Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Neapolitan Cheesecake




"Summer vacation is coming to an end; or at least, for most of the people around me. For me however, summer is going to be extended for me till around December (sadly). I definitely got the summer bug this year and procrastinated a bit to much.

A little after I graduated, I finally got a job (yes!!). I'm now a cashier at a Wendys by my house. I never will take for grated the hard work that employees go threw in the fast food industry. It's hard stuff man!! For one, your on your feet all the time. And if you have a dick for a manager like I do, "If you have time to stand, you have time to work." You have to watch out for your manager to make sure that when the time comes and he looks your way, you best look like your doing SOMETHING.

The worst part of working in the fast food industry are the customers. Okay. So, customer service IS numaro uno. HOWEVER, sometimes, you just want to jump over the counter and attack the customers. When you come in and order something, treating us the coworkers like crap WON'T encourage us at all to get the task done. One thing that needs to be known is; your eating fast food, not a gourmet meal at a steakhouse. It's not going to be the tastiest things you've ever eat nor will we always get the order right when you ask for no tomato, extra onions, extra pickles, light mayo, heavy ketchup and extra mustard. We didn't learn that, so it takes us time. And rushing us will not help get it done.

Working at Wendys has taught me one thing; we all need to learn to just slow it down and not always be in such a damn rush. And to be patient with other... Aside from my work bull, I haven't baked in FOREVER. Lets challenge myself then. Went for cheesecake, one in which I don't typically bake all the time. I went to the cheesecake factory awhile ago and had a neapolitan cheesecake. Best thing EVER. A light strawberry layer that bursts in your mouth, then comes the vanilla, then a soft chocolate crumb crust. Here's my try at a cheesecake factory neapolitan cheesecake.





Recipe

For the Chocolate Crumb Crust

Vanilla Wafer Crumbs (about 45 wafers)
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/3 cup melted butter

For Cheesecake Filling

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen strawberries, thawed, drained
3 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
3 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. flour, divided
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. red food color (optional)


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. For the chocolate crumb crust, in a small bowl, stir together 1-1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (about 45 wafers), confectioners' sugar and cocoa; stir in melted butter. Press mixture firmly onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 8 minutes; cool slightly.

3. In blender container or food processor, puree strawberries to yield 1/2 cup; set aside.

4. In large bowl, beat cream cheese with sugar until smooth and creamy. Add eggs, sour cream, 3 tbsps flour, vanilla, 1 tsp. vanilla bean and salt; beat until smooth.

5. In separate bowl, stir together 1-1/3 cups cheese mixture, strawberries, remaining 1 teaspoon flour and food color, if desired.

6Carefully spoon 2 cups vanilla batter over prepared crust. Pour strawberry batter over vanilla batter; smooth surface.

7. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees; continue baking 55 to 60 minutes or until center of cheesecake is almost set. Remove from oven to wire rack. Cool 30 minutes. With knife, loosen cake from side of pan. Cool completely; remove side of pan. Refrigerate several hours before serving.

Makes 10 to 12 servings


Enjoy the last bit of summer while you can!



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Monday, May 25, 2009

Classic Coffee Cake




"Well, it's been a week of being out of school, and it's still pretty hard to believe. I really like it though. I enjoy not really worrying about work needing to be done or reports to finish; no school work! Exciting!

I have graduation rehearsal this Wednesday. The closer graduation comes, the more it starts to sink in that I'm really done with high school. With sending out invitations, taking graduation photos, college applications and rooming, it's really hitting me. I think I'm ready though; I just keep telling myself to take what comes and do what I can with it.

With time on my hand, I'm able to bake a bit more. I haven't made cake in who knows how long (being that no one really likes to many sweet things that often around here), so I thought I'd make one to change the pace. A coffee cake; classic. Can't really go wrong with that. What I loved most? Crumb topping. This crumb topping is just WOW! I love it. Buttery and soft, this really can make you smile in the morning.





Recipe

For the Topping

16 tbsp butter, cut up
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
2 2/3 cups flour

For the Cake

3 cups flour
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk
12 tbsp butter, melted
2 tsp. vanilla


1. For the topping, in a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Remove pan from heat and add the sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir, pressing when necessary, until there are no lumps of sugar. Add the flour and mix until well blended. Set aside.

2. For the cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13" baking pan.

3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until well blended. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Whisk until well blended.

4. Pour the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and gently stir just until blended. Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Break up the topping mixture with your fingers into medium sized pieces and sprinkle evenly over the cake batter to form a generous layer.

5. Bake until the cake springs back lightly when pressed in the center and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.


Me and my boyfriend ;3



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