So why was there so much to do?……here it is….

It’s a party for Jillian.  She is officially 3 years old.  Jillian is a big fan of Minnie Mouse so I did my best to help Minnie celebrate Jillian’s birthday with her and her friends.

Cupcakes to match…

And a NEW YORK STYLE CHEESECAKE for the mature tastes at the party…

The recipe for NY Style Cheesecake based on “Joy of Baking.com” recipe

The Crust:

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

Spray a 9” spring form pan with non-stick spray.  Place on a large cookie sheet to catch any drips that might escape the spring form.  Preheat the oven to 350 F and put the rack in the center of the oven.

In a medium bowl, combine all 3 crust ingredients.  Press into the spring form pan and 1/2 way up the sides.  Refrigerate while you make the cheesecake filling.

The Filling:

• 16 oz (2 x 8oz cream cheese) *don’t use reduced fat.
• 16 oz Mascarpone cheese
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 TBS flour
• 5 large eggs (room temperature)
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 TBS lemon zest
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

In a bowl and using the electric mixer, place cream cheese, Mascarpone cheese, sugar and flour.  Beat on medium until smooth (2 minutes). *BE CAREFUL HERE!   If the batter is over beaten, it may cause the surface of the cheesecake to crack.

Add the eggs one at a time and beat about 30 seconds after each addition.  Scrape down sides of bowl.  Add the heavy cream, lemon zest, vanilla extract and beat JUST until incorporated. 

Remove the crust from the fridge and pour in the filling. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 F (bake it on that cookie sheet in case of dripping).  After 15 minutes, reduce heat to 250 F and bake 1 1/2 hours.    It won’t look done to you.  What is SHOULD look like is a little wet in the middle with a wobble.  Remove from the oven and let sit while you make the topping. *Don’t turn off the oven yet!

The Topping:

• 1/2 cup Yogurt (*original recipe calls for 1 cup of sour cream however I made this a CHERRY cheesecake so the topping was not going to be seen just barely detected on the tongue.)
• 1 TBS granulated sugar (use 2 TBS if using 1 cup of sour cream)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (no need to double this if using 1 cup sour cream as 1/2 tsp will do fine).

In a small bowl combine yogurt (or sour cream), sugar, and vanilla. Spread over the top of the cheesecake (it will still be warm).  Return to the oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Turn off the oven and let sit with the door open for 10 –15 minutes. Remove, use a knife to gently loosen the inside edge of the spring form pan from the graham cracker sides of the cake.  Let cool completely. 

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a day. 

To Freeze:  YES – cheesecake can be frozen.  Place the cooled cake on a baking pan and put in the freezer, uncovered.  When it has frozen, cover with heavy duty aluminum foil and put it in a large freezer bag.  It will keep for several months.   Thaw uncovered in the fridge overnight.  ENJOY!

Joanne

Hence my purchase from Wal-Mart (yes, another trip to the dreaded store, but the cheapest place for live traps): 

Notice “LIVE”.   I’ll get that little guy with some good peanut butter and then take him down the road.  He’ll just have to begin a new life somewhere else.  If I get more than one (I hope not!!!), I’ll take them to the same place just in case it’s family. 

After Wal-Mart, I treated myself to a cup of Panera’s coffee.  I also bought 2 French Toast Bagels, one for Ted and one for me (misery loves company).  I intend to eat this whooper of a bagel over the course of a few days or at least until my teeth will no longer go through it.  Ted put his in the freezer.  Oh the will power!   

What About Cupcakes?

 I have recipe clippings all over.  They are tucked inside books, on the counter, and in my purse.  Sometimes I just get sick of seeing them.  I picked an easy one to get out of the way first thing this morning that looked interesting.  Since I had the Maraschino cherries out the other day (stealing the juice for my “HURRICANES”), I converted the recipe to incorporate this sweet “pickled” fruit.

Easy Coconut Cherry Cupcakes (based on recipe in PARADE Magazine “1 2 3” by Dorie Greenspan)

• 4 large Egg Whites
• 7 oz Bag Shredded Coconut Flakes
• 1/3 cup roughly chopped maraschino cherries (dry on a paper towel before stirring in)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Whisk the egg whites until foamy.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients one at a time. Do not over mix.

Line 10 to 12 cupcake tins with liners (I got 10 cakes but if you use less batter per liner, you can easily get 12).  Bake for 20 minutes. 

These are heavy little cakes but delicious with the coconut, cherries and the hint of almond.  You’re going to like these so watch out because I make no claims to “healthy” on this one. 

Approx. Nutrition: Helpful Hint = make mini muffins and reduce these values Calories:  263 Protein: 3.5g Carbs: 27g Fat: 16.3g

Joanne