Oreo Cheesecake

For the first time, I have finished my Daring Baker's challenge one week earlier than my usual rush towards the last day. I am excited because this month is all about my all time favorite, cheesecake! Yes, I have been waiting for this opportunity and not only did I bake one but two to cater to two favorite customers of My Kitchen -- Oreo cheesecake for my ever so-cute-sweet-tooth son, EJ, and Bailey's (Irish Cream) cheesecake for my hardworking colleagues in the office for a well deserved coffee break (see my Facebook post, http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/note.php?note_id=168847400021&id=1439957290&ref=mf).

This month's challenge is simple yet creative. The only requirement is to use the basic cheesecake recipe given and you are free to create your own flavor variations.

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake:

Crust:
2 cups / 180 g graham cracker crumbs
1 stick / 4 oz butter, melted
2 tbsp. / 24 g sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the crust, I chose to use oatmeal cookies instead of the usual Graham crackers. I also added instant rolled oats to add texture to the base. I also did not add anymore sugar since the biscuit is already sweet to my taste. After combining all the ingredients and pressing together to form the crust, i baked this for 5-7 minutes at 180C.

Cheesecake:
3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature
1 cup / 210 g sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup / 8 oz heavy cream
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. vanilla extract (or the innards of a vanilla bean)
1 tbsp liqueur, optional, but choose what will work well with your cheesecake

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (Gas Mark 4 = 180C = Moderate heat). Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside.

3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and alcohol and blend until smooth and creamy.

4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.

5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.

Now for my love of EJ, I thought of making something that will delight his chocolate craving. I added c(Kraft) Oreo cream cookies to the cheesecake batter. Since Oreo cookies are sandwhiched by a cream filling, I separated the choco biscuit from the other side with the cream filling. I the chopped the ones with the cream filling, just small enough that it can blend smoothly with the batter. I placed the chocolate side of the biscuit in a ziploc bag, finely crushed the biscuits, and spread it as garnishing on top of the cheesecake.

The result is a big hit at home; the sweetness is just nice, and the chocolate texture of the Oreo cookies makes this a favorite among children.