Also known as the cheesecake that had in me in tears and cursing at 9:30 a.m. Oh, and also convinced me to give up baking forever... or well, for at least a day or two.
Remember a few months ago when I said I had never attempted to make a real cheesecake? Anything that required a cake to be "bathed" in water completely intimidated me. That is until I saw this gorgeous cheesecake from Baked By Rachel. With a week off from work, and a holiday gathering to attend, I decided it was time for me to tackle a cheesecake.
So what went wrong with this seemingly gorgeous cheesecake that caused me to have an early morning kitchen meltdown? What didn't happen is more like it.
After spending nearly two hours preparing the peppermint bark, the crust and the filling, I was finally ready to pop this baby into the dreaded water bath. I lined my spring form pan with two layers of foil and placed the entire thing in a roasting pan. I began filling the pan with warm water and hoped that my fears of the water bath had been in vain.
That's when I saw it... water... in my cheesecake. Insert obscenities and tears here. In a panic, I picked up the pan and tried to drain the water from it. I was not about to let this cheesecake succumb to a watery death. I threw the pan in the oven (minus the water bath), turned on the timer for an hour and hoped for a miracle.
Two hours later (and after polling friends and family about whether or not I should serve this cheesecake or buy one from a local bakery), I pulled the pan from the oven. It looked ok. It smelled great. It was a little cracked on top but nothing that a layer of mousse couldn't fix. Into the fridge it went.
Next came the mousse disaster. It called for cream cheese, and being in a hurry, I neglected to whip it enough and ended up with a chunky, lumpy mess. No good. Into the garbage disposal that went (along with a dishcloth that ended up mangled).
The second batch of mousse came out perfectly smooth. I slapped it on top of the cheesecake and strategically placed peppermint bark and Dove candies on top to hide the imperfections. I packed up the cheesecake and headed out the door.
Did I mention I was baking this cheesecake to take to Will's family Christmas gathering? That's right, I took a potentially inedible cheesecake to a party of people I hoped to impress. Risky, right?
Well, the risk paid off. Despite the disaster that led to it's creation, the cheesecake was delicious. And so, I vow to make another cheesecake.... someday.
White Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cheesecake
from Baked by Rachel
For the crust:
2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (or 22 regular oreos)
3 tbsp. butter, melted
For the peppermint bark:
4 oz. white chocolate
1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. peppermint extract
4 oz. dark chocolate
1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
crushed candy canes
For the filling:
3 8 oz. blocks cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
4 oz. white chocolate, melted
1 1/2 tbsp. flour
1 1/2 tbsp. heavy cream
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. peppermint extract
3 eggs
1/2 batch peppermint bark or roughly 1 1/2 cup chunks
For the mousse:
1/2 cup cool whip, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 oz. white chocolate, melted
1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
To make the peppermint bark (best done ahead):
Melt the dark chocolate with 1 tsp. vegetable oil and 1 tsp. peppermint extract over a double boiler, or in the microwave. Spread the melted chocolate into a thin layer on a pan lined with wax paper. Place the pan in the refrigerator and chill for at least 15 minutes.
Melt the white chocolate with 1 tsp. vegetable oil using the same method you used for the dark chocolate. Spread the white chocolate on top of the chilled dark chocolate and top immediately with crushed peppermint candy. Place the pan in the refrigerator for another 15 minutes.
When chilled, remove from refrigerator and chop the bark into small pieces. Set aside.
For the crust:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 inch spring form pan (I think my pan was actually a little larger) with two sheets of foil. In a food processor, pulse the oreos to a fine crumb. Pour in the melted butter and pulse for a few seconds. Pour the crumbs in to the bottom of the pan. Use a glass to press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
Turn the oven down to 325.
For the filling:
Melt the white chocolate for the filling in a double boiler or in the microwave. Set aside to cool slightly. In a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and mix until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the white chocolate, flour, whipping cream, salt and peppermint extract. On low speed, add the eggs one at a time. Mix until smooth.
Stir in the peppermint bark chips and pour the filling into the crust.
Place the pan into a roasting pan and pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to fill it halfway up the sides of the spring form pan. Carefully place the entire thing in the oven.
Bake for one hour at 325. Turn the oven off and allow the cheesecake to sit in the oven for another 45 minutes.
Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow it to sit for 1 hour before chilling. Chill for 4 hours before adding the mousse.
For the mousse:
Melt white chocolate using the method you used earlier. In a stand mixer, whip the cream cheese until smooth. Add the melted white chocolate, cool whip, sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth and slightly thickened. Spread the mousse evenly over the cheesecake. Top with crushed peppermint bark or chocolate shavings. Chill for 4 more hours before serving.
