One of the guys in the band is hosting a New Year's gathering. CRB is going to play the set for our gig on January 5 and probably do some jamming. I'm taking this cheesecake, which I haven't made before. Like so many things I make in the kitchen, the process didn't exactly go smoothly.
I baked the cheesecake in my 13 by 9 Kaiser Bakeware springform pan. I love that pan! If I had been thinking, I would have lined the pan with foil or parchment so that I could transfer the cheesecake to a nicer serving platter. Oh well.
When I took the cake out of the oven, it had a sizable crater in the middle. And the corner of the potholder hit the side, making a big mark. Nothing a layer of chocolate ganache can't cover...
Oops! I didn't like the way my first try at piping the letters looked, so I tried to "erase" them by spreading the chocolate around. Obviously that didn't work. Nothing that MORE chocolate ganache can't fix. (I used an additional three ounces of chocolate and 1/4 cup whipping cream.) I hope tonight's guests love chocolate!
The final result wasn't perfect, but it's good enough. Here's the recipe:
Ribbon Bar Cheesecake
Adapted from a Kraft calendar
Note: The original recipe called for coconut and pecans. I omitted them and added extra Oreos. If you want to take it out of the 13 by 9 baking dish, line it with foil, leaving extra on the sides, so you can lift it out of the pan. All cheesecakes are better made a day ahead.
38 Oreo cookies, crushed
1/2 cup butter, melted (1 stick)
4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup whipping cream
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (plus more for decorating)
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Crush cookies in food processor. Add butter and process until crumbs look wet. Press firmly onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
Beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over crust.
Bake 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate overnight (or for three hours). Place whipping cream and chocolate in saucepan. Cook on low heat until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring occasionally. Pour over cheesecake. Refrigerate 15 minutes or until chocolate is firm.
Once chocolate topping is firm, place additional chocolate in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on medium 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds. Stir till chocolate is completely melted. Pour into small plastic storage bag; seal bag; twist bag. Snip off one small corner from bottom of bag; twist top of bag to squeeze chocolate from bag. Pipe message on top of cheesecake. Chill until ready to serve.
Store leftover cheesecake (if there's any!) in the refrigerator.