Sunday, April 27, 2008

Cheesecake pops


As far back as I can remember, my mom has been making cheesecakes. ( I think I learned to make them prenatally!) It was made for company, holidays, and many special occasions. She made one with a sour cream topping and a chocolate cheesecake, which was our family favorite. Then she started making a New York Style cheesecake. It had a cookie crust and the cheesecake was tall and felt like it weighed several pound. The center of the cheesecake was so creamy it almost oozed out when cut. Once people had this cheesecake they'd ask for it again and again. At some point, while I was in high school, she started making them to sell. I usually helped her get the cheesecakes made. On one particular week-end before a holiday, she had a large order, something like 18 or 20 cheesecakes, I think. As we started making the cheesecakes, I reach over to turn on the water in the sink, it spits and sputters but no water comes out. As we're trying to figure out why we have no water, my dad walk in and informs us the a pipe has broken and he's turned the water to the house off! These things happen when you have a well and live on a farm. He promises he'll have the water on again as soon as possible. So with nothing more than a few gallon containers of water to clean up with, we made all 18 or so cheesecakes. After we finished them all, sometime later that evening, we had water again. Now that's a daring baker!
So I had no worries about making the cheesecake part of the challenge. Now scooping it out and attaching it to a stick was a different story! Although quite messy, it was a fun twist. However, I'm happy I didn't have to attempt it with no water!
Thanks Deborah and Elle for a fun challenge. Be sure to check out all the other DB'rs cheesecake pops.

Here is the recipe. It really does make about 40 pops. I dipped some into semisweet chocolate and some into white chocolate. I rolled some chopped pecans and some into finely grated chocolate. Then since they were already on a stick, I put them into a flower pot for a kind of cheesecake flower arrangement and took them to my book club.

Cheesecake Pops

Makes 30 – 40 Pops

5 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature

2 cups sugar

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

5 large eggs

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¼ cup heavy cream

Boiling water as needed

Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks

1 pound chocolate, finely chopped – you can use all one kind or half and half of dark, milk, or white (Alternately, you can use 1 pound of flavored coatings, also known as summer coating, confectionary coating or wafer chocolate – candy supply stores carry colors, as well as the three kinds of chocolate.)

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

(Note: White chocolate is harder to use this way, but not impossible)


Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees) - Optional

Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Set some water to boil.

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.



Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes. (It takes at least 45 min. I think I baked mine 50.)


Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.


When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.

When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.

Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.

Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.


Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.

43 comments:

Anonymous said...

Adorable cheese cake pops. Cute site too!!!

Anonymous said...

Wow, very festive presentation! I'm sure your book club was thrilled.

glamah16 said...

Beautiful, work, beautiful kitchen, beautiful presentation.. My mother bakes a lot of chhesecake too. I wish I had a had a big farm in my youth. It seems so idyllic.

Deborah said...

I can't imagine having to make 18 cheesecakes in one day!! Your pops turned out beautiful - and I love the cheesecake arrangement!

zorra said...

Wonderful story and good looking pops. Congrats!

Anonymous said...

Nice job on the pops, I liked the presentation

Fran Z said...

This was a fun recipe. Love your pops! Nicely done!

Anonymous said...

i love seeing where people cook - thanks for sharing that as well as your beautiful pops!

Lis said...

Well done! I love the lollipop bouquet :)

And even from that one photo.. your kitchen is pretty!! :D

xoxo

Gretchen Noelle said...

Great pops! Love the nuts and the chocolate flakes. Both sound delicious! Interesting what you make due with when there is no water - happens here way too often!

Helene said...

Love the presentation! You did a great job once again!

Andrea Meyers said...

Oh, I love the cheesecake pop flower arrangement! Very nice way to present them! You did a great job on the challenge!

Julia from Dozen Flours said...

Gorgeous post! I felt like I was in your kitchen making these with you. Awesome job!

Mary Ann said...

Wow- those look so gourmet. I want to try yours!

Proud Italian Cook said...

Wow, what a pretty bouquet! What a lucky book club!

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

A flower pot! How perfect. Great idea.
The green is so pretty with the chocolate.
The look gorgeous and oh my they were good.

Christine said...

Your kitchen is beautiful. I would want to bake in it all day! Your cheesecake pops look wonderful!

Anonymous said...

Cute cute little pops! They look adorable! And you manage to scoop out those perfect rounds! it didn't work with mine so I ended up with rectangulars:)

Anonymous said...

Yikes! The idea of no water makes me sacred. Glad it all worked out in the end.

My book club might not get to the book at all if we had treats like these to distract us.

Veron said...

cute cheesecake pops and I love how you presented them like a boquet!

Deeba PAB said...

Very pretty...& what a nice read. I enjoyed myself here & lived your story about the 20 cheesecakes & no water! Great challenge...xoxo

Lunch Buckets said...

Nice bouquet!

Jerry said...

Great pops!

Shandy said...

Your cheesecake pops are so adorable and I know your bookclub was excited to be able to eat them! We have a well and I know what you mean about inconvenience when something goes wrong. I can't imagine what you and your Mom went through making all those cheeseakes without water though! Beautiful job on the Daring Baker Challenge =D

Anonymous said...

These pops are very cute; i love the various types of decorating you used.

Gigi said...

Wow, great presentation! I loved all the coatings.

Pixie said...

Wonderful cheesecake story to share. ;) Your pops turned out great- wonderful!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Your pops look very pretty! You did a great job here! Wonderful...

Cheers,

Rosa

Mama Mia said...

your cheesecake pops are so yummy looking! I just joined daring bakers and ill be starting next month! yeay!

Rosie said...

Oh I just adore your pops and wonderful presentation :)

Rosie x

Ally said...

I love your presentation! The pops look wonderful!

Anonymous said...

What a nice story! I bet you made your mama proud. Your pops are simply gorgeous!

xoxox Amy

Sunshinemom said...

Loved the arrangement! As for the pops, with your experience, they definitely must have been yummy!

~Amber~ said...

Wonderful looking cheesecake pops! On to the next challenge we go...

steph- whisk/spoon said...

you are an experienced cheesecake baker!! i'm sure your book club loved your lollipop bouquet!

Unknown said...

Your pops look great. I love your historical daring baker story - once when I was young my Grandma's mixer broke but we still had to make her 100 batches of Christmas cookies (slight exaggeration, but it surely didn't feel like it!).

pixie said...

i used floral foam too! your pops look great. couldn't help also noticing your farm dinner. looks lovely!

Sheltie Girl said...

You did a wonderful job on your pops!

Natalie @ Gluten a Go Go

creampuff said...

Lucky book club members! Your pops are adorable!

Anonymous said...

gorgeous pops for a fun challenge :) it's great !!!!

Dolores said...

18 cheesecakes with no water? Yeah, your mom's among the very first daring bakers! Great job with your pops!

Sheltie Girl said...

You did a lovely job on your pops!

Natalie @ Gluten a Go Go

Jacque said...

Looks like a chocolate bouquet! Nice job and I'm glad you had water this time too, lol