goldener herbst.{ pumpkin spice gugelhupf with cheesecake filling }

This cake is a winner. Its batter bakes beautifully, turning several shades of autumn leaves: from caramel brown on the outside to deep orange on the inside. It is easy and fun to make, even more impressive when sliced, and it will fill your kitchen with the soothing scent of spices. Its crumb is dense and moist, a bit like banana bread - but full of pumpkin spice love. The cheesecake filling baked inside the cake is compulsory, not only to add to the show factor, but also because it perfectly complements the taste of the batter. Fresh currants on top bring a nice zesty contrast to the whole.

schwarzwälder. { black forest cheesecake }

i don't always bake cake every other day

or even once a week.

but when i do

i feel this urge to expand myself

in terms of kind, composition and flavour.

took this cake to the office today

♥

salted caramel swirls. { salted caramel cheesecake }

So here comes another party recipe!

I'm gonna tell you a secret. This was supposed to be a whole different dessert, which didn't turn out as I wished... so my quick-witted mind made me grab a bunch of stuff I still had in the fridge and quickly whip up a cheesecake! It had such great reviews (basically, the favourite dessert among all others) that I guess it turned out to be better than the dessert-to-be would have been ;)

If you like salted caramel and cheesecake... you will LOVE this.

Cheesecake de Caramelo Salgado
Molho de Caramelo Salgado

- 1 chávena de açúcar

- 3 colheres de sopa de água

- 85g de manteiga, à temperatura ambiente

- 1/2 chávena de natas, à temperatura ambiente

- 2 colher de chá de sal

- gotas de aroma de baunilha

1) Derreter o açúcar numa panela alta sobre lume médio com a água, mexendo a princípio para dissolver homogeneamente, até obter uma cor âmbar e um aroma de caramelo torrado,

2) Juntar a manteiga e misturar energeticamente com um fouet,

3) Juntar as natas e envolver também,

4) Verter numa taça funda, deixar arrefecer. Pode se conservar no frigorífico.

Torta de Caramelo Salgado (para os lados)

- 4 ovos

- 5 colheres de sopa de açúcar

- 5 colheres de sopa de farinha

- 1/2 colher de sobremesa de canela

- 1 pitada de noz moscada

- 1 pitada de baunilha moída

- molho de caramelo salgado à temperatura ambiente

1) Bater as claras em castelo,

2) Bater as gemas com o açúcar,

3) Incorporar a farinha peneirada e os temperos,

4) Incorporar as claras,

5) Verter num tabuleiro forrado com papel vegetal e levar ao forno a 180ºC cerca de 10 minutos,

6) Retirar do forno, colocar sobre outro papel vegetal e retirar o primeiro, deixar arrefecer um pouco,

7) Cobrir com o molho de caramelo salgado e enrolar,

8) Levar ao frigorífico para solidificar.

Cheesecake

- 2/3 de chávena de muesli crocante

- 1 iogurte natural

- 1 torta de caramelo salgado

- 325g de philadelphia

- 200g de quark de baunilha

- 2/3 chávena de natas

- 6 folhas de gelatina

- 3 colheres de sopa de açúcar

- 1 colher de café de sal

- 1/3 de chávena de molho de caramelo salgado

1) Misturar bem o muesli e o iogurte,

2) Cortar a torta em fatias finas e forrar a lateral de uma forma de fundo amovível,

3) Forrar o fundo da forma com o muesli,

4) Derreter a gelatina num pouco de água quente,

5) Bater as natas em chantilly,

6) Bater os queijos com o açúcar e o molho de caramelo salgado

7) Incorporar as natas sem esmagar,

8) Verter dentro da forma e levar ao frigorífico pelo menos três horas.

Cobertura

- 250ml de natas

- 4 colheres de sopa de açúcar

- molho de caramelo salgado, temperatura ambiente

- sal grosso e açúcar em cristais

1) Bater as natas em chantilly, juntando o açúcar aos poucos,

2) Espalhar sobre o cheesecake,

3) Salpicar com o molho de caramelo salgado, sal grosso e açúcar em cristais,

4) Voltar a colocar no frigorífico ou servir imediatamente.


