Chocolate Smores Cheesecake

I made this larger version of my smores (smore?) cheesecake cupcakes for a manager's birthday at work. What makes it different is a layer of graham crumbs and marshmallows in its middle. When the cake was cooked, set and cooled the marshmallows didn't keep to their layer, but blended in with the rest of the cake, leaving behind a thin layer of graham crumbs. This is probably what made this cake extra creamy, I was told by its indulgers. In fact, most thought it was a chocolate mouse cake! Far from an insult in my opinion, however I would still like to perfect a white, puffy center.

Filling:
4 pkg cream cheese
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1 tbsp. vanilla
1/2 cup graham crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup mini white marshmallows

Crust:
1 cup graham crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted

Topping:

Broiled marshmallows

Dulce de leche

Shaved dark chocolate

For the crust, mix all of the ingredients into a large bowl until the crumbs absorb all of the butter. Press firmly to the bottom of your spring form pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Set aside in the fridge when it's finished.

While the crust is cooling/baking blend the cream cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla in a food processor. This is double the regular recipe so there's a lot of it, you may need to stop and scrape the sides. I recommend creaming the cheese and sugar for about two minutes.

In a pan on the stove heat up a half cup of butter. Once its melted remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa until it's all absorbed. Add this to the processor and blend until all of the contents have turned brown.
Before you add the filling to the pan, wrap the spring form in tin foil up to its rim. We're going to bathe the cake while it's baking.

Once you've done this pour half of the filling on top of the crust. If you have extra crust mixture left over make a thin layer of it on top of the filling you just added. If you don't have extra, simply make some more the same as you did for the crust. I recommend approximately a 1/2 cup of crumbs. Then sprinkle your desired amount of marshmallows, I used 1 cups worth.

Next simply pour the rest of the filling on top of the marshmallows, just make sure the filling gets to the rim of the pan so you have a full shaped cake.

We will be baking the cake as the pan sits in a deep roasting pan filled with water. This will make the cake creamier and it will set very evenly on its surface. Make sure you select a roasting pan that is deep enough so we can submerge half of the cake in water. I recommend putting the cake and the roasting pan in the oven, then filling it up with water.

Bake it like this at 350 for about an hour. If the top starts to cook too fast by bubbling or browning, turn it down to 325 after 30 minutes. After the cake has been in the oven for one hour turn the oven off but let the cake remain inside for another 30 minutes. Remove and let it cool on the counter before letting it cool int he fridge.

As for the topping, on a greased baking sheet make a circular mound of marshmallows and broil in the oven at 400 degrees for about 30 seconds, or until they brown to your desire. Keep the oven open and watch closely, they will burn fast. The hard part is transferring them onto the cake. If it makes a mess or your having trouble, transfer them on the cake, then add some more on top and broil quickly again. However, you don't want the top of the cake to broil so make it quick.

I also added dulce de leche and shaved dark chocolate as extra garnish.

Cupcakes for Charity

Last Saturday, a little retro hole-in-the-wall was turned into an old-fashioned dance party, with cupcakes and all! The restaurant-bar is called Jang Bang. Old record covers adorn the walls, beer is served in mason jars and the menu offers Korean tacos. On this night, my dear friend Whitney turned the joint into Jang Bang Soul Train, a fundraiser for the Children's Book Bank, and I donated some treats to go with the bubble-gum cupcakes she made. The night was a hit, you'd be surprised how much drunk people want cupcakes!

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The menu:

Pumpkin cheesecake w/ rasberries

Banana cheesecake w/ blurberries

Smores cheesecake

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Banana & blueberry

Filling:
2 pkg. cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 bananas, ripened and pureed

Crust:
2 cups graham crumbs
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

Icing:
1 pkg. cream cheese
1 cup icing sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup mascarpone

For the crust, mix all of the ingredients into a large bowl until the crumbs absorb all of the butter. Add a large spoonful into each cup and firmly compress to the bottom. I used the bottom of my 1/4 cup measuring cup to press down with. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees or until the edges begin to brown. Cool in the fridge when finished.

For the filling, blend all of the ingredients in a food processor. To leave room for the blueberries fill each cup about 3/4 full. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and let them sit inside for another 30 minutes. This will leave the tops nice and flat. Let them finish cooling in the fridge before icing.

If you're using homemade mascarpone for the icing, prepare it at least one night before. For the rest of the ingredients, blend them in a food processor. You can add the icing sugar to taste. If you want more of a cheesy taste add less, if you want it sweeter add more. Mix it with the mascarpone by hand or with a processor.

Before you cover the cupcake with blueberries spread a thin layer of the icing on top of the cupcake. This will help the blue berries to stay in place. To achieve the flower effect, I used an icing gun that comes with different tips.

Pumpkin-raspberry

2 pkg. cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup pumpkin

The crust and the icing are done the same way for each type of cupcake. As before, blend all of the filling's ingredients in a food processor and fill each cup 3/4 full. Spread a thin layer of icing on top of the cupcake and place the rasberries with their holes facing up.

I used the same nozzle for these petite flowers as I did with the large one above. It's the nozzle that is rounded at the end and has spikes facing its opening. To achieve these small flowers gently push for the icing to come out and quickly bring the nozzle upwards when get the desired amount. This helps to avoid the nozzle from dragging the flower with it, since its very light.

Smores cheesecake

Filling:

2 pkg. cream cheese

3/4 cupsugar

2 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 cup butter

Topping:

mini marshmellows

the icing

Make the icing and the crust the same as the other cupcakes. For the filling, melt the butter in a stove-top pan until completely dissolved. Add the cocoa and remove from the heat, stirring it until all of the cocoa has melted. In a food processor blend this mixture and the rest of the filling ingredients. Taste for sweetness, if its too bitter for your liking add more sugar, the cocoa has a very strong taste. Again, fill the cups 3/4 full.

For the topping grab a handful of about8 or so marshmellows and clump them together with a small spoonful of the icing you made earlier. On a greased baking sheet place each clump about an inch apart. Broil them at 400 degrees for about 20 or 30 seconds. You can keep the oven door open and carefully watch them. You'll see the start to brown, so remove when they are cooked to your liking.

Before you place them on the cupcakes add a small smudge of icing to the top of each cupcake. Don't spread it over the whole surface, you want to see the colour of the cupcakes. This smudge will help the marshmellows hold better. You also don't need to let the marmellow clump cool completely, you want them to dry a little to the cupcake. Use a knife or spatula to lift and place on top, and voila!