Honestly I wasn’t very delighted when I saw this month’s Daring Bakers challenge – hosted by Elle and Deborah. I’m a lazy cook, this recipe seemed very elaborated to me. In addition I saw that some of my fellow DB’s had problems with a soupy cheesecake. So I was scared too! In spit of all that – as a „real“ Daring Baker – I accepted this challenge.
Unbelievable, my cheesecake came out just perfect.
It had the right consistence to form the pops, but still it was toilsome to form them. I’m not a patient person, so I filled half of the cheesecake in ice cream molds and freeze them as well as the pops. I don’t know yet how I will serve them, frozen or not? That night I slept well.
The next day my personal nightmare began: The topping! I melted dark chocolate and everything did go more or less smoothly. So I’m quite happy with my Cheesecake Pops. At the end of the day I was happy I took the challenge. Thank you Elle and Deborah!
Cheesecake Pops
recipe halved and converted to grams
570 g cream cheese at room temperature (I used low fat cream cheese)
200 g sugar
15 g all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 small eggs
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
30 g heavy cream (I used crème fraîche)
Boiling water as needed
16-20 lollipop sticks
100 g 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.)
1 tablespoons walnut oil
(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
Some of the ingredients – Vanilla Extract imported from London
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, 50 minutes.
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.
Frozen pops and 70 % dark 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.
More entries and recipes in English.
To see more Cheesecake Pops visit the Daring Bakers Blogroll
November 2007 Challenge – Tender Potatoe Bread
December 2007 Challenge – Yule Log
January 2008 Challenge – Lemon Meringue Pie
February 2008 Challenge – French Bread
March 2008 Challenge – Perfect Party Cake
Your cheese cake is the perfect consistency! And your pops are beautiful.
I was surprised how fun these were and I do believe I’ll serve cheese cake like this in the future.
Herausforderung konnte und wollte ich nicht annehmen, das hätte bei uns niemand gegessen ….
REPLY:
Y. isst sie sogar, obwohl er sehr wählerisch ist. Ich finde sie schmecken nicht schlecht, aber den Aufwand sind sie nicht wert. Ich werde die Masse mal für einen „normalen“ Cheesecake machen. Der ist wirklich nicht schlecht, wenn man Cheesecake mag. ;-)
I also worry when I hear about problems with the month’s challenge (like the soupy cheesecake). Glad your cheesecake came out so well.
Hola Zorra…greetings from the fellow Dare Devil you just visited!! Good looking cheesecake that! I’m glad it came out well. Am so envious of your delicious looking ingredients. Your pops are pretty!! Cheers DD DB!!
Great job Zorra! They came out perfect.
Cute pops!
They look very pretty! You did a great job here!
Cheers,
Rosa
Your pops are very cute Zorra – and the cut-off drinking straws is a great idea for a stick.
My second visit today! Just saw your cheesecake pops – I agree they were too too elaborate but they do look cute!
wonderful zorra!
I’m waiting just to be a little more calm with my three devils and proceed to cover with chocolate!
REPLY:
Honestly I „borrowed“ the idea from another DB blogger. But I don’t remember from whom.
you’re right to be happy, these look great :-)
Straws! *smacks forehead* Why didn’t I think of using straws! I couldn’t find lollipop sticks so I ended up using fondue forks. Brilliant idea, yours!
I loved that you used straws! I didn’t think of that and was running around looking for drink swizzlers! Your pops look delicious and your cheesecake came out perfect!
What a great idea to use straws! I hadn’t planned to purchase actual lollipop sticks, but then I found myself in the kitchen supply store and they were just -there-… You know how it is… ;)
Your pops are beautiful and I love all the pics of the process!
I’m tickled you took the challenge! And I love the use of the straws for sticks.. they make them look even more festive. :)
Well done – as always! :D
xoxo
We would never have known the coating was a nightmare for you — they look wonderful! Straws = great idea.
They looks great! Thankfully you’ve done this challenge! See you on the next one, Elga
Fantastic job! I enjoyed this challenge as well.
Perfectly set cheesecake there..lovely pops!
Your cheesecake pops look simply wonderful. Yum!
Natalie @ Gluten A Go Go
Lovely Pops!! glad your cheesecake came out right for you this time:)
They look very pretty!
I’m so glad you ended up liking the challenge. They look great!
You did a fabulous job on your cheesecake pops! Everytime I read your blog I always get a chuckle because you are such a great cook. The straws are a cute idea for sticks and your cheesecake balls are perfect! =D
So did you end up serving them frozen or not?
I think in the future, the real lazy way out would be to buy a pre-made cheesecake and go from there!
I too was not thrilled with the challenge, but in the end I was glad to have done it. Glad that you did too – they are beautiful!!
Zorra looks so yummy and nice I like them!!!! Gloria
I considered straws but didn’t pull my act together in time! I think your finished version looks excellent despite your trials throughout the process. Congratulations!
I love that picture of your cheesecake, it looks gorgeous! I like the straws too, what a great idea!
hast du super hingekriegt!!! die schauen super aus und ich könnte mir das als einen knaller auf einer party vorstellen! toll :-)
These look great! I would have never thought „lazy“. Silly girl! :)
Your lollipops look adorable! Great job!!
I am glad you did this challenge, your pops look so good!
It is a wonderful cheesecake recipe, isn’t it? Your pops are beautiful, Zorra!!
REPLY:
Cute pops! I was going to use low fat cream cheese, too and think it would have been just fine! Cool idea to use the straws…
Nice job! I’m glad you decided to give them a go.
I love the pops! The colors are so bright and cheery.
Your pops look gorgeous, Zorra!
Amazinng, I was a bit worry when I saw flour being mixed into cheese mix, but I was wrong, it looks so beautiful!
I had the same reservations about the entire process but the end result tasted so good, I was glad I participated in the challenge. Your cheesecake pops look delicious and perfect!
Zorra, your cheesecake did come out perfect indeed and the pops look really pretty…well done :-)
I love your pops!!! Congratulations for the cute look.
Your pops look wonderful!!! I shared some of mine with a German friend here in California. She was so happy because her mother-in-law is flying in today & she now has something sweet for their afternoon tea.
xoxox Amy
Your cheesecake pops look great, and I bet the smaller sized handle made them easier to eat.
Your pops look just great! I’m glad it turned out well for you…!
Your pops look tasty!
cute cute cute!
No se me habia ocurrido utilizar pajitas! (I didn’t think about using straws!)
Besos!
indeed your cheesecake was perfect !!!! Making little balls was also difficult for me, I think the cake needed to be a little overbaked to be easier to work
Great job :)