Apple Spice Cake

It still feels like summer around here (83 degrees yesterday!), but fall is starting to creep in, little by little. While summer is still my favorite season, there are lots of things I love about autumn in NYC:

1) I get to legitimately start thinking about what I want to be for Halloween. Anyone have any ideas?

2) I have an excuse to purchase a $5 pashmina or a $10 hat from the guy on the corner, because I "forgot" mine this morning and now I'm a little chilly.

3) APPLES.

I'm sorry, California, but your apples simply don't compare to the ones we get out here. Also, because we New Yorkers walk everywhere, our commutes take us right through the middle of farmer's markets. That means there are juicy, orchard-fresh, bigger-than-your-fist sized apples everywhere we go. And don't even get me started on the apple cider donuts...

Needless to say, I could barely wait until after Labor Day to try this apple spice bundt cake. The cake turned out beautifully: moist, dense, spicy with cinnamon, and with a pleasing variety of textures thanks to the chewy apple chunks and crunchy nuts. Since I was traveling with this cake, I paired it with a caramel glaze, but I'm sure it would also be fabulous served with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce as the original recipe suggests.

In the end, I'm not sure I like this cake as much as mine and Becky's signature apple cake, which is more like carrot cake made with apples (hopefully we'll post that soon!), but this is definitely a crowd pleaser perfect for fall dinner parties, or even a brunch.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I can hear the apples in my fridge from all the way over here. They are screaming "Eat me! Eat me!" I think I'll go put one of them out of their misery.

-Katie

Apple Spice Cake
Cake adapted from Martha Stewart
Glaze adapted from All Recipes
Serves 10

For cake:

1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
3 to 4 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (3 cups)
1 cup chopped assorted toasted nuts, such as pecans and walnuts (optional)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Nonstick cooking spray with flour

For caramel glaze:

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray; set aside.

2. Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

3. Combine vegetable oil, sugar, and eggs; mix on high speed with an electric mixer until lemon yellow.

4. With mixer on medium speed, gradually shake in dry ingredients until just incorporated.

5. Add apples and, if desired, nuts, to batter; mix to combine. Add vanilla, mixing until incorporated.

6. Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 75 to 90 minutes.

7. Remove from oven. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert cake onto rack; turn cake right-side up to cool completely on rack.

To make caramel glaze:

8. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in heavy cream and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and boil vigorously for 90 seconds, or until sugar is a deep amber color. If you start to smell burned sugar, take the caramel off the heat immediately.

9. Remove from heat and beat in powdered sugar and vanilla. If mixture is too thick to pour, add more cream 1 teaspoon at a time.

10. Working very quickly, pour glaze over cake. (This glaze hardens super fast!)

Blueberry Pie Ice Cream

Autumn officially begins this Wednesday, and in New York, I can feel it. "Why, hello there!" it says with a sly smile. "Why, hello!", I reply, "So nice to see you again!" I love this time of year - the cool breezes on my face, the here-then-gone explosion of color in the trees, and the lure of apple season right around the corner.

But I'm also sad to say goodbye to summer. No more picnics in the park. No more movies on the pier. And no more ice cream.

Well, you know me. At least less ice cream, and certainly not the kind I'm about to share with you. You see, the recipe below could only have been thought-up on one of those blissful, lazy summer days -  the kind when anything seems possible as the sunshine stretches out before you and you lean back in your chair with a monumental "life is good" sigh.

The credit for this one goes entirely to the Music Man. After enjoying a spectacular blueberry oatmeal crisp at the New Leaf Restaurant, my pie-loving creative genius of a boyfriend suddenly turns to me with a wild look of inspiration in his eyes and spews out the following: "What if we made ice cream that tastes like blueberry pie?!?! We could put, you know, little bits of pie crust in there! Yeah! Oohh! Yeah! That would be good! Let's do it! Do you have the stuff at home to do that?! Today?! We should do that!!!! That would be SO good!!! Don't you think that would be good!?!?!?!?!"

