Eggless/ Vegetarian Strawberry Cheesecake With Chocolate Ganache

 We celebrated D's birthday on 10th December with friends. For his special day I decided to make Strawberry Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache, and this rich festive cake was my way of showing him that he is very special . Thank you for making my every passing day a memorable yesterday !

I had set my eyes on a cheesecake long time back, but all the recipes called for using either eggs or gelatin .
[ Cheesecakes that require baking use eggs, whereas the " no bake " cheesecakes use gelatin to firm them up ]. Us being staunch vegetarians, I decided that I would figure out a way to make my cake egg/gelatin less. Then I stumbled upon Rosemarie Emro's cheesecake recipe called  "I cannot believe it has no eggs cheesecake " [ where she replaces the eggs with condensed milk]. I followed her recipe for a basic cheesecake and then made my own minor changes to it. The resulting cake was super creamy, dense and undoubtedly rich with a slight tart of strawberries and a must try at home.

Since I was new to making cheesecakes I did some research and would like to share my notes on the same, they are as follows :

1. Springform Pan - Cheesecakes are very soft and somewhat fragile and not the type of cake you can turn out of a pan. This calls for using a springform pan, where you can lift away the sides and leave the cake on pan's base for serving!

2.Avoid overbeating the cream cheese batter as it tends to incorporate air which in turn could cause the cheesecake to crack.

3.For best results pre bake the crumb crust for 10 mins before baking the crust along with the cake.

4.Unmolding the cake - The best way for removing the cake from the springform pan , is by running a blunt knife ( dipped in hot water and wiped before use ) around the cake in an up down motion.

5. Just like baking, cooling ( at room temperature) and the chilling in a refrigerator are important steps in making a cheesecake.

6. The cheesecakes have a tendency to crack, baking the cheesecakes in double boiling method prevents it from cracking and  I followed this method. But since the recipe uses corn starch ( corn starch prevents coagulation , which in turn prevents the cake from cracking ) double boiling is not required.

I hereby present the full recipe

Prep Time : 30 mins
Baking time : 1 hr 30 mins
Inactive setting time : 12 - 18 hrs

Ingredients :

For the Crust :

Chocolate graham crackers - 20 - 25 pieces ( should yield 1.5 cups when crushed into crumbs )
Melted unsalted butter - 1/2 cup
Fine sugar - 2 tbsp

For the Cheesecake Filling :

Regular cream cheese - one 8 ounce package (226 gms)
Low fat cream cheese - two 8 ounce package (= 16 ounces )
Pureed fresh strawberries - 1 cup
Sweetened condensed milk - 1/2 cup
Fine sugar - 1/2 cup
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Baking powder - 2 tsp
Cornstarch - 1/4 cups
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Grated lemon rind - 1/2 tsp
Vanilla extract - 1 tbsp
Light sour cream - 16 ounces

For the Chocolate Ganache :

Heavy whipping cream - 186 ml
Semi- sweetened chocolate - 8 ounces [ I used Baker's brand ]
Butter - 2 tbsp

One hour prior to preparing : Bring the cream cheese at room temperature by taking it out from refrigerator.

Procedure :

Grease the springform pan with butter. Choose a pan that has sides atleast 3 inches high.

Crust :

In a medium sized bowl break the graham crackers into small pieces using your fingers.  Powder the pieces in a blender. Mix the cracker crumbs with melted butter and sugar until all of the crumbs are uniformly moist. ( I did this with my fingers )  Turn the ingredients into the springform pan.

Use a flat surfaced bowl to pat an even layer of crumbs over the bottom of pan and halfway up the sides.
Its okay if the sides are not perfectly even.

Place the wire rack in the centre slot in the oven and preheat the oven at 350 F. Put the springform pan with the crumb layer in the freezer while you preheat the oven. After 10 mins place the springform pan in the oven and bake for 10 mins. Remove from the oven and set it aside.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325 F. Put a kettle of water on boil. Wrap the bottom and sides of the the springform pan with double layers of aluminum foil.

