Martha's Easy Light Cheesecake

heavy holidays are on the way...

you might want to lighten things up a bit.

start with this absolutely delicious light cheesecake.
so easy to prepare.
ALL DONE IN THE FOOD PROCESSOR
and baked with NO WATER BATH
no one will suspect the ingredients.  friends and family had no idea the main ingredient was cottage cheese.  don't say anything...

LET THE TASTE AND TEXTURE WIN THEM OVER.

the original recipe is for a 9" cake, but i made mine in an 8" then made 2  individuals in small mason jars with cookie crumbs at the bottom.

THESE WERE BAKED FOR 30 MINUTES.

CHOCOLATE COOKIE CRUST

28 Nabisco Chocolate Wafers
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
4 Tbsp melted butter

put wafers in possessor and pulse until crumb texture.  add sugar and butter and process again.  pour crumb mixture into springform pan and tamp down with something flat.  gently press mixture up the sides.  it's a bit crumbly, but as you can see...it's do-able.
this Martha original recipe does not require going up the sides, but i found it to look more attractive.  (you shall see an example in my Lightened Up Pumpkin Pie recipe soon)

MOST OF THE CALORIES ARE IN THE CRUST SO YOU BE THE JUDGE...

bake at 325 for 12-15 minutes.  remove to cool.

NOTE...i did not use all the crust mixture and as you can see i had a nice thick crust all the way up the sides of an 8 inch pan.  better to have too much than not enough.

simply wipe out processor and begin to prepare mixture  for cake.

MARTHA'S  LIGHT CHEESECAKE 

from Martha Stewart. 

3 cups low fat cottage cheese

8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, room temp.

3/4 cup  granulated sugar

1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream

4 large eggs

2 Tbsp all purpose flour

2 tsp vanilla extract (Martha called for 1 tsp)

1/2 tsp salt

preheat oven to 325 degrees.

have prepared crust as noted above, or crust from original found in link.

as noted i used an 8" springform pan and had leftover.

blend cottage cheese and cream cheese until very very smooth and glossy, scraping down sides as necessary, about 4-5 minutes.  add 3/4 cup sugar, sour cream, eggs, flour, vanilla, salt and blend until filling is completely smooth.

pour filling into prepared crust.  bake until barely set in the middle, ABOUT 1 HOUR.  there should be some "jiggle".  TURN OFF THE OVEN and let the cake cool in the oven for 1 more hour.  i left the oven door slightly open...very slightly!  transfer to wire rack and let cool to room temp for 2 hours, then refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

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Quick Vanilla Buttercream Frosting with White Vanilla Bean Cake

actually this is a ....

double layer...
WHITE VANILLA BEAN CAKE
DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE filling
with CANDIED MACADAMIA
and...QUICK WHITE VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

whew...that was too much for the heading.

a lovely cake for any occasion. small crumb, similar to a pound cake, but not too heavy.  holds up well and has a nice vanilla bean flavor.  the frosting is key...THIS BUTTERCREAM RECIPE IS FABULOUS.  the first one i ever made and it came together perfectly.   REALLY...this is delicious and EASY.

the dark chocolate ganache counterbalanced the plain whiteness of the over all flavor and appearance.  it slices well and it's fairly easy to put together.  i will add that the chocolate shavings were supposed to be lovely chocolate curls...this is not an easy task.  i think i tried 3 or 4 times before i finally just went with the pile of shavings...i think i'll need a little more practice on the curls. 

WHITE VANILLA BEAN CAKE

found at Bite These Goodies

100g butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla paste

preheat oven to 360F.  butter a 9 inch cake pan and dust evenly with flour.
in a separate bowl mix the flour baking powder, baking soda, set aside.

in a big bowl place butter and sugar and beat until fluffy.  beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.  when the buttery mixture is creamy, add 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix.  then add the buttermilk, mix again.  finally add the other 1/2 flour mixture and beat until creamy.  beat in vanilla until Incorporated.   this sounds like A LOT of mixing, but try not to over mix.

pour mixture into prepared pan.  bake for approx. 35-40 minutes.  mine took 30 minutes because i used a Fat Daddio's light cake pan.  check with skewer inserted in the middle of cake...should come out "just" clean.  remove from oven, let cool for about 10-15 minutes and remove from pan.  cool completely before frosting.

NOTE...if dividing into 2 layers you might want to refrigerate for just a bit before slicing in half.

ALSO...if you do not have a cake stand...IMPROVISE.  it is much easier to slice a cake in half when it is elevated off the board.  i used an upside down tupperware.  the taped napkin helps the cake stay in place and less likely to slip off.   use a long thin blade and score the outside, then slowly move your knife in towards the middle and around, watching that you are hitting your marks where you scored the cake.

PS...i also frost the cake on this lovely improvised cake stand.

QUICK VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

found at foodnetwork.com by Gale Gand

3 cups powdered sugar...sifted, 306 grams total
1 cup butter, cubed, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 to 2 Tbsp whipping cream

in a stand mixer fitted with whisk, mix together sugar and butter.  mix on low speed until well blended, then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes
add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium for 1 minute more, adding a little more cream if necessary for a spreading consistency.  i think i added about 1 Tbsp total.

DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE FILLING
with candied macadamia
NOTE...  there IS enough frosting to fill the center as well as cover the cake, but i didn't want a plain white on white cake.  this was something i added in at the time of building the cake.  i had some left-over ganache from plain truffles.  i crushed some candied macadamia nuts and added it to the left over ganache to make the filling.

this is approx. what i had.  you will probably not use all of it...get a spoon and finish it off, make a few truffles or use it for "drizzle sauce"
6 oz dark chocolate
6 oz heavy whipping cream

prepare your ganache...put chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl and set aside.  heat cream to a boil.  remove from heat and pour over chopped chocolate.  let sit for a minute.  begin stirring gently from the center.  you will see the ganache come together.  when it is fully incorporated, refrigerate until good spreadable consistency.  add nuts or whatever.  hmmm, maybe crunchy toffee chips?  you could use just ganache.

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Flourless Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache and Candied Bacon

MY NEW FAVORITE FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

i now believe i found the perfect flourless chocolate cake.  as stated before in previous posts...most all flourless chocolate cakes are going to be delicious...that's a given, BUT most are very difficult to serve.  i usually end up with little chocolate crumbles on me, the table, the floor.  chocolate mess is not a bad thing, but i like the presentation to look as good as the cake will taste.

THIS IS A SPECTACULAR CAKE

smooth, rich dark chocolate

fudgy, yet light

not overly sweet

a perfect canvas for extras

serves like a charm

gluten free

a definite crowd pleaser

the original recipe comes from Gourmet Magazine, Nov. '97.

i decided in my usual fashion that it needed a little something extra.  i can't help myself.

Guittard dark chocolate

vanilla bean paste

a little espresso

a sprinkle of cinnamon

and, of coarse...a pinch of chipotle

oh...and don't forget

THE CANDIED BACON !

CLASSIC FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

with a spicy Mexican twist

original from Gourmet Magazine Nov. '97

for the cake...

4 oz dark or bittersweet chocolate, chopped small and evenly

(i used Guittard 61% coverture discs)

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar.   i used super fine sugar

3 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup good cocoa powder, again...i used Guittard

1/2 tsp(slightly rounded) cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground chipotle powder

1 tsp powdered espresso

preheat oven to 375F.  line an 8 inch cake pan OR i used an 8 inch spring form pan.  line the bottom and sides with parchment and lightly butter or grease the parchment.  the sides might not be necessary, but that's what i did.

in a small bowl add the cocoa powder, cinnamon, espresso and chipotle. whisk to combine and set aside.

in another small bowl add the chocolate and butter.  use either the microwave or a double boiler to slowly melt the chocolate/butter until smooth and shiny.

pour warm chocolate mixture into medium mixing bowl with the sugar.  whisk to combine well.  now whisk in eggs one at a time, waiting until each has been fully incorporated to add the next.  add the vanilla.

sift cocoa powder mixture into the chocolate mixture and whisk until WELL combined.

pour into prepared pan.  bake for approximately 25 minutes.  i turned the cake after 15 minutes.  start watching after 20 minutes.  mine took about 23 minutes.  toothpick should come out clean with moist crumbs attached.

allow cake to cool for 5 minutes.  if necessary, run a knife around the edges and invert onto serving platter.

NOTE...since i was going to ganache the cake i inverted onto a piece of parchment on a cooling rack.

let cake cool completely.

for the ganache...

6 oz good dark chocolate, again Guittard 61% coverture discs

6 oz heavy cream

1 tsp clear corn syrup

prepare your cake for ganaching...choose your "nice side", either the top or the bottom.  put cake on an 8 inch round that you will serve off of.  use cardboard or i used the removable 8" bottom from a tart pan.  set cake on a rack over a sheet pan to catch the ganache "fall-off".  you will want to save this for truffles or just a big spoon-to-mouth.

chop chocolate into even small pieces and set aside in a glass bowl.  (i like to wrap a kitchen towel around the bottom to keep the working ganche cozy).  warm cream and syrup in a small sauce pan until just a boil.  pour hot cream over chopped chocolate and let sit for 1 minute.  begin to gently stir from the middle.  take your time, you will see the ganAche magically come together.  now stir to fully incorporate and there are no lumps and it is nice a shiny.

pour warm liquidy ganache over cake...starting with a pool in the middle and spiral out wards.  work fairly quickly so it does not set.  pick up the cake and jiggle the ganAche so that it covers the whole top.  it is a messy job, but you will get the hang of it.

DO NOT go back and try to fix the top, but you can gently add to the sides where the chocolate might have missed while dripping off.

add chopped CANDIED BACON in the middle for appearance or all over for pure indulgence.   NOTE that the bacon does not make for a clean slice, but i'm sure you can work around it.  LOL !

let cake sit  to set undisturbed until serving.  you may refrigerate, but you must take it out of the fridge at least an hour or two ahead so that the condensation from temperature change slowly disappears.

for the CANDIED BACON....

preheat oven to 390F convection.

this can be done the day ahead, but you will need to re-crisp the bacon in the oven before using.  line a cookie sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil.  lay out as many pieces of bacon you can...extra will disappear before you can get it on the cake.  set timer for 15 minutes, but don't go far the first time trying until you get it down.  remove from oven and pour off excess fat into a heat safe glass dish...you might want to save the bacon fat as I DO to use for "bacon-butter".  flip the bacon.  sprinkle the slices with brown sugar, cinnamon and chipotle powder or chili powder or cayenne if you want some heat.  put back in the oven until good and crispy.  remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.  if it is not crispy enough when cooled...put them in the oven on the wire rack and watch carefully...do not let them burn.  save in air tight container with parchment.  if using them later you might want to re-crisp them a bit.

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