In fact, I did. And boy, was it GOOD. If my guy has more treat ideas like this one up his sleeve, we're going to make an even better pair than I thought. On multiple occasions I had to take the tupperware away from him so he didn't eat the entire thing in one sitting. And then, of course, I took it back out and ate more than I should have in one sitting.

So grab the last of those blueberries from the market and celebrate summer. Like this ice cream, it'll be gone before you know it.

-Becky

Blueberry Pie Ice Cream
Recipe by Becky, adapted from this recipe at Group Recipes and this recipe at Fine Cooking
Makes approximately one quart

For blueberry puree:
1 pint fresh blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon

For basic ice cream:
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
table salt
5 large egg yolks

Mix-in:
1 frozen pie crust 

Directions:
1. Bake pie crust according to package directions. Allow to cool completely, then break into bite-size pieces and freeze until ready to use. 

Prepare blueberries:
2. Toss blueberries, sugar and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, prepare the basic ice cream custard:
3. Pour one cup of the heavy cream into a medium bowl and set a fine strainer over the top. Place this bowl inside a larger bowl prepared with an ice bath.
4. Whisk egg yolks in another medium bowl.
5. In a medium saucepan, mix the rest of the cream with the milk, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Warm over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and tiny bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan, 3 to 4 minutes.

6. Slowly pour about a cup of the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly (this tempers the egg yolks so they don't curdle). Then, pour the warmed yolks into the saucepan with the rest of the milk mixture.

7. Cook the custard, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. If using an instant read thermometer, it should read around 170ºF (77ºC). (TIP: To test the thickness of the custard, run your fingernail down the back of the spatula. Don't burn yourself! If the line remains intact, the custard is ready; if the edges start running back together, give it another minute.)

8. Immediately strain the custard into the cream, then stir the mixture over the ice bath until cool. Cover and chill while preparing the blueberry puree.

When blueberries are ready (after 2 hours in the fridge), combine with the custard and churn into ice cream:
9. Drain the juice from the blueberries. Stir juice into custard.
10. Puree the berries in a food processor until smooth. Stir berries into custard. Chill mixture in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
11. Freeze in ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
12. When ice cream is churned, quickly stir in pie crust pieces with spatula or wooden spoon. Transfer to air-tight container and freeze until thickened and hard, at least 2 hours. Keeps for up to 2 weeks.

NOTE: I more or less halved this recipe, using 2 eggs and just over 1/2 pint blueberries. However, I still used the juice of half a lemon and a whole pie crust. Yum!

Classic Brownies

Labor Day is over. If kids hadn't started school before last week, they have definitely started by now (although, in NYC, school doesn't officially officially start until tomorrow, since last week was a one-day week due to the Jewish holidays. Seriously - the first day of school and then four days off. Really, NYC? Really?!)

I have a few friends whose kids started kindergarten this year. I'll skip over the part about how old this made me feel, and move right onto what made me feel young again: this week's treat.

You see, I went back to school this year too, to Baker's Kindergarten.

I know it seems a little extreme, going all the way back to Baker's Kindergarten. I consider myself a seasoned baker, afterall.

But what if I told you I had never ever in my life made a batch of brownies from scratch?

"Enroll that girl in Baker's Kindergarten right this minute!" is what you'd say.

So I did. And whadda ya know? The first (and only) assignment was to bake some classic brownies. (Funny, isn't it, how when you imagine your own school the assignments address exactly the skills you are lacking? :-)

And you know what? The brownies were dense and moist and fudgy just like brownies are supposed to be. I've graduated from Baker's Kindergarten! Aren't you proud, Mama B?

This is a simple recipe with dark chocolate cocoa powder and milk chocolate chips - a chocolate combo that works well in our house because it pleases Becky & me (lovers of all things dark chocolate) and Music Man (lover of all things milk chocolate). But this is also a great basic brownie recipe that could be suited to your unique tastes - I'm thinking M&M's next time. Or, since M&M's are soooooo kindergarten, perhaps something more sophisticated, like toffee bits or a cream cheese frosting.

Oh, who am I kidding? I love M&Ms just as much as I did in kindergarten! Perhaps I never graduated after all...  