Cheesecake filling :


In a large bowl , with a handheld electric mixer on low speed, beat all the cream cheese and condensed milk together. Slowly add in sugar, baking soda, baking powder, corn starch , lemon juice, lemon rind and vanilla essence. Mix till you get a homogeneous mixture. Pour in the pureed strawberries and beat until you get a smooth mix.  Mixing of all the ingredients mentioned above should take approx 3 minutes. Do not over beat the mixture. At this stage add sour cream and blend at the lowest speed till you get a smooth mixture. Pour this mixture into the prepared pan. The batter will reach just below the top rim of the pan.

Baking: 

Now place the foil wrapped springform pan on a baking sheet that is large enough to hold the pan with some space around it. Pour enough boiling water around the pan.

Place this whole set up in the centre rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 1 hr and 30 mins .

Its difficult to gauge when a cheesecake is done as it will never appear like its done. Switch off the oven when your cheesecake appears set and the centre is wobbly.

[ The cake would first rise above the rim, then go down and the top layer would appear brown. As soon as you see the above changes in your cheesecake be alert and hit the rim of the springform pan with a big spoon, if the whole cake looks wobbly heat for some more time. Whereas if the sides look set and the centre still looks wobbly ( when you hit the rim slowly with a big spoon ) switch off the oven ]

The whole process took me about 1 hr and 30 mins. This time would vary depending upon the oven capacity.

Let the springform pan sit inside the oven for one more hout after it is switched off. After 1 hour , carefully pull out the set up from the oven. Remove the foil from the sides of springform pan and let the cheesecake come to room temperature.

Once when the cake reaches room temperature, cover it with a saran wrap ( or any plastic wrap ) and refrigerate overnight ( or 6-7 hrs minimum ).

After the cake has been chilled overnight, remove the sides of springform pan by running a blunt knife ( dipped in hot water and wiped) to separate the cake from the side walls of the pan and unlocking it.

Chill it again while you prepare chocolate ganache.

Chocolate Ganache :

 Chop the chocolates as finely possible and place them in a stainless steel bowl.

In a strong bottomed pan, heat butter and whipping cream on medium heat till they start to boil. Switch of the heat and pour the boiling whipped cream - butter mix over the chopped chocolate. Let it rest for 2 mins. Using a whisk mix the chocolate and whipped cream mix till you get a smooth shiny mixture.

Take out your cake from the refrigerator and place it over a butter paper (the ganache might drip). The top layer of the cheesecake might not be even, so to make the top layer smooth spread 2 tbsp of the ganache on the crumbly spots with a rubber spatula. Refrigerate the cake with the crumb coat for 5 mins.
After 5 mins when you take it out , you would have a smooth surface to work on.Now pour the  remaining ganache in the centre and spread quickly with a rubber spatula over the sides of the cake evenly.

Refrigerate the cheesecake with chocolate ganache for 2-3 hrs.[ Refrigerating the cake with the ganache for more than 2-3 hrs might make it dull without glaze, so prepare it just before 2-3 hrs of serving your cake! ]

Happy Birthday again D!

Eggless Dates and Walnut Cake

Today Nov 7th is my father in law's birthday and we are celebrating this special occasion with an eggless dates and walnuts cake. Happy birthday Boppi - from D and me. Thank you for all the loving things that you have done for us!

Though I have made this cake before, the cake turned out real soft this time.I think it mainly happend because :

1. I just used baking soda this time [ last time I added both baking soda and baking powder ].
2. I soaked the dates in milk for an hour. [ I am not sure if this really helped in making the cake soft].

Unlike before I did not add vinegar to this cake.[ Though I was contemplating about adding a tbsp of apple cider vinegar I chose to go ahead without it]. The cake raised close to one and half inches which made it look real sof and fluffy.

