Tag: cheesecake

  • Home baked Cheesecake Challenge: Flavour # 40 Fig(s) Cheesecake

    Yay! it’s the 40th cheesecake, I’m down to only ten cheesecake!

    2014-08-30 at 12-35-45

    I like to bake something that is not popular at the market, indeed,it was hard to find fresh fig at the supermarket here! I know there’s dry figs everywhere but I like to use the fresh one with my 40th cheesecake. I was airing my problem to my consultant and he’s kind of …

    you’re crazy! why doing all of these cheesecakes! ( nope, there was no eyes movement but I saw some faint smile on his lips)

    aha! I think you know where I can find fresh fig? don’t you?

    he chuckled !

    Oh! please only few pieces will do!

    Crazy!

    end of conversation…I’m smiling..he is smiling and you’re smiling..I know!

    “Fig Cheesecake” the 40th flavour of my cheesecake challenge!

    Flavour #40 - Fig Cheesecake
    Flavour #40 –
    Fig Cheesecake

    Ingredients:

    Crust:

    6 pcs digestive biscuits (crushed)

    1/2 cup almond meal

    3 tbsp sugar

    3 tbsp butter

    Filling:

    1 (300g) Light Philadelphia cream cheese

    1/2 cup sugar

    1/3 cup sour yogurt

    1/3 cup whipping cream

    2 eggs

    1 tsp vanilla

    pink violet food colour (optional)

    1 tbsp flour

    3 pcs figs

    Toppings:

    Fig puree (3 pcs figs,1/3 cup water and 1tsp cornstarch)

    fresh fig fruit cut according to your style

    fresh fig on top
    fresh fig on top

    Directions:

    Pre heat oven Mark Gas #3

    Mix biscuits, almond meal and sugar, add butter and mix thoroughly. Press into the pan (any size will do). Set aside.

    Mix cream cheese and sugar, add yogurt, vanilla,whipping cream and eggs. Beat at medium speed, add food colour and small pieces of cut fig fruit and flour. Mix thoroughly until smooth. Pour into the prepared crust and baked for 45 minutes if using mini pan. Let it cool before chilling. Chill for 4 hours or overnight. Top with fig puree and cut fresh fruit.

    mini fig cheesecake for individual serving
    mini fig cheesecake for individual serving

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    2014-08-30 at 13-10-35

    Ladies, this cheesecake is very light and not too sweet, good for an afternoon tea with friends. Just for the record, I gave my consultant a small slice of this mini cheesecake, like a teaspoon in size (just for a taste) and he still uttered the word “crazy” 🙂 hahaha I know he likes it! Maybe I should just name this as “crazy cheesecake” 😉

    Cheers,

    jamilamimi

     

     

     

  • Home baked Cheesecake Challenge : Flavour # 39 Cinnamon roll Cheesecake

    Seriously, I am running out of ideas what to include in this challenge but knowing myself.. I don’t accept excuses, I like to challenge myself to learn something new , soon I will be fifty-five.., life is getting shorter ( is it?) but more meaningful, getting more beautiful and interesting. I thought life at fifty and beyond will be boring but not for me! at least not to my interest 🙂

    Searching for more recipes to twist, I came across “cookedbyjulie.com” her cinnamon roll cheesecake looks so appetising …

    I got interested and tried. The direction was tedious for me, because I didn’t have enough time to do it as a I still have to go back to work. Nevertheless, it turned out ok, not so bad my best friend like it hahaha why I called her best friend for nothing? just kidding!

    If you like to watch the video and find out the recipe here’s the add:

    http://www.cookedbyjulie.com/index.php/categories/dessert/48-cinnamon-roll-cheesecake

    Flavour no. 39 Cinnamon roll Cheesecake
    Flavour no. 39
    Cinnamon roll Cheesecake

     

    mini version
    mini version
    mini cinnamon roll cheesecake
    mini cinnamon roll cheesecake

    Ladies, wondering how many kilo did I put on my weight?  Well…. 2 kilo!, I’m sure when I’m done with this challenge, I can’t fit in into my jeans but it’s alright we’re beautybeyondfifty , everything goes!  Enjoy while we can 😉

    Cheers,

    jamilamimi

  • Home baked Cheesecake Challenge: Flavour no. 38 Chestnut Cheesecake

    What cheesecake will you try this time? My friend started to mention..cherry,raspberry,mango, chocolate etc. ..done!

    I already tried 37 flavours and did some Filipino and Arabic twist also like kanafah,baklava,Ube,bibingka,sweet potato…then suddenly she said ..”Chestnut “…hmmm, it taste like sweet potato, isn’t it?

