Food & Drink Project : Marble (Cheesecake)

ok. I know that the guide for constructing a project log says that the first photo in a log is supposed to be some part of the design stage, not just a picture of a bunch of components.. however given the nature of the build, a pile of components is where i started anyway.

So, here we have step one.



That's :

2 cartons of Sour Cream
1 3/4 cups of sugar
3 tbsp of flour, and 1/4 tsp of salt.
Unsalted butter
a 9 inch Spring for tin (non-stick, Greased)
a dozen Large Free range eggs
Vanilla Extract
Maryland Choc Choc Chip Cookies.
A Selection of Green and Blacks organin Chocolate (70% cocoa, and Milk chocolate)
6 200g packs of cream Cheese
Bar of white chocolate. (may be used in topping)

 

Much Ebilness afoot I think!

I watch.

john

 

I know what I'm doing when this updates!

 

Making the base

Step one.
Measure out 6 oz or so of cookies. I used Maryland Choc Choc Chip cookies, as A) they were on special at the local supermarket, and b) they make a good cheesecake base.



Place the cookies in a sealable bag.



Wrap that bag in a tea Towel, and then Vigorously apply a rolling pin.

The tea towel stops the plastic bag from breaking. Feel free to work out any pent up agression you've got built up.


End product. Note the lack of breaks in the bag.

Next. we need to get the cookie crumbs to stick together.

Cube about 2oz of butter, and put it in a microwave proof bowl.


Then put it in the microwave for 20 seconds. Remove, and give it a stir. then return to microwave for annother 10-20 seconds. (more if you have a low powered microwave, less if it's powerfull. Mine takes 30 seconds to reduce 2oz of butter to a thin paste. . Stirring does the rest of the work.



Stir well. Unless you're using Ghee. (Clarified butter) you're going to have a bowl with two distinct liquids in it. Stir well. you want a "buttter" coloured liquid. Not a Clear yellow liquid sitting on top of a Thick White one. if you look carefully you can just make out that that butter is not quite as mixed as it should be. (I know it looks like jpg artifacting, but that's ACTUALLY how the butter came out of the microwave.



Now Grab a mixing bowl.
Empty the Cookie Crumbs into it.
Add a spoon of melted butter.

STIR WELL. USI?NG A WOODEN SPOON.
(if you use a metal one, you'll just end up with a buttery/crumby mess on the end of the spoon)



Add a little bit more butter, and stir well. Keep adding butter untill there are no Fine bits of cooke crumb loating arround in the bowl. (and you do need to check that they're not just stuck to the end of the spoon. you want a mix that will hold together by itself.



Now (making sure that the spring form tin is greased), pour the crumbs into the tin.
Shake a little to even out the base, and then using the back of your fingers, (knuckles towards the edge) press the cookie crumbs down.

Then Stick it in the fridge, while you get on with the next bit.

 

Cheesecake fap?

 

Looks awesome but you made me lose the game, so I hate you

I'm sure fellow /b/tards will have made the same connection:
marble (Cheesecake) -> marblecake -> the game

Also: is it just me, or does anyone else now just type f t w (without spaces) when they want the word Cheesecake?

 

The Filling

Empty the Cream cheese (1200g, or 2 1/2 lb) into the bowl of your mixer. (or failing that just a big mixing bowl)



Give it a quick mix, and then using a spatula, Knock the mix back into the middle of the bowl. (and clean off the beater)

You'll notice that i left the wire beater on. That was something of an oversite on my behalf. i did however swap it out for the K beater, before i turned it on.



Then, with the mixer running, pour, a bit at a time, the sugar, then the flour and salt into the mix. Remembering to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl, if it looks like it's all sticking to the side.




a bowl of 5 whole eggs. (Large, Free range) and 2 egg yolks.


With the Mixer running, Slowly pour in the eggs. Youll find that it gets easier after the first egg.

Also, given that my mixer was new in 1950, you probably wont need three hands to do this.


once you've got a nice mix, add a teaspoon of vanilla extract. (that's NOT the nasty chemically stuff that just says "vanilla" (flavor) on the bottle, that's Actual Vanilla extract.
(if the bottle costs less than £1 ($.50) it's probably not the real thing.



Give it a mix, (to make sure that the vanilla flavour gets all the way thru



Then add a cup of Sour cream. Actually, i'd add a half a cup, then give it a mix.

You dont want the mix at this point to be "runny". you Do want a certain amount of wobble, but not too much. We're talking one coat emulsion paint. not cream.

if it's too thick, add more sour cream. if it's too thin, beat it more.

 

You're not alone

Sexy cake btw, im hungry now

 

Chocolatey Goodness

You Should now have a large mixing bowl full of vanilla flavoured goodness.