Dark and Milk Chocolate Brownies

Slightly adapted from Baking Bites

Makes 16 brownies

1/2 cup butter, softened
2-oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8×8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease.

2. In a small, heatproof bowl, melt butter and chocolate together. Stir with a fork until very smooth. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Whisking steadily, pour chocolate mixture into sugar mixture. Stir until smooth. Sift flour, cocoa powder and salt into the bowl and stir until just combined. Stir in milk chocolate chips, then pour brownie batter into prepared pan.

4. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until brownies set and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the pan comes out with only a few moist crumbs, not batter, attached.

5. Cool in the pan completely. Lift brownies out by foil onto a cutting board and slice into pieces.

Caramel Turtle Bars

Our good friend Buzz is getting married today!!! At a winery! In California! (We're a tad excited. Can you tell?)

I think it's safe to say that Buzz is our oldest friend, considering that we've known each other since before we even existed. Our moms were roommates in college all the way in Illinois, and somehow both of them managed to end up in the Bay Area after school. Then Buzz's dad introduced his friend (Daddy)Bob to Mama B, and the rest is history.

We obviously share a lot of memories with Buzz, but when looking for inspiration for a Buzz-themed treat, one memory stood out:

For mine and Becky's thirteenth birthday, Buzz's mom (our "Aunt" Jan) took us skiing. The trip required that we start our drive to the lodge in the middle of the night so we could make the most of our day on the slopes. When Aunt Jan woke us up for breakfast at some diner off the highway, we stumbled into a booth, still half asleep.

Maybe it was the turtleneck, maybe it was Buzz's sleep-heavy eyes - we don't really remember details. But at some point before our pancakes arrived, Becky glanced at Buzz and announced that she looked like a turtle. 

Yes - we all agreed. Buzz most definitely looked like a turtle.

And then we started laughing. And laughing. And laughing.

I honestly hadn't thought of that moment in years until Becky brought it up and said we should make Turtle Bars in Buzz's honor. But now that I think about it, it is a perfect example of our friendship with Buzz - we see each other at our worst and best, we can speak frankly when we need to, and most of all, we're silly and we laugh a whole lot.

The recipe for these bars may look as long as our friendship with Buzz, but each individual step is not all that complicated. The hardest part is waiting for them to set up properly before digging in.

Buzz and Doug - we love you and we wish you all the happiness two turtles...er...people, can have!

- Katie & Becky

Caramel Turtle Bars
Adapted from Fine Cooking
Makes about 4 dozen 1-1/2-inch-square bars

For the crust:
Non-stick cooking spray, vegetable oil, or melted butter for the pan
7 oz. (14 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to just warm
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. table salt
9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all purpose flour

For the caramel topping:
2 cups pecan halves, toasted and coarsely chopped (we used 1 cup each pecans and walnuts)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 oz. (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. table salt

For the ganache:
6 Tbs. heavy cream
2 oz. good-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)

Make the shortbread crust:
1. Line a straight-sided 13x9-inch metal baking pan with foil, letting the ends create an overhanging edge for easy removal. Lightly coat the sides of the foil (not the bottom) with nonstick cooking spray, oil, or melted butter to prevent the caramel from sticking.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, brown sugar, and salt. Stir in the flour to make a stiff dough. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork.

3. Refrigerate the pan for 30 minutes (or freeze for 5 to 7 minutes), until the dough is firm. Meanwhile, position a rack near the center of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F.  You can also toast the pecans at this time if you have not already.

4. Bake the dough for 20 minutes, and then decrease the oven temperature to 300°F and bake until the crust is golden all over and completely set, about 15 more minutes.

Make the topping:
5. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the crust.

6. In a heavy medium saucepan, bring the brown sugar, cream, butter, corn syrup, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until all the ingredients are melted and smooth. Let the mixture continue to boil, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 240°F, about 6 more minutes. Turn off the heat and immediately (but carefully) pour the caramel evenly over the prepared crust. Let the bars cool completely, about 2 hours, before garnishing with the ganache.

