Flourless Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

So, as is not uncommon, this year my birthday fell on Passover. The first night, to be exact. So, of course, I made cake. Flourless chocolate cake "crust," raspberry cheesecake layer, and classic vanilla bean cheesecake layer. I made this cake the last time my birthday fell on Passover, too, decorating with chocolate curls. This year, I went all-out with chocolate ganache and shiny glazed raspberries.

 

Alright, so we start with the chocolate "cake" base. Bake it in whatever size spring form pan you're using for your cheesecake and use whatever recipe you love or your Bubbe has passed down. Splurge on a really rich recipe, like this, and bake it up according to the directions.

Pouring the vanilla cheesecake batter over the chocolate. Bake it again, and meanwhile...

Take a whole bunch of raspberries (fresh or frozen work fine, but I find fresh to have a stronger flavor) and puree them.

Simmer for about 20 minutes--we're reducing them to concentrate the flavor because when you add too much liquid to the cheesecake batter it messes with the texture. Reducing the mixture evaporates some of the excess liquid while leaving the tasty flavor.

Combine the raspberry sauce with the other half of the cheesecake batter. 

And pour over the baked vanilla cheesecake later, baking again until it's done. 

 

We seem to have skipped a few steps, but I covered the top of the cake in my beloved chocolate ganache and dressed this gluten free cake up with chocolate curls. 

 

 Yumm... Rich, creamy, and gluten free/Passover friendly birthday cake.

 This treat is incredibly rich, so serve it in small slices.

 This year's cake used tons of fresh, juicy raspberries.

 

I covered the cake in chocolate ganache, topping with fresh raspberries and brushing a honey glaze onto the raspberries to give them that extra shine. 

 

Happy Passover, and happy birthday to me!

Oreo Red Velvet Brownies

Will someone please just tell all the other brownies that they've lost and they should just go home? Because these oreo red velvet cheescake brownies will win every single time.

 
 Red velvet brownies. Why? Just do it, okay.  Start off with a dense, red velvet base.

Generous cheesecake swirl on top. 

 Oreos. Oreos, Oreo crumbs, Oreo pieces. Everywhere. These brownies are incredibly decadent but you'll keep going back for more. Guaranteed crowd pleaser!

Yummy Mousse/Chocolate/Cheesecake/Raspberry Thing

I don't really have a name for this fabulous dessert, so I'll just explain what's in it, layer by later. 

At the bottom, I cut out a ring of flourless chocolate cake.
 

Above the chocolate cake layer is a tin but decadent layer of dark chocolate ganache. 

The pink layer is a tart raspberry mousse, made with raspberry and whipped cream. That was my favorite and I used the leftovers to fill a cake. So tasty and it helped lighten up this super-rich dessert quite a bit.

The chocolate layer in the middle is a mixture of mini chocolate chips and chocolate ganache. This added some nice texture with a crunch from the chips.

The light layer almost at the top is vanilla bean cheesecake. Deliciously perfect. 

It's all drenched in gooey chocolate ganache. 
 

And drizzled with homemade raspberry sauce. 

I was happy with how all the elements went together nicely. Even though this was a very rich dessert, most of us completely polished off out plates! Next I have to try this with a layer of ice cream...

Oreo Cheesecake

Vanilla cheesecake covered in oreos and chocolate ganache with a cinnamon graham cracker crust.

You really don't want to know how many days in a row I ate this for breakfast.

It baked a bit funny in the middle, so I dumped oreos on it and everyone was happy. 

Let's all just pretend that I didn't eat this for breakfast for an entire week, okay?

I know the cinnamon crust sounds kinda weird, but it gave it a great bite and was really tasty.

Am I the only one who thinks this slice looks like a little mouse?

Yum!

Carrie's Dessert Table

A few months ago, my little sister turned 18! Of course, a party was in order, and parties mean desserts.

  

 

Mini cheesecakes: chocolate oreo, chocolate raspberry, and vanilla bean raspberry. 

 Cake pops! These were super chocolately and, of course, covered in sprinkles.

Some fabulous chocolate covered strawberries.

Note the cute little tags. These matched perfectly with the invitation and the party favors.

 Yummy chocolate truffles.

Super tart lemon meringue pies. Because they're smaller they have to pack even more of a lunch. Some had a classic pie crust and other had pecan crusts.

 These are so much fun to make and even more fun to eat!

 My dad made this great stand for me.

Happy Birthday!

Berry Cheesecake

I made cheesecake when I was in LA this summer and thought I'd share the pictures to brighten up your day after all this gloomy snow.

After having company over all evening, I started this cheesecake at 11 pm and finished many hours later, but I'm so happy with how it turned out! My oven left a few wonky marks on top because the cheesecake rose quite a bit, but that's nothing some fresh berries can't fix!

I used a hybrid of this recipe and this one.

For the topping, I let the berries macerate in a bowl with some sugar and vanilla bean paste, then tossed them in some warm apricot jam to give them a little extra flavor and a bit of shine.

This cheesecake was sent to a party with my little sister, so I never got a taste, but I heard it went over well! Now I just have to make it again so I can cut myself a nice big slice...