In a microwave proof bowl, break up 6oz of good quality chocolate.
(i usually pound the hell out of the pack before i open it.)

add 1/2 a cup of sour cream.

then put it in the microwave.


FOR NO MORE THAN 15 SECONDS

take it out, and then stir it. then stir it some more. Then stir a lot.

once it's gone cold, you may then put it back in the microwave, if it's not all mixed up.



Note. this chocolate / sour cream mix has a grainy texture. That's because i got it too hot.

Chocolate is only chocolate below 40 degrees c. any hotter than that, and it burns/cooks/splits.

However, there is a way to fix this, if it's not gone too far. BEAT THE HELL OUT OF IT.

Stir. Beat. Whip. Frappe.

then take 2 cups of the vanilla mixture, and put in to a smaller mixing bowl.
Add the chocolate mix. Stir well.



You'll note that all the grainy'ness has gone. and i've now got a bowl of milk-chocolatey gooeyness.

 

Marble-madness

Rescue the base from the fridge. (where mine was being worried by several people of the female persuasion)

Pour a little of the vanilla mix into the base. shake slightly to settle, and if needed, use a spatula to even it out.

you want about an inch worth in the base.



then, using a wooden spoon, (or your medium scale spoon of choice), spoon dollops of the chocolate mix into the tin.



Fill the gaps with more of the vanilla mix, and then do it again, only this time, put chocolate mix ontop of vanilla, and vanilla ontop of chocolate.

Then (and i should have taken a phot of this, but didn't) take a spatula, and being carefull not to go all the way thru the mix (ie, avoiding the base), give the mix ONE stir. keeping the blade of the spatula pointin towards the center of the tin.

Then pour the rest of the vanilla mix on top of the cake, and smooth out, (with the spatula, that you've just cleaned. or in my case, left in close proximity of a female)

 

Cooking instructions

Firstly, you need to get your oven HOT. 450f, 230c.

Place the cake in the middle of the oven.

leave it there for 15-20 mins. (actually make this more like 20-30)

Then turn the cake around. and drop the oven temperature to 250F (140ish C)

and bake for 60 - 75 mins. (after an hour, mine wasnt even close to being done)



now it's decision time.

Open the oven, and gently "nudge" the cake. it should wobble when shaken, but the wobble should only go across the cake, then stop. if it wobbles back, then it's still not done.

Give it 5-15 more minutes. (5 if it's just a little wobble. 15 if it's Homer Simpson)

(mine ended up in the oven for 90 whole mins)

Then, once it's still a little wobbly, turn the oven off, and walk away, untill it's quite cool.

I've got a photo, but for some reason it's not letting me upload it.

Will get back to you once i've taken some more.

 

YOU SIR. WIN AT LIFE.

 

I do miss the planning stage of this thread. You should have made some concept drawing in sctechup or autoCAD.

 

ok. Lets see. where's the "cookie" tool in TurboCad?

 

Angry cheesecake is Angry!


Off to cut another notch in my belt.

 

Thoughs, and Final Results

Some of you may be wondering why the cake gets cooked for 20 mins at a VERY high temp, and then for an hour 'n' a half at a lowe rone.

WEll. The First 15-20 mins seals the outside of the cake, and makes the base, sides, and top a little more firm, so that the middle of the cake can develope and become lighter and fluffier.

Here's the cake after 15 mins.



notice the gentle rise in the middle, and the fact that the top meets the edges all the way round. Also, it's not Very brown.

Here's the cake an hour (at 140ish) later.


You'll note that it's a bit more brown, but that it's basically the same as it was before.

As it happens, the cake wasn't any whaere near done. ti wobbled like a jelly, and more importantly, a metal skewer stuck into the side of the cake came out with raw mix on it.

So, i left it in for annother (eventually) 25 mins.

Final result :



It looks Very much like this cake is trying to escape.

I have *no* idea how i'm going to get that spring form tin out of there.

(it'll be fun trying though)


Now. i've got 6 people coming tomorrow.
That is, i've invited 6 people over.

Some how, i expect my mother to call in to borrow something.
my sister (hell, all 3 of them) to call in to ask me to fix something, borrow something, or return something.

both sets of neighbours. and the lady from down the street,

good job this thing is supposed to serve 12-16 people.


Will post photo's when i eventually cut into this thing.

 

It may be supposed to serve 12-16... but the correct path for Cheesecake is to serve only one.

The mighty relix.

 

Damnit! You can make a tasty cheesecake?

Will you marry me?

My mom used to make (dunno why she doesn't make 'em anymore) the tastiest whiskey/irish coffee cheese cakes. Mm-mmm, maybe I'll have to ask her for a recipe.

 

12 or 16 cross dressing Trolls maybe. Unless the last pic has been Shopped, I only see one serving.

john