    Well, try.. and let us know!

    Alright,why not? Where will I get Chestnut?

    Suddenly , I remember my trip to Luzern, Switzerland, at the end of the Chapel bridge there’s a small stall called ..Heissi Marroni, I was new to the place and it was raining and cold,I wonder about the name, agh… I can’t resist the urge 🙂 this little stall are great to sidle up in cold days,like a blast of warmth,to reinvigorate frozen bone and what could be a big bonus? having heissi maronni, yes! ..roasted chestnut …nice!

    As expected I didn’t find any chestnut at the supermarket here in Jeddah, so I went to sweet shop and bingo!

    IMG_0163
    Honey chestnut

    Flavour no. 38 – Chestnut Cheesecake

     

    Flavour no. 39 Chestnut Cheesecake
    Flavour no. 38 Chestnut Cheesecake

    Ingredients:

    Crust:

    12 pcs. Digestive biscuits (crushed)

    1/3 cup roasted coconut flakes

    3 tbsp. butter

    1 tbsp sugar

    Filing:

    2 (300g) Philadelphia Cream Cheese

    1/2 cup sugar

    2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk

    1/2 cup plain yoghurt

    1/2 cup whipping cream

    1 tsp vanilla

    3/4 cup chopped honey walnuts

    Topping:

    orange marmalade

    honey walnuts

    marshmallow

    Directions:

    Pre heat oven Gas mark # 3

    Combine biscuits,coconut flakes,sugar and butter. Mix it together and press onto the springform pan (any size will do).

    Set aside.

    Cream the cheese, add sugar, eggs (one at a time ) beat at medium speed, combine yoghurt .whipping cream and vanilla. Add to the cheese mixture, mix thoroughly until smooth. Divide the batter into two part. Pour first part onto the prepared crust. Add the walnuts and top it with the remaining batter.

    Bake for 1 hr (water bath), turn off the heat and open slightly the oven door, leave it for another 30 minutes, remove and let it cool for another 2 hours . Chill for 4 hours, preferably overnight.

    Serving Suggestions:

    with honey walnut and marshmallow
    with honey walnut and marshmallow
    i tried to roast the marshmallow with flame torch
    i tried to roast the marshmallow with flame torch and this is what i got 🙂

    Happy birthday to me! hahaha free candle on top!

    2014-08-26 at 13-05-20

    2014-08-26 at 13-39-27

     

    Ladies, this is so sweet!  If your watching your weight , you can reduce the sugar to 3 tablespoon.

    good luck!

    cheers,

    jamilamimi

     

     

     

     

  • Home baked Cheesecake Challenge : Flavour no. 37 Oreo Cheesecake

    I have a friend whom I see only once a year, she has 4 children and I thought of welcoming them with my cheesecake challenge. I already did chocolate cheesecake so what flavour would the adult and children love to taste?

    Well, my sons when they were young they love Oreo cookies and I also like it.. I guess it’s one of the world’s favourite cookies, don’t you think? no rolling of eyes please! I know, chocolate, orange, peanut butter lick it all hahaha…

    here we go…OREO cheesecake 🙂 for Flavour no. 37 yay!

    2014-08-17 at 13-15-15

    Ingredients:

    Crust:

    12 Oreo cookies, crushed

    3 tbsp butter

    Filling:

    3 pkg (300g) Philadelphia cream cheese

    1/3 cup sugar

    1/2 cup whipping cream

    1/2 cup plain yoghurt

    1 egg plus 4 egg yolk

    1 tsp citroen essence (optional)

    1/2 cup crushed Oreo cookies

    Directions:

    Pre heat oven Gas mark #3

    Mix butter and Oreo cookies, press onto the spring-form pan. Set aside

    Mix cream cheese and sugar,beat at medium speed ( I always make sure that the cheese is at room temperature for easy mixing) Add citroen essence,yoghurt and whipping cream. Add one egg then one egg yolk at a time. Mix thoroughly. Divide the mixture into two. Pour the first mixture onto the prepared pan, add the crushed Oreo cookies on top, Pour the remaining half of the mixture. Wrap the bottom of the pan with aluminium foil, place unto a bigger pan with hot water, bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, leave the oven door slightly open for another 30 minutes before removing it.Let it cool for another 30 minutes. Chill for 4 hours or overnight before topping.

    Fresh from the oven..no crack! 🙂

    no crack!
    no crack!
    see the layers of Oreo cookies
    layers of Oreo cookies

    My chef kevin said, be brave in transferring the cheesecake from the pan to the plate, so every time I do it, I remember him and it’s like a chant..be brave.be brave 🙂

    a little bit of the crust left but otherwise the cake is in one piece!
    a bit of the crust left but otherwise the cake is in one piece!

