Sweetheart Cheesecake

I can’t believe that another month has already flown by. It’s June in a few days! All the days have really been blending together and now with the kitchen being worked on, it seems like it has been a very long time since I last baked anything or had a kitchen to use.

A little while back, I think it was for Easter, I made my chocolate cheesecake, or Sweetheart cheesecake. I hadn’t made it in ages but I had a craving and I thought it might be a yummy dessert for an isolating Easter dinner and it definitely was. It was so good, yet another cake that I could eat for breakfast, haha. So take a look below and see how I made Sweetheart cheesecake and try one out while you isolate and to ring in the month of June!  

Sweetheart Cheesecake Recipe

Crust:

1 cup of graham wafers

3-3  ½ tsp. of cocoa powder

2 tbsp. of sugar

3-3 ½ tsp. of melted butter

Filling:

3 pkgs. (250g) of cream cheese

1 cup of sugar

3eggs

½ cup of cocoa powder

Whipping cream for the top

Combine the crumbs along with the sugar, butter, and cocoa. 

Mix well and press into 1.5 l spring form pan. I suggest lining the bottom with parchment paper first.

Now in your mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Then beat in the sugar gradually.

Now add in the eggs one at a time at a low speed.

Add in cocoa and beat until smooth.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake at 325 degrees for about 40 minutes. It usually take a few minutes longer. You want it to be moist-ish but not dry and cracked. Mine does always tend to crack but I hide it with whipped cream and it’s fine.

Allow it to cool. I like to make this the day before. This cake is best served nice and cold. You can top it with whipped cream and berries (strawberries and raspberries are the best). I also added on some white chocolate shavings for an extra added touch.

Eggnog

This week we are going with a Christmas classic and that is eggnog. We’re used to drinking variations of eggnog in Canada and the US but the origin of eggnog is said to be in the UK.

In early Medieval Britain a drink called posset was consumed and that is what the first eggnog is thought to be. Posset was hot milk curdled with wine or ale and then had spices added. Sounds a lot like eggnog. Posset was also used as a cold and flu remedy and sometimes had eggs added to it as well. As time went on British Aristocrats started drinking eggnog because it contained milk, eggs, and sherry which were foods consumed by the wealthy. Eventually eggnog made its way to North America and President Washington began serving it to visitors and added lots and lots of different types of alcohol.

Over the years eggnog has changed and depending on where you are can have different types of alcohol added. Some of the alcohol that may be in your eggnog are brandy, rum, bourbon, sherry, and cognac.

Most eggnog recipes will include milk or cream, raw eggs (make sure they are pasteurized), sugar, spices (cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg), vanilla, and often times alcohol. The ones you buy in a carton at the store of course will be non-alcoholic but you can add flavours into it when you serve it.

Fun fact, a Tom and Jerry is a hot eggnog cocktail that contains brandy and rum. Another fun fact, a nog or noggin was a Middle English word for a wooden mug for serving alcohol.

Instead of making actual eggnog, this week we made an eggnog pudding and it was delicious. So take a look at what we made with our featured Christmas traditional food.

Eggnog Pudding Recipe

1/3 cup of sugar

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

¼ tsp. of salt

2 ¼ cups of eggnog

3 egg yolks

1 ½ tsp. of vanilla

2 cups of whipped cream for the topping

In a heavy saucepan whisk the sugar, salt, and cornstarch.

Gradually whisk in the eggnog and egg yolks.

Set over medium heat and stir constantly until the pudding bubbles and thickens.

Remove the pot from the stove and add in the vanilla.

Transfer the pudding to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding. Let it cool slightly before putting in the fridge for about 3 hours to set.

While the pudding is setting, you can whip up some cream.

After the 3 or so hours are up, dish your pudding into ramekins and top with whipped cream. You can set out cinnamon, nutmeg, and sprinkles to top your pudding. I even tried milk chocolate chips and that was divine! Enjoy!

Belgian Waffles

It’s time for breakfast. Today’s flavour is Baskin Robbins “Belgian Waffle.” This one sounds like it could be really yummy especially if it was inside a waffle cone or a waffle bowl.

Now craving waffles...we’re going to share with you a recipe for some delicious Belgian Waffles that you can whip up in no time. You can eat these waffles for breakfast or dessert even. Put a dollop of ice cream on top and you can make yourself a breakfast inspired dessert or make it hearty with bacon and sausages and eggs or fried chicken and have breakfast for dinner. No matter when you eat them, they’ll be a tasty treat to have.

Belgian Waffles:

You will need...

3 ½ cup flour

2 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

4 egg yolks

3 ½ cup of milk

1 cup oil

4 egg whites

In one bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients.

In another bowl, mix the eggs yolks, oil, and milk. Whisk it up and then add it into the dry ingredients and stir.

Beat the egg whites and then fold into the batter. Do not over mix.

Prepare in your waffle maker.

Serve warm. You can keep things simple and just have butter and syrup on top or you can top with some of your favourite topping like berries, fried eggs, whipped cream, ice cream, fried chicken, fruit yogurt, or anything your heart desires!

Strawberry Cheescake

In keeping with the mini cheese cake theme, we are sharing with you a light and fluffy strawberry cheese cake. This is seriously yummy; it’s like that lemon one, addictive and something that you’ll want to eat for breakfast!

We doubled the recipe because we fed more people and I also wanted to have some leftovers. You can make this in two pie plates or in a larger dish like a Pyrex glass dish. We used a 9x13 Pyrex dish.

This cake takes a bit more work/time to make so you want to make sure you start it earlier on in the day if you are making it for dessert.

Start by pouring 2 packages (85g each) of strawberry Jell-O to a glass bowl. Then add 2 cups of cold water and 2 cups of boiling hot water to the bowl and mix well. Put it in the fridge but be sure to watch it as you only want it half way set not fully set.

Now for the crust. This crust again is similar to your typical cheese cake crust. We crushed Graham wafers to make 4 cups of crumbs then added 1 cup of icing sugar along with 1 cup of melted butter.

Press into the dish and bake for 5-8 minutes at 350 degrees. We baked it for the longer time. Cool until you’re ready to make the filling.  

While the Jell-O is setting, whip up 500 ml of whipping cream until stiff. Set aside.

When the Jell-O looks half set, mix 2 packages (250g each) of cream cheese together and then add 2 cups of icing sugar and 2 tsp. of vanilla. Mix until the lumps are gone.

Now slowly add the half set Jell-O to the cream cheese mix.

Once the Jell-O is mixed into the cream cheese mix, then fold in the whipped cream until fully incorporated.

Pour over the crust and put in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Now enjoy!