Inactive prep time - 30 mins
Active prep time - 10 mins
Baking time - 30 - 40 mins

Ingredients :

All purpose flour - 1 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Dates - 12 ( or upto 18 nos depending on your taste )
Milk - 1 cup
Melted butter - 1/4 cup
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/8 tsp
Walnuts - 2 tbsp, broken

Procedure :

Soak the dates in milk half an hour prior to baking [ If in hurry soak the dates in warm milk for 15 mins. You can completely avoid this step, soaking helps in softening the dates which in turn gets grounded easily in a blender].

Preheat the oven at 350 F and grease a baking pan.

In a big bowl mix all purpose flour, baking soda and salt properly.

In another bowl keep the melted butter ready. Blend together dates, milk and sugar to a smooth paste. Pour and mix this mixture with the butter and mix till you get a homogenous mixture.

Make a small well in the centre of all purpose flour and slowly pour in the dates mixture . Mix properly without any lumps. [ Do not use a hand mixer, just stir everything with a large spoon. Over mixing an eggless batter will cause the cake to deflate after it is baked ].

Add in the broken walnuts and give the batter a final mix. Pour the batter in the baking pan and bake for 30 - 40 mins or till tooth pick inserted comes out clean. The color of the cake depends on the dates used.

Happy Birthday to my Father in law!!!

Eggless Cherry Chocolate Cake ( Melted Chocolate )

Today 27th October is my inlaws' 30th Wedding Anniversary and we celebrated this special occasion with a decadant chocolate cake. Both D and me would like to convey our heartfelt wishes for a very Happy Wedding Anniversary. We wish many many more years of companionship, to you Amma and Appa.

Sometime back, I got a cherry chocalate cake (this was not eggless) from store. I liked this combination, but never got a chance to research on how this is made. Recently I went through some websites that suggested making cakes (not this particular one) using melted chocolate. So I came up with this recipe, an eggless one, made with melted dark chocolate and cherries. It turned out really rich, and I simply loved this chocolate-cherry combination. D's reaction to this cake was... Goooood!

 
Prep time - 30 mins
Baking time - 40 - 50 mins

Ingredients :

All purpose flour - 2 cups
Dark chocolate bar - 16 oz / 454 gms [ I used Hershey's dark chocolate ]
Maraschino Cherries - 16 oz / 454 gms
Baking powder - 2 tsp
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Apple cider vinegar - 2 tbsp
Vanilla essence - 2 tsp
Walnuts - 3 to 4 tbsp, roughly crushed
Butter - 1/3 cup [ recommended 1/2 cup ]
Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup [ or as per taste ][ I used fine sugar]
Salt - 1/8 tsp
Milk - 1/4 cup

Procedure :   

Wash maraschino cherries in water thoroughly. De-seed them ( if required ) and break them into small pieces.

Mix all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix properly. Keep aside.

Melt butter and add in the sugar, apple cider vinegar, vanilla essence and mix properly. Keep aside.

At this stage break the dark chocolate into small pieces.

Transfer into a microwaveable bowl and microwave it at short intervals of 20 seconds, ( stirring every 20 second ). In exactly 1 minute I had the melted chocolate without any lumps.

 

Slowly mix this melted chocolate with the butter - sugar mixture and whisk / stir till the melted chocolate gets fully incorporated into the butter. Add this chocolate mix into the flour and mix properly without any lumps.

 

[ Do not use a hand mixer, just stir everything with a large spoon. Over mixing an eggless batter will cause the cake to deflate after it is baked ].

Add milk if you feel that your batter is too thick and mix properly. At this stage add in the cherries and walnuts and mix slowly and properly. [ Keep a few cherries aside for decoration ].

Pre heat the oven at 350 F and grease the baking pan with oil. Pour the batter into the baking pan and decorate with the remaining cherries.

Bake for 40 - 50 mins or till the tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

 

 

  

Flip the cake after 10 mins while the cake pan is still warm . The chocolate cherry cake is ready !

Happy Anniversary  to Amma and Appa!!!

Note - The cake was a bit crumbly, so I would suggest adding 1/2 cup or more butter instead of just 1/3 cup.