Make the ganache:
7. Put the chocolate in a small heat proof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Let sit for 3 minutes. Stir gently with a rubber spatula until combined and smooth.

8. Fill a plastic zip-top baggie with the ganache, snip the tip off a corner, and drizzle the ganache decoratively over the caramel bars (you don’t have to use all the ganache - [but why wouldn't you?!]; keep the extra in the fridge for 5 days). Let the ganache set for 30 minutes to an hour.

9. Carefully lift the bars from the pan using the foil sides and transfer them to a cutting board. Separate the foil from the bars by sliding a spatula between them. Cut the bars into 1-1/2-inch squares. They will keep at room temperature for 1 week. (Note: we found it easier to slice these bars after refrigerating them for a few hours.)

Mini Donut Muffins

 

There are many reasons I chose to make these mini donut muffins:

1) They are cute.
2) They involve the holy trinity of melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar.
3) They eliminate the need to choose between baking muffins and making donuts, and as everyone close to me knows, decision making is not one of my stronger suits.

The reason I will make these again though, is not on that list, because I didn't know it before I made the muffins.  That reason is that besides being cute, holy, and a perfect example of a good compromise, these little babies are darn tasty.

To prove my point, let's look at a math problem:

Katie made a batch of mini donut muffins.  She used four mini muffin pans that each yielded 12 muffins.  When the muffins were cool (okay, maybe while they were still warm), Katie ate 10 muffins, her sister Becky ate 12 muffins, and Becky's boyfriend the Music Man ate 3 muffins (because he had already eaten 2 actual donuts).  Katie then took the remaining muffins to work, where Friend E ate 10 muffins, Friend S ate 5 muffins, and also shared a tip on the best way to eat them.* How many muffins were left for Katie's other co-workers?

 

 

Are you having flashbacks to fourth grade math class yet?

Fortunately, my fourth grade math teacher, Mrs. Bilanin, was good at her job, and therefore I know that the answer is 8 muffins.  Mrs. Bilanin also had a very cute son a few years older than us and we all had huge crushes on him, but that's neither here nor there.  Though I do wonder what he's up to these days...

 

...(pardon this short break while I innocently Google/Facebook stalk Mrs. Bilanin's son)...

 

Yep.  Still as cute as ever. 

 

 

But back to the muffins.

My point with that little math problem is that while the three main characters - me, Beck, and Friend E - may not be known for our powers of self-restraint, we also don't indulge in just any old thing.  These mini donut muffins were GOOD.  They really did taste like little tiny cake donuts.

Do you think it would it be too forward of me to send a basket of these with my phone number to Mrs. Bilanin's son?  :-)

 

*Tip on How to Eat Mini Donut Muffins from Friend S: To get the most cinnamon-sugar goodness, eat the muffins upside down! 

Mini Donut Muffins

adapted from CHOW via Framed

Makes 48 mini muffins

Coating:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Muffins:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for coating muffin tins
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature
2 tablespoons buttermilk, at room temperature (sour cream or plain Greek yogurt may be substituted for the buttermilk)
10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks), at room temperature
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature


1. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside.

2. Heat the oven to 375°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Lightly brush a mini muffin tin
with some of the melted butter, then coat with flour, tapping out any excess; set aside. Reserve
remaining melted butter for applying the cinnamon-sugar coating.

3. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and baking soda. In a small
bowl, whisk together milk and buttermilk. Set both aside.

4. Beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time until combined.  Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

5. With the mixer set on low speed, beat in a quarter of the reserved dry ingredients. Then beat in a
third of the reserved milk mixture. Continue to alternate until all of the remaining ingredients
are incorporated, finishing with the dry ingredients. Do not overmix.

6. Fill the prepared muffin tin wells to just below the rim with batter. Bake until muffins are lightly
golden and firm to the touch, about 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the tin and transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Repeat buttering and
flouring of muffin tins until all batter is used.

7. To coat the muffins, dip tops of muffins in melted butter, then in cinnamon-sugar. Roll slightly to generously cover entire top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

8. For jelly doughnuts, allow the muffins to cool and use a small pastry tip to make a hole in the bottom of each. Fill the pastry bag with your favorite jam, jelly, or citrus curd and squeeze some into the muffins.