    2014-08-17 at 11-55-10I didn’t have the chance to cut it and take a photo, after topping it,I put it in the box to my friends’ hand.

    2014-08-17 at 13-56-35Here’s the close up photo

    yum!
    yum!

    I also did a mini version like a mini mouse…trying to be creative somehow 🙂

    2014-08-17 at 13-48-212014-08-17 at 13-46-55

    An Oreo cheesecake resembling a lava cake 🙂

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    2014-08-18 at 12-23-57

     

    Ladies, I must say this is really a sweet overload!

    Cheers,

    jamilamimi

  • Home baked Cheesecake Challenge: Flavour # 36 Caramel Cheesecake with pine nuts and almond nuts

    organic brown sugar
    organic brown sugar

    One of my clinic staff brought an organic brown sugar from Indonesia, she said it’s from coconut. I think it is called “Organic Coconut Palm sugar. the moment she handed it to me, I thought about hmmm… Cheesecake.. of course! when sugar melts and heavy cream was added, the outcome was a deep flavoured caramel.

    Flavour no. 36 Caramel Cheesecake

    mini caramel cheesecake with pine nuts
    mini caramel cheesecake with pine nuts

    I did two version, one with pine nuts and another one with almond nuts. Both are deliciously tasty 🙂

    Caramel Cheesecake with almond nuts
    Caramel Cheesecake with almond nuts

    Ingredients:

    Crust:

    12 pcs Digestive biscuits (crushed)

    1/3 cup almond meal

    3 tbsp brown sugar

    1/3 cup melted butter

    Filling:

    2 pks (300 g each) Philadelphia cream cheese

    1/2 cup sugar

    4 egg yolk

    1 tsp citrus essence flavor

    1/2 whipping cream

    1/2 cup sour cream

    Directions:

    Pre heat oven gas mark # 3

    Mix biscuits,sugar,almond meal with melted butter, press unto the baking pan. Bake for 10 min, set aside

    Beat Cream Cheese in medium speed. Add sugar and citrus essence flavour. Add one egg yolk at a time while continuously mixing, Combine whipping cream and mix it throughly with cheese batter mixture. Pour unto the prepared pan. Cover the bottom with aluminium foil. Place the pan into another bigger pan with 3 cups of hot water. Bake for 1 hour.Open the oven door slightly , Pour the sour cream mix with 1 tbsp of sugar, leave it for another 30 minutes. Turn off the heat. Leave for another 30 minutes to cool down. Remove and place it in the rack to cool down for another one hour. Chill for another 4 hours before topping with caramel and nuts.

    2014-08-11 at 19-16-34

    Serving suggestions:

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    2014-08-11 at 19-13-45

  • Home baked Cheesecake Challenge – Flavour # 35 Pomegranate Cheesecake

    What happened when the big 5’Os meet 6’Os? Well, either you run because you wanted to belong to the so young group (below fifty) or join the club and be one of the beauty beyond fifties rocking :-)hahaha I bet you’re smiling huh! just kidding!

    DSC_0411

    One of my beautybeyondfiftiy ladies invited us for her husband 6…and counting bday get together. Of course, I readily looked at my fridge and think what flavour I should bake? I found Pomegranate, heaven! I like this fruit including the seeds 🙂

    Pomegranate - one of my favourite fruits
    Pomegranate – one of my favourite fruits

    I cut three pieces, hence I don’t have a juicer, I just boiled it with 3 tablespoon water and 1/4 cup sugar. And de-seeds it with a strainer then add 1 tsp of cornstarch. The puree is enough for one mini cheesecake only.

    pomegranate puree
    pomegranate puree
    enough only for a mini cheesecake
    enough only for a mini cheesecake

    I used Mascarpone (Italian cheese) so its fluffy and soft.

    Flavour # 35 Pomegranate Mini Cheesecake
    Flavour # 35 Pomegranate Mini Cheesecake

    Some serving suggestion before the real b-day party 🙂

    i made different sizes, I usually set aside..cup cake size for tasting
    i made different sizes, I usually set aside..cup cake size for tasting
    i use real pomegranate for topping
    i use fresh pomegranate for topping
    heaven combination with a cup of espresso
    heaven combination with a cup of espresso
    Yummy sweet fluffy and soft cheesecake
    Yummy sweet fluffy and soft cheesecake
    good time :-)
    Photo credit: Govs Villanueva

    Thank you ladies and gentlemen for the wonderful evening. God bless!