Eggless Blueberry Coffee Cake

Today 19th October, is my mom's birthday and we are celebrating her birthday with a blueberry coffee cake, wish we were with her to share the cake. Happy Birthday Amma - from D and me. Thank you for your endless affection and I cherish the very special bond we have.

Coffee cake need not contain coffee. This term can also be used in connotation to cakes served with coffee/ tea. These are usually flavoured with fruits, nuts and cinnamon.

This cake definitely has a place in my list of favorites.The cake is really light and soft and is quite rich in its flavors ( of cinnamon and blueberries). Enhanced with the crunchiness of baked almonds, we ended up eating half of the cake within couple of hours.
 I used about 3/4 cup of sugar and with the blueberries the sweetness was just perfect. You can go upto 1 cup of sugar if you want more sweetness.

The recipe is as follows :

Prep time : 10 mins
Baking time : 50 mins


Ingredients :

All purpose flour / Maida - 2 cups

Blueberries - 1 cup [ I used frozen and didn't thaw ]

Sugar ( white ) - 3/4 cup [ or one cup as per taste ], [ I used fine sugar, if not available use powdered sugar ]

Melted butter - 1/3 cup

Almonds - 1 cup, sliced

Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp

Baking powder - 1.5 tsp

Baking soda - 1 tsp

Milk - 1 cup + 1/4 cup ( additional, if required )

Apple cider vinegar - 1 tbsp

Vanilla essence - 1 tbsp

Brown sugar - 1.5 tbsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Procedure :

In a small bowl mix almonds, brown sugar and cinnamon and keep it aside.

In a bowl mix butter, sugar, apple cider vinegar, vanilla essence , milk and stir properly.

In a big bowl mix all purpose flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda properly and add in the wet ingredients (the butter - sugar- milk  mix ) and mix properly without any lumps. Don't use a hand mixer, just stir everything with a large spoon. Over mixing an eggless batter will cause the cake to deflate after it is baked.

Add more milk if the batter is too thick ( I added 1/4 cup of additional milk ) .

Once you get a smooth batter add in half of the blueberries. [ If using fresh blueberries just wash and add them, if using frozen - do not thaw them as the water from blueberries might change the color. Even though I did not thaw the frozen blueberries, they still let out water and changed the batter color, which is totally okay as it did not affect the final result.]

Preheat the oven at 350 F and grease the baking pan.

Pour the batter over the greased pan and top with the remaining blueberries .

Sprinkle the almond  mix over the cake and make sure that the almonds and blueberries stick to the batter.

Bake for 40 - 50 mins or untill the tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

Even though the cake is very light, it doesn't rise much. I will probably add more vinegar next time.
Flip the cake after 10 mins when warm . Refrigerate while storing.

Serve with coffee / tea.

Happy Bday Amma !!

Eggless Milk Powder Cake

Today 28th September, is my Dad's birthday. Here is a birthday wish that comes with lots of love, warmth and heartfelt thanks for all that he has done for me. A very very Happy Birthday Appa - from D and me.
We celebrated my Dad's birthday ( in absentia! ) with an egg less milk powder cake. I specially loved this cake for it close resemblance with the taste of white milk chocolate.

D's mom shared this simple yet tasty recipe with me. The next time I try this cake, I would want to add tutti- fruity or chocolate chips for an extra flavor. Also I usually add vinegar to all my cakes but I didn't add this time, as I was using a lot of milk, I didn't want to curdle it. ( I am not sure if cold milk can be curdled by vinegar, I didn't want to take any chances !) . I have used only 1/2 cup of butter and used an extra 1/4 cup of milk to get the perfect batter. You can substitute the 1/4 cup milk with extra butter also.

Prep Time - 15 mins

Baking time - 30 - 40 mins

Ingredients :

All purpose flour / Maida - 2 cups

Milk powder - 1 cup

Milk - 1 cup + 1/4 cup

Baking powder - 2 tsp

Baking soda - 1 tsp

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Sugar - 1 cup  ( I used fine sugar, if not available use powdered sugar )

Melted butter - 1/2 cup

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Procedure :

Pre heat the oven at 350 F and grease your baking dish.