Strawberry Basil Ice Cream

Have I ever told you how awesome my sister is? It's the little things, really. I'll come back to that in a sec.

First, here's another instance where a little something made a huge difference:

See, I've never been a fan of strawberry ice cream. I am always just a little bit bored with it. That said, I like the idea of strawberry ice cream. I want to like strawberry ice cream.

So when I tasted and loved strawberry basil soda at Rouge Tomate during Restaurant Week, I thought basil might be just the thing my palate needed to get on board with strawberry ice cream.

I was right. My palate = totally on board with strawberry basil ice cream.

And now back to why my sister is awesome. Here's a recent chat exchange between us:

12:01 PM Beck: maybe i will make custard for ice cream tonight

  what kind?...a bunch of random chatting about stuff like what we ate for breakfast, (because telling each other what we ate for breakfast is a Very Important Part of being sisters)...

12:10 PM me: i want to try basil ice cream

 Beck: yeah

  should i get basil and do that?

12:11 PM me: sure

  i kinda wanna make strawberry basil ice cream

 Beck: how do you add the strawberries?

 me: not sure

12:12 PM maybe that recipe thing could do it

12:13 PM yeah it does it

12:14 PM Beck: so, what do i need to buy?

 me: i sent it to you

 Beck: ok

And that was the end of the ice cream conversation. We went on to chat about a ton of other random stuff that day, including me telling her I had lost my beloved aluminum water bottle, which was followed by this exchange:
 1:45 PM

  Beck: what color water bottle you want?

 me: hmmm

  just something not ugly

  and not red

  i don't like red water bottles, for some reason

  blue or silver would be fine

  or green

  whatever

 Beck: ok

And then we both went about our days.

I got home late that night and was greeted by 1) the overwhelming aroma of strawberries and basil and 2) a green water bottle.

To recap:
My sister wanted to make ice cream.
I suggested a flavor.
She made it.
And she bought me a not-ugly water bottle too.

Like I said, it's the little things.

Thank for being a great sister, Beck.  Because of you, not only do I now like strawberry (basil) ice cream, I'm also well hydrated.  I don't know what I'd do without you!

-Katie

Strawberry Basil Ice Cream
Yields about 1 quart
Recipe created using: Homemade Ice Cream Recipe Maker from FineCooking.com

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
table salt
1 cup tightly packed, coarsely torn basil leaves
5 large egg yolks
1 lb. fresh or frozen strawberries, pureed, strained, and mixed with 1/2 cup sugar

1. In a medium saucepan, mix 1 cup of the cream with the milk, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Warm the cream mixture over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and tiny bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan, 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Stir in the basil. Cover, remove from the heat, and let sit for 1 hour. Taste and let sit longer if you want a stronger flavor.

3. Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with several inches of ice water. Set a smaller metal bowl (one that holds at least 1-1/2 quarts) in the ice water. Pour the remaining cup of cream into the inner bowl (this helps the custard cool quicker when you pour it in later). Set a fine strainer on top. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl.

4. Rewarm the cream mixture over medium-high heat until tiny bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan, 1 to 2 minutes. In a steady stream, pour half of the warm cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from curdling.

5. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heatproof rubber spatula until the custard thickens slightly (it should be thick enough to coat the spatula and hold a line drawn through it with a finger), 4 to 8 minutes. An instant-read thermometer should read 175 degrees to 180 degrees F at this point. Don't let the sauce overheat or boil, or it will curdle. Immediately strain the custard into the cold cream in the ice bath. Press firmly on the basil in the strainer with the spatula to extract as much flavor as possible.

6. Cool the custard to below 70 degrees F by stirring it over the ice bath. Stir the strawberry puree into the cooled custard.

