Strawberry White Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake
November 20, 2016
Again, Thanksgiving was just as wonderful this year as it was the previous years. We still follow the same old tradition for the last 16 years: an early dinner with my family and then hurriedly back to have another late dinner with my husband's family. I was lucky enough to have a few days off before the holiday so I could spend some extra time baking in the kitchen. First, I was debating between making a standard cake or a cheesecake. The cheesecake "wins" because both families are not very fond of regular cakes. They would prefer Vietnamese Sponge Cakes (Bánh Bông Lan) over any standard cake any day.
However, I was reluctant to make a cheesecake since I won't be able to add elaborate decorations on to the cake. I'm a little obsessive with cake decorating at this point (ha!). So, I decided to "add a touch of fondant" on to the cheesecake anyway. I have happened to make a few fondant pumpkins a few weeks ago with the kids over a bored weekend, which compliment this cheesecake beautifully. To make this a "Fall Festive" cake, I also added a hand-painted fondant canvas as a topper that I made two days before Thanksgiving Day. I have been wanting to paint an Autumn picture and this is a perfect opportunity for that.
For this cake, I have made my own strawberry preserves but you can substitute with the store-bought version (see recipe below). If you would like to make your own, here is how I made mine. First, you will need about 1/2 lbs of frozen strawberries, 2 tablespoons of water and 1/4 cup of granulated sugar. Pour all ingredients into a small sauce pan and boil over medium heat for about 10 minutes. You may add more sugar depending on how sweet you want your preserves to be. I also add a pinch of salt and vanilla extract to enhance the flavor. Then I strain the preserve to remove the strawberries meat and most of the seeds. Once it cools down, I leave this mixture overnight to thicken in the refrigerator (see Photo 10) .
To make the crust, I use about 15 Oreo cookies (filling removed) and crush them with my dough roller. Then I grind them in my blender for about 30 seconds for a finer mixture (Photo 1). I pour these crumbs into a medium bowl, add 2 tablespoons of melted butter and mix them together until well-combined (Photo 2). Next, I add the crumbs into the prepared 6-inch spring form pan which I have already lined with parchment paper in the bottom and around the sides. Using a metal spoon, I press the crumbs down into the pan, and store the pan in the freezer for about 10 minutes (Photo 3).
Before making the cheesecake batter, I make sure all of my cold ingredients are at room temperature. This includes the eggs, cream cheese and sour cream. I microwave the cream cheese slightly (30 seconds) to ensure the inside is also warm to touch. This is essential to achieve that smooth and creamy batter. Noted that you will have a lumpy batter if all of the ingredients are not at the same temperature.
To make the fillings, I combine all of the ingredients in to the standmixer bowl and beat on medium speed for about 2-3 minutes or longer until it becomes a smooth looking batter (Photo 4 and 5). Lastly, I pour in the beaten eggs (Photo 6) into the cheesecake batter and mix for another 30 seconds until all the eggs are integrated (Photo 7).
Once the filling is ready, I remove the crust pan from the freezer and sprinkle white chocolate chunks into the pan. Then, I pour half of the cheesecake batter into the pan and add the strawberry preserves on top. Using a toothpick, I swirl the preserves around slightly. Do NOT over-mix as it will turn the batter into pink, which is not what you want. Finally, pour the rest of the cheesecake batter over the strawberry preserves and bake the cheesecake in a water bath. I start out baking the cheesecake at 450 degrees F for about 10 minutes, and then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for another 50 minutes. Once the cheesecake is done baking, turn off the oven and crack the oven door open with a wooden spoon, and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another hour. This is to prevent drastic shrinkage. Afterward, you should store the cheesecake in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving.
To decorate the cheesecake with whipped cream frosting, you would need 1 cup of heavy cream, 2 tablespoons of powder sugar, 1 tablespoon of meringue powder, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. In a mixing bowl, beat all of this ingredients on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Do NOT over-beat as the cream will fall apart. Meringue powder is important in this recipe as it is a stabilizer to prevent whipped cream from melting. Using a large Wilton 2D Drop Flower tip, I pipe swirls around the cheesecake and finish it with a light touch of white chocolate sprinkles.
Finally, I add two different toppers for the cake: the fondant canvas and the fondant pumpkins. The cheesecake makes a perfect Thanksgiving dessert for both families. I love the way the cheesecake turns out, moist and rich with a hint of sweetness. With one bite, the cheesecake melts away in your mouth just like butter and the strawberry preserves flood your tongue with pure splendor..all mixes together to make a decadent scrumptious slice of heaven.
Here are the steps of how I create a fondant Fall canvas:
I am going to warn you, I have no prior painting experience. So, if you're an artist, do not look at this painting closely, or maybe do not look at it at all. After painting this mini canvas, it inspires me to perhaps learn to paint real paintings one day. The entire of this drawing took about 30 minutes, and it was pretty relaxing for me, at 6:30 AM on a Wednesday morning while drinking hot water (yep, not coffee!).