    Cheers,

    jamilamimi

     

     

  • Home baked Cheesecake Challenge : Flavour #34 Arabic Twist Cheesecake (halawa bil jibneh)

    halawa bil jibneh
    halawa bil jibneh

    One thing I look for on Eid holiday is sweet…chocolates,cakes,candies etc 😉 and one of them is halawa bil jibneh ( halawa means sweet, and jibneh means cheese).My friend said, its ” cheesecake” hmmm interesting!  I consulted my friend ” google” :-0 and mostly of the recipes I got has no English translation. Anyhow, I figure out the way of cooking is just boiling the water, sugar and semolina (durum wheat) with akawi cheese added. Akawi ( akkawi, ackawi,akawieh) is a white brine cheese which has salty taste. I also use akawi cheese when I eat watermelon,a delicious combination! try it!

    My challenge is how to baked it, hence my cheesecake are all home-baked, so I decided to use it as a crust instead of using biscuits, good idea? well, not so, because once I baked it, it’s kind of hard to chew, though I can still differentiate its arabic sweetness from my earlier cheesecake flavours. I used orange blossom and flower water instead of vanilla, which gives the traditional taste I am looking for arabic sweets. Oh yes, don’t forget the nuts! of course, Pistachio!

    sweet orange blossom and flower water
    sweet orange blossom and flower water

    So , here we go ladies, Flavour # 34 Arabic Twist Cheesecake with Semolina crust

    Flavour # 34 Arabic Twist Cheesecake with Semolina crust
    Flavour # 34 Arabic Twist Cheesecake with Semolina crust

    Ingredients:

    Crust:

    3/4 cup of semolina

    3 tbsp unsalted butter ( or sweet butter)

    3/4 cup water (or milk)

    3/4 cup sugar

    150 g akawi cheese

    Filling:

    1 pk (300g) Philadelphia cream cheese

    1/2 cup sugar

    1 tsp orange blossom water

    1 tsp flower water (rose-water)

    1/8 tsp lemon juice

    2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk

    1/4 cup sour cream

    1/4 cup whipping cream

    3 tbsp shifted cake flour

    Toppings:

    cherry

    sweet corn syrup

    pistachio nuts

    Directions:

    Mix water and sugar, bring it to boil add semolina and mix thoroughly in medium heat, add akawi cheese until it melts.Pour it into a pan with corn syrup. Spread it flat and allow to cool.Use the bottom of springform pan as a moulder to cut the mixture. Set aside.

    Pre heat oven to Mark gas #3

    Mix cream cheese with sugar,beat at medium speed, add sour cream, egg (one egg at a time), orange blossom water,flower water,flour,lemon juice. Mix thoroughly.Add whipping cream and continue beating until all ingredients are well combined. Pour into the prepared pan. Baked at 45 minutes. Let it cool for another 30 minutes and chill for 4 hours or more before topping.

    Serving Suggestions:

    2014-08-04 at 14-06-09

    2014-08-05 at 19-26-15

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    2014-08-04 at 13-20-48

    Ladies, the taste of the semolina with cheese is authentic but the texture was a bit hard for me, having tasted the best’ halawa bin jibneh” in jeddah, my recipe for the crust was not of standard. Maybe you can share yours? I’ll be happy to try it too!

    Cheers,

    jamilamimi

  • Home-baked Cheesecake challenge – Flavour # 31 Walnut and Honey Cheesecake

    Flavour # 31 - Walnut and honey Cheesecake
    Flavour # 31 – Walnut and honey Cheesecake

    Walnut and honey Cheesecake – suggested by my Chef Kevin. I think I ate a lot of walnuts while making this cheesecake. I just tweaked my basic recipe of cheesecake, added honey, walnuts and presto! Flavour #31 was born 🙂

    Ingredients:

    Crust:

    1/2 cup of crushed honey graham crackers

    1/2 cup of almond meal

    3 tbsp unsalted butter

    2 tbsp crushed walnuts

    Filling:

    3 pkg (200 g) of Philadelphia Cream Cheese

    1/2 cup sugar

    1/2 cup honey

    3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk

    1/2 cup yogurt (any kind)

    1/8 tsp lemon juice

    a pinch of salt

    1 tsp vanilla powder

    Toppings:

    honey

    walnuts

    Whipping cream or cheese frosting (optional)

    Directions:

    Preheat oven Gas mark #3

    Mix biscuits,almond meal,walnuts and butter together. Pressed the mixture into the springform pan, placed in the oven for 10 min, set aside.

