Loaves Lately

Neapolitan Cheesecake - "Sweet Teeth"

Ingredients

6 pckgs cream cheese

6 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 ¼ cup butter, melted

¼ pckg graham crackers

¼ cup + 2 tsp. Vanilla

1 cup strawberries, sweetened

1 cup cocoa

Icing

2 tbsp. Shortening

1 ¼ cup icing sugar

1 pckg. Cream cheese

1 tsp. vanilla

Chop 1 cup of fresh strawberries and place them in a bowl. Rinse and coat them with sugar. Set aside in the fridge.

Line a baking pan (at least 2-3 inches deep) with tinfoil and grease it. This will make it easier to cut shapes out of the cake.

Crush a quarter of the package of graham crackers (approx. 7 large cookies). It is best to use a food processor to make them into a powder.

Melt a ¼ cup of butter and mix well with the graham powder.

Spread on the bottom of the baking pan. Use a spoon to make a thin firm layer so the bottom of the whole pan is covered evenly. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Once finished let cool and set aside.

The chocolate will be the bottom layer since it has the thickest density. In a food processor mix 2 packages of cream cheese, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Blend until mixed well.

In a saucepan melt 1 cup of butter. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of cocoa and mix until smooth.

Once finished add to the food processor and blend until thoroughly mixed.

Add the chocolate mixture to the graham cracker layer making it approximately ½ an inch high, spread evenly. Set aside in the fridge.

Clean the food processor and add 2 packages of cream cheese, 2 eggs, ¼ cup sugar and ¼ cup vanilla extract and blend thoroughly.

Add this mixture on top of the chocolate mixture, approximately ½ an inch in height. Let this set in the freezer for roughly an hour, or until it thickens.

Clean the food processor and add 2 packages of cream cheese, 2 eggs, ¼ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and the sugar covered strawberries you set aside in the fridge. Blend until thoroughly mixed. This mixture is the runniest so it needs to set in the freezer, or you can wait until the vanilla layer has set enough so that they don’t mix. However the thinnest layer must go on top, so make sure the vanilla layer is more set than the strawberry layer.

Once the final layer has been added bake at 350 degrees for roughly 65 minutes. Once finished, put in the fridge for an hour.

When using the tooth cookie cutter, slowly push it into the cake. When you get to the bottom press firmly on all of the edges to ensure it goes all the way through.

When you lift up the cutter the cake should remain inside of it. When you’re ready to put it down gently push down on each of the corners until the piece slides out.

To make the icing blend all of the ingredients in a food processor.

Spread a thin layer of icing on top. I find that a rounded knife works best.

It tastes better when served cold!

Brownies w} Pistachio Pudding

Brownie

1 1/3 cup flour
1 tsp. Baking powder
½ tsp. Salt
1 cup butter
1 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 ½ tsp. Vanilla
1 cup pistachios, chopped

Method

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a pan, heat butter until melted. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa until smooth.

Add cocoa mixture to dry ingredients. Add eggs, vanilla, and pistachios, mix until even.

Fill paper cups in the cupcake tray close to the rim. Bake for 30 minutes.

Pistachio Paste

1/3 cup pistachios
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp. Water

Method

Blend pistachios until powdered. If using unroasted pistachios it will turn into a paste.

Add sugar and water and blend until it creates a thick paste. Add more pistachios if it doesn’t thicken. Set aside.

Pistachio Pudding

1 ounce pistachio paste

½ cup sugar

1 tbsp. Cornstarch

1/8 tsp. Salt

2 cups milk

2 large egg yolks

2 tbsp. Butter

1 tsp. Vanilla

Method

In a large bowl mix all of the dry ingredients, set aside.

Take the 2 large eggs and separate the yolks, whisk and set aside.

Heat up the milk in a pot and slowly add the pistachio paste, whisk until it dissolves.

Add the dry mixture to the pot, constantly whisk it until it thickens and comes to a boil.

Temper the pudding by taking ½ a cup of the mixture and adding it to the bowl of egg yolks. Whisk it and immediately add it back into the pot.

Once combined whisk the mixture for 1 minute while it boils. Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla, mix well.

Let it cool and add it to the top of the brownies, sprinkle with leftover pistachios.