I am going to warn you, I have no prior painting experience. So, if you're an artist, do not look at this painting closely, or maybe do not look at it at all. After painting this mini canvas, it inspires me to perhaps learn to paint real paintings one day. The entire of this drawing took about 30 minutes, and it was pretty relaxing for me, at 6:30 AM on a Wednesday morning while drinking hot water (yep, not coffee!).
If you'd like to duplicate something like this, all you really need is a piece of rectangular white fondant, a black edible pen, gel food-coloring (red, orange, brown, blue, green), a few painting brushes, and some clear alcohol/wine. Don't be shy, just paint your creativity away!
White Chocolate Strawberry Truffle Cheesecake Recipe
Make: one 6-inch cake
Total time: 1.5 hours
Ingredients
Crust
3/4 cup (or 15 cookies) of Oreo cookies, fillings removed
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
Filling
1/4 cup of strawberry preserves**
2 tablespoons water
2 (8 oz) of cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1/4 cup of sour cream, room temperature
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 oz of white chocolate, chopped into chunks
Garnish
Whipped heavy cream toppings**
White chocolate sprinkles
Instructions
*This recipe is adapted from Cheesecake Factory Restaurant Copycat Recipes.
**OPTIONAL
Homemade strawberry preserves
Ingredients:
1/2 lbs of frozen strawberries
2 tablespoons of water
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
Instructions:
Whipped heavy cream toppings
Ingredients:
1 cup of heavy cream
2 tablespoons of powder sugar
1 tablespoon of meringue powder
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Instructions:
Total time: 1.5 hours
Ingredients
Crust
3/4 cup (or 15 cookies) of Oreo cookies, fillings removed
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
Filling
1/4 cup of strawberry preserves**
2 tablespoons water
2 (8 oz) of cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1/4 cup of sour cream, room temperature
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 oz of white chocolate, chopped into chunks
Garnish
Whipped heavy cream toppings**
White chocolate sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place a large oven-safe pan filled with half-inch of water into the oven to use as a water bath.
- Prepare strawberry preserves: Mix strawberry preserves with 1/4 cup of water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Heat on medium-high for 60 seconds and stir mixture until smooth. May use a strainer to remove the seeds if needed. Leave to cool and store in the refrigerator to use later.
- Prepare the crust: Crush Oreo cookies and then grind them in the blender for 30 seconds. Pour crumbs into a medium bowl and mix in the melted butter. Press the crumbs into a 6-inch spring form pan that has been lined on the bottom and the side with parchment paper. Using a metal spoon to press the crumbs mixture flat into the bottom of the pan. Wrap a large piece of foil around the bottom of the pan to keep the water from seeping into the cheesecake in the water bath. Leave the prepared crust in the freezer until filling is done.
- Prepare the filling: In a standmixer on medium speed, combine the cream cheese with sugar, sour cream, and vanilla extract and mix until the batter is smooth and creamy (about 2 minutes). Whisk the eggs into a medium bowl and then pour them into the cream cheese mixture. Blend the mixture just enough to integrate the eggs (about 30 seconds).
- Remove the prepared crust from the freezer and sprinkle white chocolate chunks onto the bottom of the crust. Pour half of the cream cheese filling to the crust. Drizzle the strawberry preserves over the surface of the batter. Use a toothpick to swirl the strawberry into the cream cheese. Then pour the rest of the filling into the pan.
- Bake the cheesecake into the prepared water bath for 10 minutes at 450 degrees F. Then reduce to 350 degrees F and bake for another 50 minutes or until the top of the cheesecake turns a light tan color.
- Turn the oven off, crack the oven door open with a wooden spoon, but leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 1 hour to prevent drastic shrinkage.
- Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours or overnight before serve for best taste. Garnish with whipped cream and white chocolate sprinkles before serving.
*This recipe is adapted from Cheesecake Factory Restaurant Copycat Recipes.
**OPTIONAL
Homemade strawberry preserves
Ingredients:
1/2 lbs of frozen strawberries
2 tablespoons of water
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
Instructions:
- Pour all ingredients into a small sauce pan and boil over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
- Add a pinch of salt and vanilla extract to enhance the flavor.
- Strain the preserve to remove the strawberries meat and most of the seeds.
- Once it cools down, store mixture overnight to thicken in the refrigerator.
Whipped heavy cream toppings
Ingredients:
1 cup of heavy cream
2 tablespoons of powder sugar
1 tablespoon of meringue powder
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Instructions:
- In a mixing bowl on medium speed, whisk heavy cream with powder sugar, meringue powder, and vanilla extract for about 2 minutes. Do NOT over beat the mixture.
- Using a large Wilton 2D Drop Flower tip, I pipe swirls around the cheesecake and finish it with a light touch of white chocolate sprinkles. May use the cheese grater to shave the white chocolate on the cheesecake top.
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