DB's April challenge: who dares about white choc?

Introduction from Elle & Deborah

These cute little bites of cheesecake, held on a stick and dipped in chocolate and, if you like, decorations, are sure to make you smile. The cheesecake is New York style, the pops can be jazzed up with different toppings, and they are FUN…just right for a party. They are from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Connor. Isn’t that an alluring title for a cookbook?

We wanted to pick something that had potential for putting your personal stamp on. We like them for a challenge because the recipe for the cheesecake part makes use of the concept of a water bath, an essential tool for bakers, plus there are many ways to personalize them. And they are cheesecake!! The photo in the book showed the lollipop sticks twined with pretty ribbons and bows, too.

It is unclear if this recipe can be halved. A key thing is that the cheesecake be in a pan where it bakes deep enough to scoop out the balls.

Allowed Variations. Yes you can make some changes to this cheesecake as long as you promise to use the basic cheesecake recipe (although you can add a flavor to it if you like) and do keep it white (sorry, no chocolate or coffee or mocha), and keep the pops to the 2 ounce size.

The dipping flavors and colors are completely up to you.

If you want to use decorations, go for it. Same with drizzles and ribbons on the sticks. Or leave them plain after dipping them. You can even dip them in graham cracker crumbs and then the chocolate – to get more of the cheesecake feel to them.

You can cut the cheesecake into geometric shapes instead of making balls…triangles or squares or diamonds…just keep them about 2 ounces each. We can't wait to see what combinations our Daring Baker come up with…just make sure to use the basic cheesecake recipe, to make the pops 2 ounces or close to that in size, and to dip each pop in chocolate or confectionary coating and have it on a lollipop stick.

Here are some exceptions to the "you must follow the same recipe rule".

-- Allergies.
-- Particular ingredient is hard to find in your area.
-- Particular ingredient is cost-prohibitive. We don't want anyone stressing over having to pay for something that's too expensive, especially if you have to buy a large quantity for just a smidge in the recipe. So if the ingredient is way too expensive you can leave it out or sub something else that will work.
-- The host allows a specific ingredient change, but that must be specified in the host's challenge recipe announcement post. For example, the hosts say it's okay to substitute the rum in the cream with a flavoring of your choice as long as the cream is still "white". But making chocolate or coffee pastry cream is not okay.

Just remember that the Daring Bakers are coming up on 1000 members – it’s hard to find a recipe that will challenge everyone. Some members will have never made a cheesecake before, and some will be cheesecake veterans. Some of you will have never worked with tempering and dipping chocolate, and some of you are pros. If this seems like an easy challenge for you, find a way to challenge yourself! Remember that it’s all about having FUN!!

Cheesecake Pops

Makes 30 – 40 Pops

5 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature

2 cups sugar

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

5 large eggs

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¼ cup heavy cream

Boiling water as needed

Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks

1 pound 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.)

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

(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

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, 35 to 45 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. 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.

Elle – Feeding My Enthusiasms
Deborah – Taste and Tell

MY COMMENT

I monthly partecipate to Daring Bakers community to challenge with myself and with a huge community of foodbloggers all over the world.
This is my second challenge and I'm still enthusiastic being a member of this community, and a little bit judgmental too.

April's challenge was very fun and results cute as you seen on my shots.
Another cartoon sweet, something not real but perfect for a children party.
I've enjoyed it but, as the past, first comment of my family was the same: too sweet.
Maybe here in Europe and in Italy we have not so sweet habits and this is the reason of comment.

Here my technical comments:
I used some wooden sticks 'cause here in Italy is almost impossible have lollipops sticks but it works.
I read on recipe of needing to add shortening in melted chocolate.
I've used a spoon of rice oil in the white one and two spoons in the dark one and it worked perfectly, as usual I've tempered too.

I tempered the two kind of chocolate at different temperature keeping in mind the different texture and cocoa butter percentage.

I used the remaining of easter chocolate eggs and I haven't words to thank you all to allow me to reduce this huge amount.

My sprinkle are simply some sugar coloured cristal (another leftover from my daughter's birthday party) or some melted chocolate swirled with a fork.

obviously a special thanks is for this month's hosting blog
Elle of feeding my enthusiasm and Deborah of Taste and tell