In a big bowl, mix all purpose flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda properly.

In another bowl, mix the melted butter and sugar. Similarly mix the milk and milk powder in a bowl and make sure that the milk powder dissolves completely without any lumps remaining. Add this into the butter-sugar mix. Stir all this properly. Since I used fine sugar I kept doing it till the sugar dissolved completely. To this also add vanilla essence. Give it one final mix and keep aside.

Take the big bowl with all purpose flour / maida and make a well in the center and gradually pour the above mix and stir slowly till you get a smooth batter without lumps. Don't use a hand mixer, just stir everything with a large spoon. Over mixing an eggless batter will cause the cake to deflate after it is baked.

Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for 30 mins or till an inserted toothpick / knife comes out clean.

Happy B'day Daddy!!

Eggless Orange and Chocolate Zebra Cake

Prep time - 20 mins

Baking time - 40- 45 mins

Ingredients :

For the Orange batter :

All purpose flour - 1 and 1/2 cups

Sweetened condensed milk - 7 ounces / 198.5 gms [ half can]

Orange Juice - 1/2 cup

Melted butter - 1/2 cup

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Vanilla essence - 1 - 1.5 tsp [ Optional ]

For the Chocolate batter :

All purpose flour - 1 cup

Sweetened condensed milk - 7 ounces / 198.5 gms [ half can]

Aerated cola - 1/2 cup [ I used Coke ]

Melted butter - 1/2 cup

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Cocoa powder - 2 tsp [ I used regular cocoa powder; for darker stripes, heavy dark cocoa powder can also be used]

Powdered Sugar - 2 - 3 tbsp [ or as per your taste ]

Procedure :

Orange batter :

In a bowl mix butter, condensed milk, orange juice and vanilla essence properly.

In another big bowl mix and sieve all purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda.  Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour in the butter - orange juice mixture and mix properly with a large spoon into a smooth batter without any lumps. [ Avoid using electric mixer as  over beating an eggless batter would cause it to deflate ]. Keep the batter aside.

Chocolate batter :

In a bowl mix butter and sugar until creamy. Add condensed milk and Coke to the butter - sugar mixture and mix properly.

In another big bowl mix all purpose flour,cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda. Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour in the butter - cola mixture and mix properly with a large spoon into a smooth batter. Keep the batter aside.

Preparing the Zebra Cake :

Preheat the oven at 350 F. Grease the baking pan.

Keep both the batters nearby and place a medium sized spoon in each of the batters.

In the baking tray, first pour in a spoon of chocolate batter in the middle of the baking pan, then pour a spoon of plain batter on top of the chocolate batter. Again pour a spoon of chocolate batter over the plain batter. Continue pouring both the batters alternatively until finished.

Do not tilt the pan, the batter will spread by itself eventually.

Bake for 40 - 45 mins or till the toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Dates and Walnut Cookies

These extremely delicious, chewy and nutty cookies made with whole wheat are a great option for a tea time snack.

                               

Prep Time - 5 mins
Baking Time - 18 mins

Ingredients :

Whole wheat Flour - 1 and 1/2 cup
Dates - 1 cup
Walnuts - 1 cup
Melted butter - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Baking powder - 2 tsp
Soda Bicarb - 1/2 tsp

Procedure :

Preheat the oven at 350 F and grease the cookie tray with butter or oil.
Mix sugar and butter till you get a creamy mixture.

In another bowl mix Whole wheat flour, baking powder and Soda bicarb , add the chopped Walnuts and Dates and mix till the Dates and walnuts get covered in flour fully. Pour the butter- sugar mix over the flour and mix it into a dough, [ if you feel that your dough is dry, add milk or water and if you feel that you dough is a bit gooey store it in the refrigerator for 10 - 15 mins and this will firm it up ]
Taking small portions of the dough and roll them into  balls and flatten them between your palms [or you can use a cookie cutter] and place them on the tray. Bake till they turn golden brown. [ The corners should be little hard and the center should be moist]. This should take approx 15 - 18 mins.

