Tye Dye Cheesecake with a Brownie Crust

Here I am again, doing what I do best, baking.

Today's recipe is Tye Dye Cheesecake with a Brownie Crust. Just the sound of it makes my mouth water.

What I did was take a basic New York style cheesecake and make it into my own.

*Note: High altitude will more than likely cause cracks no matter what you do. Don't worry if you get cracks, it will still be edible!!!!*

And here we go.....

Ingredients

1 package brownie mix with the ingredients to make it (a small batch for an 8x8 pan)

2 pounds (32 ounces) Cream Cheese at room temperature

1 cup white sugar

4 eggs at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 cup (8 ounce container) sour cream

First things first. We have to make the brownie crust. This is the easiest part. 

Mix all the ingredients together just until everything is wet. You don't want to over mix or the brownies will crack.

After you spray the 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray (I use Baker's Joy), spread the brownie batter in the pan, making sure it covers the entire bottom. Bake according to the directions on the box.

Here is the crust!!

Make sure you let the crust cool COMPLETELY before you put any of the cheesecake batter in it.

Ok, here comes the more difficult part.

Make sure your cheesecake is at room temperature, or else too much air can get into the batter when you are mixing it.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on low speed for 1 minute or until it's smooth and free of lumps.

Gradually add the sugar and beat until creamy, around 2 minutes or so. Scrape the sides of the bowls and the beaters a few times during mixing.  

Add the eggs one at a time.

Beat until creamy.

Add vanilla and lemon juice.

Blend in the sour cream.

The batter should be well mixed, but be careful not to over beat.

At this point, pre heat the oven to 325 degrees.

Separate the batter into as many bowls as you have colors. I chose to do 4 colors.

Mix in the food coloring. (I use Wilton gel colors, like I've said in my previous blog about cupcakes). Make sure you get all of the cheesecake colored.

Ta-Da!

Add the colored batter however you like.

If you wish, you can swirl it with a knife.

Turn oven down to 300 degrees. Put the cheesecake in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Keep a very close eye on the cheesecake towards the end, you don't want to overcook it! It should jiggle, but edges will be done. I wouldn't do the toothpick test, as this will cause a crack when it cools.

*Hot Water Bath Bake*

A way to keep the cracks to a minimum is to bake in a hot water bath.  To do this, set the pan in aluminum foil and make sure the bottom is completely covered. Fold it up the sides as well. If you don't do this, water will seep into the pan. Set the springform pan in a large roasting pan. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until the water is about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan.

(I chose not to do this because I don't have a roasting pan large enough to fit my springform pan)

When you take it out of the oven, place it on a wire rack to cool. 

Run a knife or a metal spatula around the end of the cake to loosen it from the sides of the pan.

*Note: the center of the cake will fall while cooling*

Let cool for 30 minutes on a cooling rack.

Chill in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for at least 4 hours. I chilled overnight.

  And there you have it, tye dye cheesecake!! 

When you cut it, use a non stick knife dipped in hot water. Wipe the blade after each cut, or else the colors might run together.

Enjoy!!!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chip Cake

Hello again!

Tonight I made an amazing cake.  Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chip cake.  My grandma and I used to make oatmeal chocolate chip cake all the time.  She lost her cookbook =( but I found a basic recipe and made a few adjustments.  I didn't have any chocolate chips in the house so I used the peanut butter chips. My family has a thing for peanut butter anyways!!

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups boiling water

1 cup quick cooking oats

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 large eggs

1 3/4 cups white flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 package peanut butter chips

3/4 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

 

Put the oats in your mixing bowl. Pour the boiling water over them and let set for 10 minutes.

Add the butter and the two sugars. Mix well. Once this is mixed, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.

This is what it should look like after mixing.

Mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a separate bowl.  Slowly add the flour mixture to the oatmeal mixture, mixing well.

This is what your batter will look like after everything is mixed in.

Mix in half of the peanut butter chips.

Grease a 13"x9" pan.  I use Baker's Joy, which is vegetable spray with flour in it. Works wonders!!!

Spread the batter in the pan.

Sprinkle the rest of the peanut butter chips and chopped walnuts on the batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Test with a toothpick, if it comes out clean, it's done!!

And here's the finished product!

This is a cake you do not need to frost. However, if you wish to, make sure you let the cake cool completely before frosting.

Enjoy! And if you have any questions, let me know!!

Tye Dye Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes for my daughter's birthday this week, and they were a HUGE hit! I really enjoy making wild and crazy baked goods. Here is the recipe and the steps!

Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix (I used Duncan Hines, but it could be any brand)

all the ingredients to make the cake mix (listed on the box)

food coloring (I prefer the Wilton gel food color, it produces more vibrant colors)

paper cupcake liners

cake decorating bag and tips

1 large can of white frosting (whipped or regular)

For the sake of making this easier, I will use pre-made frosting in this recipe. I made my own from scratch, but frosting can be difficult to make. 

Make the cake mix as directed on the box. (If you are at a high altitude like I am make sure you follow the high alititude instructions!) 

Decide how many colors you want to use, and separate batter into that many bowls. 

Mix the food coloring into the batter until you achieve the color you want.

Line the cupcake pan with liners.

In each paper, you are going to put a dab of each color.

 

After you have done this, take a toothpick and swirl the colors around to get the tye dye effect.

Bake according to the directions on the back of the cake mix box.

This is the end result after baking!! Make sure you cool the cupcakes completely before frosting or else the frosting will melt.

To do the tye dye frosting, take your white frosting and separate it into a few bowls. Add the food coloring in and mix well until you get the color you want.
You will need a frosting bag and tip for this step. I use Wilton. They sell a set of tips that are made for frosting cupcakes. They are larger than normal.
Put the tip in the bag and fill with frosting. Put a spoonful of each color in the bag. The first cupcake will probably only have one color on it, but the cupcakes after that will have the multi-colored frosting.

 

And that is it!!! Enjoy!