7. Refrigerate the custard until completely chilled, at least 4 hours. Then freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

8. Transfer the just-churned ice cream to an air-tight container, and freeze for at least 4 hours or up to 2 weeks.

Match Monday: Lemon Bar Cheesecake

PROFILE
In my own words: I'm smooth and sweet and pride myself on being classy.  I can also be quite bold.
For fun: Dinner parties.  For two.
Favorite things: Indulging your fantasies.

Today's Match Monday treat was suggested by Dr. Magoo.*  Dr. Magoo is a physician who also happens to be - you guessed it - a dead ringer for our favorite nearsighted cartoon character.

In saying he resembles Mr. Magoo, I don't mean to insult him (nor do I mean to compliment him, I suppose); it's merely an observation.

My keen observation skills have also led me to this conclusion: Subtlety is not one of Dr. Magoo's strong points.  To quote his email to me:

"I want you to make me a cheesecake."

Now, I do realize I set myself up to receive this kind of email.  My profile mentions my passion for baking and asks if guys have a favorite treat I should attempt.

But no other gentleman has been so upfront about it.  I mean, I haven't even winked at the guy.

Don't get me wrong - I do appreciate that Dr. Magoo knows what he wants.  I can even imagine that a guy so directly requesting my, um, services, could be kind of sexy...but before we've even met?

WHAT KIND OF GIRL DO YOU THINK I AM, DR. MAGOO?!

Okay.  Sorry.  I'll calm down now.  It's just online dating, afterall.  I don't have to write Dr. Magoo back, and I certainly don't have to make him a cheesecake just because he said he wants some...

...but that doesn't mean I can't make cheesecake for myself.

Man do I love cheesecake.

Everyone loves cheesecake, right? ;-)

*Nicknames are my own.  I will never reveal usernames or identifying information beyond what is already public on Match.com.

Lemon Bar Cheesecake
From Fine Cooking, April/May 2010 via Butter Plus Cream
Makes 8 slices.

For the crust:
8 oz (2 cups) vanilla wafer crumbs
3 Tbs granulated sugar
7 Tbs unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:
3 8 oz packages cream cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 Tbs all purpose flour
pinch table salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 Tbs finely grated lemon zest
1 Tb pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature

Garnishes:
Lemon curd (homemade or store bought - homemade recipe below)

1. Position rack in the center of the oven and heat to 375F.

2. In a medium bowl, stir the cookie crumbs and sugar.  Mix in the melted butter until the crumbs are evenly moist and clump together slightly.  Transfer the mixture to a 9 or 10 inch springform pan and press evenly onto the bottom and about 2 inches up the sides of the pan (to press use your fingers or a flat-bottom measuring cup).  Bake until the crust is fragrant and slightly darkened, 9 to 12 minutes.  Let the pan cool on a rack.  Lower the oven temperature to 300F.

3. Beat the cream cheese, ricotta cheese, flour, and salt with an electric mixer at medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Make sure the cheese has no lumps.

4. Add the sugar and continue beating until smooth.

5. Add the vanilla and lemon zest and beat until blended, about 30 seconds.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating until just blended.  Pour the filling into the cooled crust and smooth the top.

6. Bake at 300F until the center jiggles like Jell-O when nudged, 55 to 65 minutes.  The cake will be slightly puffed around the edges, and the center will still look moist.  Set on a rack and cool completely.

7. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 8 hours and up to 3 days.  The cake can be frozen for up to 1 month.  (Place cake in refrigerator overnight to defrost.)

8. To serve, unclasp and remove the sides of the springform pan and run a long thin spatula under the bottom crust.  Slide the cake onto a flat serving plate.  Spread the lemon curd over the top of the cake.

Light and Luscious Lemon Curd
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living via Butter Plus Cream

4 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon, plus 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Put egg yolks into a medium heatproof bowl; set aside.

2. Whisk together lemon zest, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Add 1 1/2 cups water and the lemon juice; whisk until sugar and cornstarch have dissolved. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Cook 2 minutes.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low; gradually whisk one-third of the lemon mixture into the reserved egg yolks. Pour mixture into pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 2 1/2 minutes.

4. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour into a bowl; place plastic wrap directly on surface. Refrigerate until firm and cold, at least 1 hour (up to 1 day).