Yes, well it’s true.  The Daring Baker’s have done cheesecake before.  I thought that was excellent cheese cake and the freedom and challenge marvelous in the mini bites.  So where is the challenge in another cheese cake.

Challenge like beauty is in the eye of the beholder and can even be found in a return to a previous success.  To prove my case for this month’s DB project I not only did this cheese cake I repeated February’s flour-less Chocolate Valentino Cake. 

Now, if you’re thinking I took the easy way out by simply repeating a recipe I’d had success with before and just another cheese cake, rest assured I sweat bullets over this one.

The challenge with the repeat Chocolate Valentino?  One always flirts with disaster when whipping egg whites.  The real challenge with baking this again came about because I divided the batter into two VERY intricately decorated cake mold pans . . . and then had to get them out.  Cheese cake is always a challenge:  keep it from cracking.   Then eliminate the crust from the pan and it would seem you again flirt with disaster changing large parts of the equation and entering unknown territory.  Such is the journey I entered in my innocence.

Infamous.  Why is this titled ‘Infamous’?  Who is Abbey?  Is it the cake or Abbey or Jenny who is ‘Infamous’?  Will it all be revealed as the cake bakes or when we post?

You’ll find the original recipe at Jenny Bakes, below is how/what I did.

Yes, I confess I’m a total sucker for decorative molds.  I found the cake pans at Williams Sonoma the week before the challenge was put up.  Sigh . . . between cookbooks and pans I’m hopeless.  It used to be bed sheets if you can believe.

Abbey's Infamous

Cheese cake

3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature

1 cup / 210 g sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup / 8 oz heavy cream

1. Bake Valentino Cake in molds. Set aside to cool completely.

I buttered and dusted the molds with cocoa.

Then I sweated bullets to see if I could get the thing out of the pan with any of the decorative molding intact so it would look like an oreo cookie. 

I figured I had a 50/50 chance as I only needed one to face up.  I could read ‘cookie’ on both!

2. Preheat oven to 350°.   Bring some water to boil for the cheese cake bath.

3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl and cream together until smooth. One at a time add the eggs making sure to incorporate each before adding another. Using the wings for my Kitchen Aid, it was unnecessary to stop the mixer to scrape down the sides.  Add heavy cream, vanilla bean innards scrapings, and blend until smooth and creamy. 

4. Pour batter into prepared springform pan - no crust it’s going to be a cookie center - and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Wrap springform pan in foil and place into the larger pan in oven and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan.

5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until almost done - there should still be a lot of jiggle in the cheese cake center.  It should not be firm at this stage.  Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and leave in the cooling oven for another hour.  The hour in the cooling oven will finish cooking the cake and the slow cooling greatly improves the chances of it not cracking.    Remove cheesecake from oven and water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter on a rack, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill.  Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.

6. I used the cake mold/pan to ‘cut’ or trim the cheesecake to fit between my valentino cake/cookie crusts.  Next time, NO.  Next time I’d just trim the edge with a knife.  Of course the pan cut the cheese cake to fit perfectly between the two layers of cake BUT getting it out . . . well, I was sweating bullets again.  Warm hands, warm towels whatever around the pan edges trying to get it to release . . .   Finally, I just gutted it up: balancing the pan between my left hand and my chest over the valentino cake, I gave it a big whack with the right hand . . . plunk . . . the top valentino was a breeze.

Welcome to the Oreo Cheese Cake Cookie!

Now you already know I really liked the valentino cake.  I really think it’s the very best ‘brownie’ around.  But, it doesn’t really want to be chilled to taste great. 

Putting these two together is only good if you serve this close to room temp.  The cheese cake on it’s own is heaven: smooth and creamy heaven.  Cheese cake has to be stored cool.  Once assembled and chilled together, allow this to sit out for an hour otherwise the cake is like a rock and nearly tasteless. 

Jenny, I loved the cheese cake and don’t care where the infamous comes in although I’d be very curious to know.  Thanks for an excellent cheese cake.

In the morning I’ll start wondering through the Daring Bakers Blogroll because I know I’ll find all manner of fabulous cheese cake out there; you should check them out too.  Blogroll just above the coffee cup.

And thanks always to Lis and Ivonne for putting the DB together.