    Beat the cream cheese, add sugar, vanilla and honey alternately, until the mixture is smooth. Add egg one at a time until well blended.Combine yogurt and lemon juice with salt, add it to the mixed batter. Pour into the prepared crust. Baked for 1 hr in water bath, put off the oven, leave the door slightly open for another 30 min. Remove and leave it cool for one hour and chill for another 4 hours in the fridge.

     

    smooth texture
    smooth texture

     

    added whipping cream with cheese frosting
    added whipping cream with cheese frosting

    Ladies, enjoy the walnut too!

    Cheers,

    Jamilamimi

  • Home baked Cheesecake challenge : Flavour no. 30 Coffee-Chocolate Cheesecake

    Working at night till  early morning, makes me drink a lot of tea and coffee. While drinking my cup of coffee, an idea puff up! why not try coffee cheesecake? and what goes with the coffee? lady fingers biscuits! aha! a sort of like tiramisu? Well, not really. 🙂

    Flavour # 30 - Coffee Chocolate Cheesecake
    Flavour # 30 – Coffee Chocolate Cheesecake

    Coffee alone might turn my cheesecake bitter , so I added a cocoa flavour on top and I also use honey instead of sugar.

    I mixed 3 tablespoon of instant espresso powder to half cup of hot water and one by one I soaked the biscuits into the mixture and arranged it into the bottom and sides of the pan.

    mini coffee chocolate cheesecake
    mini coffee chocolate cheesecake

    My chef Kevin commented, why don’t you just use ordinary biscuits and baked it for 10 minutes so it would be crunchy instead of looking like burnt cookies?

    burnt? nope just  like espresso coffee :-)
    burnt? nope ! just like espresso coffee 🙂

    and so I tried one more time, I added the biscuits on the side after I chilled my cheesecake and was ready to serve.

    does it looks better?
    looks better?

    Another comment, its doesn’t taste like cheesecake it’s more of like more of fat! oh my kevs! I think the honey is not a good idea, I should have used half sugar and half honey. 😦

    DSC_9708coffeechoco

    Ladies, I am not sharing the recipe because this one is a failed attempt but I included it as #30 anyway. I think I should stick to fruit flavour ? or maybe savoury ? Any ideas?

    Cheers,

    Jamilamimi

  • Home-baked Cheesecake Challenge – Flavour # 28 Mango Cheesecake

    DSC_9245mango

    Another fruit in season…Mango! Surprisingly the mango  cheesecake I did was a hit and I love it too! So Yummy, One thing good, I only did a mini version, If it was the original size, I am sure, my tummy was jumping with joy 🙂

    Mango Mini Cheesecake
    Mango Mini Cheesecake

    Flavour No. 28 – Mango Mini Cheesecake

    Ingredients:

    Crust:

    12 pieces Digestive Cookies crushed

    1/2 cup almond meal

    6 pieces dates

    2 tbsp butter melted

    Cheesecake Filling:

    1 300 g Philadelphia cream cheese

    1 cup Mango Puree

    1 cup Thick cream

    1 tsp vanilla powder

    2 eggs

    3/4 cup sugar

    Mango Puree:

    1 big mango

    1/2 cup mango juice

    1/2 cup brown sugar

    1 tsp cornstarch

    Topping:

    fresh mango sliced and cut according to your liking

    fresh mint leaves

    strawberry

    Pre heat oven, Gas mark # 3

    Mix crushed biscuits with almond meal,sugar,dates and butter. Pressed it into the baking pan. I used a glass to get a uniform thickness on the sides. Set it aside.

    Mix the cream cheese with sugar,vanilla and add egg one at a time. Beat at medium speed,add thick cream and mango puree. Pour into the prepared baking pan. Tap it slowly to remove air bubbles.

    Bake for 1 hour, slightly open the door for another 30 minutes before turning off the oven. Let it cool for another 30 minutes inside the oven and another 30 minutes outside. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight before topping it with mango puree and real fruits (optional).

    Mango Puree – mix all ingredients and let it boil, reduce the heat and simmer for another 10 minutes or until it thickens to your liking.

    Serving Suggestions:

    2014-06-24 at 13-25-03

    top with fresh mango puree

    2014-06-25 at 13-23-25

    Slice into small pieces and top with real mango fruit.

    2014-06-24 at 12-50-54

    with dates at the bottom and top with mango puree and fresh strawberry.

    DSC_9277mango

    mango

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    2014-06-24 at 12-59-02

    box it as a gift to your sweet friends 🙂

    Cheers,

    Jamilamimi