Allow it to cool and the cookies are now ready.

Note : These cookies were a little on the sweeter side; if you prefer less sweetness you could add 1/2 cup of sugar instead.

Eggless Pineapple Upside Down Cake

 

Prep Time - 20 mins

Baking Time - 40- 45 mins

Ingredients :

Thin Pineapple Slices - 6 (I used canned pineapples)

Glazed Cherries - 6

Sugar - 3-4 tbsp 

For the cake:

All purpose flour / Maida - 2 and 1/2 cups

Sweetened Condensed milk - 400 gms ( 1 can )

Milk - 1 cup

Melted Butter - 1/2 cup

Baking soda - 1 tsp

Baking powder - 2 tsp

Yellow color - 1/4th tsp [optional]

Vinegar - 1 tbsp

Procedure :

Grease your baking dish with oil or butter. Arrange the Pineapple slices as shown in the pic above [I used a rectangular baking tray, any shape can be used ] and place the cherries in between.

Now take a clean dry, preferably, non-stick pan on medium heat and pour in the sugar and keep stirring it till the sugar melts. The melted sugar would be golden in color. This process is called Caramelizing of Sugar.

As soon as the sugar melts pour it over and around the pineapple slices evenly. This step helps the pineapple to stick with the cake after it is baked. Now, keep the baking tray aside.

Preheat the oven at 350 F (180 C). Mix the melted butter, milk, Vinegar and condensed milk .

In a large bowl, mix the all purpose flour, yellow color, baking powder and baking soda. Make a well in the center and pour the condensed milk+butter mixture and mix well. Don't use a hand mixer, just stir everything with a large spoon. Over mixing an egg less batter will cause the cake to deflate after it is baked.

Now pour this mixture over the Pineapple slices and bake it in the preheated oven. Poke into the cake with a toothpick or knife; if it comes out clean, the cake is done else you will need to bake it for some more time. The whole baking time should approximately be about 40-45 mins.

Allow it to cool. When the bottom part of the tray is still warm, flip the cake on a tray, The pineapple slices would form the upper crust.

Eggless Oat Bran Cookies

Oat-Bran cookies, are very nutritious and heart-healthy relative to other high-calorie and high-sugar cookies. These extremely delicious cookies may be served with breakfast/desert or as a mid-meal snack. The recipe is as follows:

Prep Time- 10 mins
Cooking time-15 mins
Makes ~40 cookies


Ingredients:


Butter - 4 oz ( half stick )
Brown Sugar- 3/4th cup
Granulated White sugar- 4 Tbsp
All Purpose Flour- 1 cup
Wheat Flour - 1 cup
Oat bran- 1 cup
Salt- 1 pinch
Baking powder- 3/4th tsp
Baking soda or Soda bi carb- 1/4th seed
Flaxseed Powder- 1/4th cup
Raisins-1/4th cup
Roughly ground Walnuts- 1/4th cup
Vanilla essence - 2 tsp
Cinnamon powder- 1 tsp
Milk -3-4 tbsp (optional)

Procedure:

Preheat the oven at 350 F/180C.

Melt butter and add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to it.  Keep stirring till the mixture becomes creamy. Add the vanilla essence to it, mix and keep it aside.

Now, in a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients- all purpose flour, wheat flour, oat bran, flax-seed powder, baking powder, baking soda , cinnamon powder , salt, walnuts and raisins till they get incorporated.

Now slowly fold in the wet butter and sugar mix into the flour mixture till you get a homogeneous dough. Add milk if its powdery to make it consistent.

Now grease a baking tray with butter or oil . Take about 2 tbsp of dough in your hands and make a ball and flatten it between your palms and place it on the baking tray..Repeat the same for the rest of the dough.

Place the tray in the pre heated oven..It took me about 15 minutes to bake the cookies..(baking time may vary, so keep an eye on them from the 10th minute)

Cookies are done when the corners turn golden brown or when the corners become little hard and the center remains moist.