by wearing glasses) to protect it from the harshness of the wind. Because of that, we didn't get to see much of Bryce Canyon and most of the area are covered with strong winds carrying snow that looked like a thick fog. This whole experience reminded me when I was staying at Michigan for a short period of time. Snow can be real pretty like in Lake Tahoe when it's calm and white, but not so pleasant this time :). I think we got back at the right time because my body almost gave up on me on the last day, I started to feel the sign of sickness all over and I can feel it's crying for a rest. I was so ecstatic to finally being able to sleep in my own bed, back to civilization where I can have internet access and my favorite coffee back, oh the joy.
Mascarpone Cheesecake
Yield: one 9" round springform pan (or equal size)
Crust:
125 g slivered almonds, toasted
75 g graham cracker crumbs
35 g sugar
4 Tbs. melted butter
Cheesecake Filling:2 (8-oz) packages of cream cheese, room temperature
2 (8-oz) mascarpone cheese, room temperature
200 g sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice (you can add some zest to it too)
1/2 vanilla bean seeds or 1 tsp of vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Wrap the outside of the pan with aluminum foil (you can triple-wrap this to make sure that the water doesn't seep in)
- To make the crust, grind finely the almonds, sugar and graham cracker in a food processor.
- Add the melted butter and process until moist crumbs form.
- To save time, I usually use ready-use almond powder (the one I used to make macarons), this way, I don't have to use my big food processor to do the job
- Press the mixture onto the bottom of 9" springform pan
- Bake until it is set and beginning to brown about 12-15 minutes. Let cool
- Decrease the oven temperature to 325 F
- To make the filling, beat the cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, and sugar with a paddle attachment until smooth and creamy, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl
- Add lemon juice, zest (if using, or you can also rub the zest with the sugar in the beginning), and vanilla bean
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition
- Pour cheese mixture onto the cooled crust
- Prepare a waterbath (classic method for cheesecake and custard preparation)
- Place the springform pan in a waterbath and bake until the center of the cheesecake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour and 10 minutes (the cheesecake will firm up after cooled)
- Transfer the cake on a rack and cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, overnight and up to two days.
- Serve it plain or with any condiments you like.
Looking forward to what 2011 will bring and I have nothing to worry about as I know that my God has planned everything well for me :)
7 comments:
gorgeous photography........iam hung up to your blog after i read your ferrero rocher cake post.....lease share the complete recipe sometime....with all the deco shown...thanks
Wow, is this an unusually beautiful cheesecake. How did you make the design on the top? It came out so well. And I love the shape of the cake, too. You are such a talented baker. Your work's just stunning!
Thank you so much for the recipe. Will try this weekend, probably after my hiking to recharge the energy :-)
Can you please tell me what pan you used to achieve this shape? I found hexagon-shaped pans but not ones that have removable bottoms. Did you just use a regular hexagon shaped pan and carefully flipped it back over?
Jane: I used stencil to achieve the design on top
Momma B: I used hexagon cake ring, not cake pan. I wrapped the bottom and the sides with 4 aluminum foil and placed that on a sheet pan
Hi Bertha,
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes!
I tried two of your cheesecake recipes so far and I thought the flavour of this one was better than Alain Ducasse's cheseecake! However, I do want to avoid browning at the top of the cheesecake. Do you think I can make this cheesecake but bake it for 3 hours at 195 degrees like the Alain Ducasse's one?
P/s: I do miss your updates very much :( Hope you're well!
Elle: Glad you like this one! I am doing well thank you!
I have not tried baking it in 195F for 3 hours yet, but technically, you can. Although the timing might be different as the volume of the overall recipe is different.
To avoid browning at the top, you can also cover the top loosely with aluminum foil.
I wish the same thing too, to post updates. I just haven't been baking fancy cakes in a while. I guess I will have to dig up old photos since there are still tons I haven't posted!
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