Chocolate Peppermint Cheescake Bars.

Crust:
30 peppermint creme-filled chocolate cookies
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon fine salt

Filling
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
16 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup low fat sour cream

4 large eggs, room temperature

Glaze:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Tbs non hydrogenated shortening                                                                                     2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup low fat sour cream, room temperature
crushed candy canes (about 3, large)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a food processor - add cookies and process until they form crumbs. With the processor running, pour in the melted butter and salt - process just until combined.  Press the mixture into a 9" x 13" pan lined with foil - evenly pressing to cover the bottom completely.

Meanwhile, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set over a saucepan of simmering water (don't allow the bowl to touch the water) - stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove and set aside to cool a bit.

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add sour cream and mix well, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix just until incorporated. Pour in the cooled melted chocolate and mix until smooth.

Pour the filling evenly over the crust and smooth the top. Bake until filling puffs slightly around the edges, but is still a bit wobbly in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove and place on a wire rack to begin cooling.

Add chocolate, butter and corn syrup to a small sauce pan on the stove over medium-low heat.  Stir the chocolate mixture until melted and smooth, remove from heat and stir in the sour cream. Spread glaze evenly over the warm cheesecake. When the glaze has almost set sprinkle the crushed candy canes evenly over the top.  Let cool completely and then refrigerate at least 8 hours.

Quark Kasekuchen ohne Boden

Ingredients:
250 g Butter
250 g Sugar
3 eggs
1 pkg vanilla pudding
1 pkg almond (mandel) pudding
1Tbs baking powder
1 kg Quark
1/2 shot rum

Combine Quark, butter, and sugar and beat until light and creamy. Beat in pudding powders and baking powder then add one egg at a time incorporating each before adding the other, add rum and beat until velvety smooth.
Put some ground up almonds or hazelnuts into bottom of a 91/2 in springform pan, ( the nuts prevent sticking) Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes reduce to 325 and bake for an additional 60 minutes. (if the top begins to get to brown cover with a strip of foil) turn off the heat and leave in the oven 30 minutes with the door ajar.  Remove from oven and loosen springform but do not remove. Cool completely remove ring and transfer to a  serving plate.

Mango Mango Cake

2 cups of mashed ripened mangoes
2/3 cup of sugar
2 1/2 cups of flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup of butter
2 eggs
2 tbsp real maple syrup
2 tbsp pure vanilla
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1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp butter

1. Peel the mangoes. I used four very ripe mangoes (when they are yellow/red,,soft to the touch and smell sweet).
2. Cut what you can into nice pieces, and save about two cups for mashing.
3. Mix sugar, butter and eggs 
4. Add flour, baking powder, salt 
5. Mix syrup and vanilla into the batter, and then add the mashed mangoes. Pour the batter into 13x9  greased baking pan.
6. Put it in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees F 
7. Bake for 10 minutes 
8. Take out baking pan and spread the leftover mango pieces over the cake. 
9. Drizzle brown sugar and butter over the mangoes.
10. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean
11. Top with real vanilla ice cream and mango coolie (made by combining mango and a little sugar in a blender and puree..

Peaches and Cream Cake (A cross between a coffee and cheesecake)

Cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons butter, melted
Peaches and Topping:
29-ounce can sliced peaches or 1 quart home-bottled peaches
16 ounces (2 packages) cream cheese, light or regular, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons reserved peach juice
Cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a medium or large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cornstarch. Blend. Make a well in the center and add the vanilla, eggs, milk and melted butter. Whisk together until well combined. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
Slice the peaches into bite-sized pieces, scattering them over the top of the batter evenly. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and reserved peach juice together until light and creamy. Dollop the cream cheese mixture in tablespoon-sized spoonfuls over the top of the batter and peaches and then use a spatula to evenly spread together to form a creamy layer. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just try to spread it as evenly over the top as possible (it’s ok if peaches are peeking through in spots). Sprinkle the top of the cream cheese layer generously with cinnamon and sugar.
Bake for 45-60 minutes until the edges are puffed and golden and the cream cheese layer has set and the middle no longer wiggles.

Boston Cream Pie (In Honor of Our Birthday)

For the cake

• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted, butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk

For the custard

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the glaze

• 6 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), broken into pieces
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
•  

Make the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. and butter and flour a 9 1/2-inch springform pan. In a bowl with an electric mixer cream together the butter, the sugar, and the vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy and beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Into another bowl sift together the flour, the baking powder, and the salt and beat the mixture into the butter mixture in batches alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and bake the cake in the middle of the oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack.

Make the custard:
In a saucepan whisk together the cornstarch, the sugar, and the milk, add the eggs, the cream, and the salt, and whisk the mixture until it is smooth. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean, reserving the pod for another use, add them to the cream mixture, and bring the custard to a boil over moderate heat, whisking constantly. Boil the custard, whisking, for 2 minutes, remove the pan from the heat, and whisk in the butter. Let the custard cool completely, whisking occasionally.

Make the glaze:
In a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt the chocolate with the water, the butter, the corn syrup, and the salt, stirring until glaze is smooth, and remove the bowl from the pan.

Remove the cake from the pan, halve it horizontally with a long serrated knife, and arrange the bottom half, cut side up, on a plate. Top the bottom half with the custard, spreading the custard to the edge, put the remaining cake half, cut side down, on the custard, and pour the glaze on top of it, spreading the glaze to the edge and letting it drip down the side. The Boston cream pie may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered loosely and chilled.

Patriotic Cheesecake

16 oz

cream cheese (softened)

12 cup

sugar

12 tsp

vanilla

2

eggs

graham cracker (9 inches graham cracker pie crust)

3 tbsp

raspberry preserves (red)

         3 tbsp                                blueberry preserves

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Mix cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla at medium speed with electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs and mix until thoroughly blended.
3. Pour mixture into the graham cracker pie crust. Dot the top of the cheesecake with the preserves. Cut through the batter with a butter knife several times, for a swirl or marble effect.
4. Bake in oven at 350° for 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.
5. Garnish with whipped cream blueberries and raspberries (fresh or frozen).