Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

Long ago, it became a tradition for me to put a delectable dessert up on this site in honor of my birthday. I couldn't break that tradition this year, even though I don't write here nearly as often. Even though cheesecake has become one of my favorite desserts in the last couple of years, I didn't actually make these bars for my birthday. I made them about a month ago for a dinner party, but they are festive and special enough for any kind of occasion.


One year ago: Salted, Malted Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats
Two years ago: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Three years a go: Tin Roof Ice Cream Cake
Four years ago: Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Filling
Five years ago: Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream
Six years ago: Root Beer Cupcakes
Seven years ago: Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes

Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
(Adapted from Tastes of Lizzy T's and Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

Makes 9 large bars

For the crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

For the cheesecake Filling:
16 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4-1/2 cup strawberry preserves

For the streusel topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 baking pan with foil and spray with baking spray.

To make the crust, mix the flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Add the butter and mix until crumbly, but combined. Press the crust into the bottom of the pan in an even layer. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the crust is lightly browned.

To make the cheesecake filling, beat the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla. Set the cheesecake filling aside.

To make the streusel, mix the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and oats until combined, but crumbly.

Pour the cheesecake over the crust. Dollop the strawberry preserves over the cheesecake. Use a knife or skewer to swirl the preservers into the cheesecake*. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the cheesecake.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a clean knife inserted in the middle of the pan comes out mostly clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator to set the bars for at least four hours or preferably overnight. Cut the bars into squares and serve.

*This is easier to do if the preserves are slightly warmed. 10 seconds in a microwave should be sufficient.

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The Middle

 

If you've been following this blog for a while (or know me in person), you know how old I'm turning today. I try not to freak about getting older by preparing myself and telling people I'm older at least two months in advance of my birthday. For some reason, that little trick isn't working as well this year, but I am trying to remain calm. This is my first time celebrating my birthday in Chicago (I've been in LA for the occasion the last two years) and my friends and I had a joint Tiny Top Hat party. Check my Instagram to see my super fabulous hat. As much as I like baking big fancy cakes on my birthday (see below), I also think the day can be celebrated with a simple sweet treat. These rice krispie treats take about two seconds to put together...ok, maybe a little longer, but you get the idea. They are large, but easily cut into small squares so you can share with a group and ideal for summer since no oven is required. I'm finding pleasure in the simple things and that makes getting older a little less terrible to bear.


One year ago: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Two years ago: Tin Roof Ice Cream Cake
Three years ago: Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Filling
Four years ago: Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream
Five years ago: Root Beer Cupcakes
Six years ago: Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes

Salted, Malted Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats
(Adapted from Joy the Baker)

Makes 9 large squares

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
40 jumbo-size marshmallows
1/3 cup malted milk powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt plus extra for sprinkling on top
6 cups Rice Krispies ceral
1 cup roughly chopped pretzel M&Ms, plus extra for sprinkling on top

In a very large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. As soon as the butter starts to brown, turn the heat to low and add the marshmallows. Stir until the marshmallows are melted and combined with the butter. Stir in the malted milk powder and salt and combine well.  Add the Rice Krispies to the marshmallow mixture and stir vigorously to combine. Add one cup of the M&Ms and mix well.

Press the mixture into a 9x9 pan. Press the remaining M&Ms into the top of the treats and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Put the pan in the refrigerator to set the treats, about half an hour. Cut into squares before serving.

Printable Recipe

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Normally the cakes I post on my birthday are for the party I usually have, but this cake was actually made for one of my dear friend's birthday last week. You really just can't go wrong with that delectable combination of chocolate and peanut butter (last year's cake was certainly an indication) and the coffee in the cake batter makes the chocolate flavor stand out even more. This is super simple to make and thanks to help from my friend, Lawrence, it was easy to decorate. After frosting the outside of the cake with chocolate frosting, we surrounded the outside with leftover peanut butter frosting from the middle and topped it with mini peanut butter cups. Delicious. I'm celebrating my own birthday today with wonderful friends in Los Angeles. It is sure to be a super fun day and I feel so lucky to have such great friends near and far.

One year ago: Tin Roof Ice Cream Cake
Two years ago: Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Filling
Three years ago: Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream
Four years ago: Root Beer Cupcakes
Five years ago: Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes


Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
(Adapted from Tastes of Lizzy T's)

For the chocolate cake:
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coffee at room temperature

For the peanut butter frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2-3 tablespoons whole milk

For the chocolate frosting:
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-3 tablespoons whole milk

To make the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans.

In a large bowl, sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Stir to make sure they are fully combined.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla together until combined. With the mixer on low, slowly add in the dry ingredients. Add the coffee and mix until everything is combined. The batter will be thin.

Pour the batter into the two prepared pans. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

To make the peanut butter frosting:
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the peanut butter, butter and sugar until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer turned down to low, add the powdered sugar. Add milk a little at a time until you reach your desired consistency.

To make the chocolate frosting:
In a large bowl sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. With the mixer turned down to low, slowly add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder mixture. Add the salt and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Add the milk a little at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

Printable Recipe

Tin Roof Ice Cream (Birthday) Cake

Today is my favorite day of the year. As a single woman, there are very few days to celebrate just me. I love celebrating my birthday. Whether it’s going out for fried chicken and beer with a few friends, to going out to dinner and a movie with just myself, I always find a way to make my birthday fun for me. Despite a recent setback, I am still going to make the most of it. Today I am heading on a plane to Los Angeles to escape the heat and humidity of Chicago (never thought I would say that). I’m going for a press trip for dineLA, but I am also going to squeeze in as much time with friends as possible. It will be weird to be a tourist in a city I lived in for ten years, but it should be a fun weekend and I am so excited. For my birthday, I normally bake a cake or cupcakes, but this year the thought of turning on the oven frankly, scares the crap out of me. Thankfully, there is ice cream cake, which is fun and easy to assemble and requires no oven. It has the addictive peanut butter and chocolate combination and the salty peanuts put it over the top. This recipe comes from Aida Mollenkamp’s fantastic blog and can be found here. 




One year ago: Thirty One
Two years ago: Dirty Thirty
Three years ago: Root Beer Cupcakes
Four years ago: Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes

Thirty One

I'm officially "in" my thirties. I like it.





Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Filling from Food & Wine, November 2002

Dirty Thirty

I'm 30 today. So far it's pretty awesome. I baked myself a cake and that was pretty awesome too.


(Thanks to Cube and Sam Kim for the cake suggestion and to Allison for the frosting suggestion)

Yellow Cake
(From The Craft of Baking)



12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for the pans
1 3/4 cup sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
7 large egg yolks
3 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream
7 large egg whites

Butter the bottoms and sides of three 8 or 9-inch cake pans. Line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper and then butter the top of the paper. Dust each pan with all-purpose flour and tap out the excess.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and the vanilla extract on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl several times until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.   Add the egg yolks one at a time, letting each become incorporated into the batter before adding the next.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Reduce the mixer to low speed and alternate adding the flour mixture and the sour cream to the butter mixture, adding one third of each at a time and letting them fully mix in before adding the next. When all of the flour mixture, and the sour cream have been added, turn the mixer to medium-high speed and mix for about 2 minutes to fully incorporate the ingredients.

Add the egg whites to a large, glass mixing bowl. Using a handheld mixer, whip until the egg whites are frothy. While mixing, slowly pour in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, and mix until the egg whites have soft peaks. Fold the egg whites into the cake batter in 3 additions.

Divide the batter between the three prepared pans and place the pans on baking sheets. Bake the cakes, rotating the pans halfway through until they are lightly golden on top, gently bounce back when touched, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes.

Let the cakes cool in the pan for a half hour before turning out to a wire rack to cool completely. Wait until the cakes have cooled completely before frosting.

Chocolate Frosting
(From Magnolia Bakery)

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons milk
9 ounces semi sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until no pieces of chocolate remain. Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool.

In a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Carefully add the milk and beat until smooth.  Add the melted chocolate and beat for another 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat for another 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low speed and gradually add the confectioner's sugar until the mixture is creamy and of the desired consistency.

To ice the cake, use a serrated knife to cut the tops of each layer so that they are even. Place one layer on a cake plate and spread the top with 3/4 cup of buttercream. Repeat with the second layer. Place the third layer on top. Using an offset spatula, spread the remaining buttercream over the entire cake.

Printable Recipe

Root Beer Cupcakes

Today is my birthday. I made root beer cupcakes (among other things). Recipe coming soon!!

Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes

It's my birthday today. Also, my name means a girl born on Sunday - so happy birthday to me!! I had a lovely drinky evening at the Palihouse and I still managed to get up early and go to the farmer's market. I spent much of the day baking yesterday and here are some of the results. I wanted a cake that wasn't too sweet, but was still festive and fun. After much searching, I settled on Nigella's chocolate Guinness cake. It was a perfect mix of richness and chocolate with just a slight sweetness despite the two cups of sugar in the mix. I am really looking forward to all the next year has to offer and thanks to all who made my birthday so special!!

Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes
(Adapted from Feast by Nigella Lawson)



Cake
1 c Guinness stout (not the whole can - drink the leftover yourself!)
1 stick unsalted butter
3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
2 c granulated sugar (superfine, if possible)
3/4 c sour cream
2 eggs
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 c all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking soda

Icing
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 c confectioner's sugar
1/2 c heaving whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with baking cups.

Pour Guinness into a large saucepan, add butter and heat over low heat until melted. Whisk in cocoa powder and sugar. In a small bowl, beat sour cream with eggs and vanilla until smooth and whisk into the beer mixture. Finally, whisk in flour and baking soda.

Divide batter among muffin tins, filling each 3/4 full. Bake 20 - 25 minutes until risen. Cool and turn out on a wire rack.

To make the icing:
Place cream cheese and confectioner's sugar in a mixing bowl and whip with an electric beater until smooth. Gradually add cream and beat again until you have a spreadable consistency. Ice top of the cake starting in th middle and fanning out so that it resembles the frothy top of a pint of Guinness.