Salted Caramel Cheesecake
Salted Caramel Sauce

- 1 cup sugar

- 3 tbsp water

- 85g butter, room temperature

- 1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature

- 2 tsp salt

- vanilla flavouring

1) Melt sugar with water over medium heat, stirring until solved and letting cook until it is ambar coloured and smells like toffee,
2) Add butter and stir vigorously,
3) Add cream and stir again,
4) Pour into a deep cup and let cool. Can be kept in the fridge for several days.

Salted Caramel Roulade (for the sides)

- 4 eggs

- 5 tbsp sugar

- 5 tbsp flour

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- a pinch of nutmeg

- a pinch of grated vanilla

- salted caramel sauce, room temperature

1) Beat egg whites until stiff,

2) Beat yolks with sugar,

3) Fold in the flour, sifted, and the cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla,

4) Fold in the egg whites,

5) Pour into a baking tray, lined with parchment paper; bake at 180ºC for about 10 minutes,

6) Take out of the oven, fold over another sheet of parchment paper and remove the baking one, let cool a bit,
7) Cover with salted caramel sauce and roll up,
8) Leave in the fridge to harden a bit.

Cheesecake

- 2/3 cup crispy muesli

- 1 plain yogurt

- 1 salted caramel roulade

- 325g philadelphia, cold

- 200g vanilla quark, cold

- 2/3 cup heavy cream, cold

- 6 gelatin leaves

- 3 tbsp sugar

- a pinch of salt

- 1/3 cup salted caramel sauce

1) Mix the yogurt and the muesli,

2) Thinly slice the roulade and place the slices around the edges of a removable bottom cake pan,

3) Cover the bottom of the pan with the muesli mix,

4) Melt the gelatin in a bit of warm water,

5) Beat the cream until stiff,

6) Beat the cheeses with the sugar and salted caramel sauce,
7) Carefully fold in the cream,

8) Pour inside the pan and place in the fridge for at least three hours,

Top Layer

- 250ml heavy cream

- 4 tbsp sugar

- salted caramel sauce, room temperature

- coarse salt and sugar

1) Beat the heavy cream until stiff, adding the sugar bit by bit,

2) Spread over the cheesecake,

3) Sprinkle with the caramel, sugar and salt,
4) Return to the fridge or serve immediately.

but there's fluffy clouds on my cake! { almond meringue cheesecake }

It was a cold and rainy winter back home.

I mean... it seemed as all the rain that hadn't been falling over the previous year suddenly came pouring down like crazy. Somehow, it was synchronized with my heart.

Christmas lights were kind of dim that year, but my eyes were dazzled anyway.

I kept my feet near the fireplace, but my mind couldn't help but wandering. Thoughts of other places and other times, which now feel so far away.
Eventually, Christmas would go by, the tingling lights would be switched off, the carols would mute and the magic would fade away.

But, at that time, my mind was only stuck on a piece of cake I had had not long before.

Cheesecake Merengado com Amêndoa

- 1 embalagem e meia de bolacha Maria

- 75g de manteiga

- 2 embalagens de Philadelphia

- 200ml de natas frescas

- 75g de açúcar

- 3 ovos

- 1 colher de sopa de Licor Beirão

- 5 claras

- uma pitada de sal

- 5 colheres de sopa de açúcar

- uma mão cheia de amêndoa laminada

Preparar a base, reduzindo as bolachas a pó e misturando com a manteiga derretida,

Comprimir a base contra o fundo e lados de uma forma de fundo amovível e levar ao frigorífico,

Bater as natas,

Bater o queijo com o açúcar e incorporar as natas e o licor com um salazar,

Bater os ovos à parte e incorporar aos poucos na mistura,

Verter sobre a base e levar ao forno pré-aquecido a 170ºC durante cerca de 40 minutos. Não deve ficar demasiado cozinhado.

Deixar arrefecer no forno o máximo de tempo possível (o meu ficou uma noite),

Desenformar,

Preparar o merengue: bater as claras com o sal e juntar aos poucos o açúcar, batendo sempre,

Espalhar sobre a base, de preferência de  forma a que prenda à massa de bolacha dos lados,

Espalhar a amêndoa laminada por cima e levar ao forno pré-aquecido a 170ºC durante cerca de 25 min.

Almond Meringue Cheesecake

- 275g Maria biscuits (or other biscuits)

- 75g butter

- 400g Philadelphia

- 200ml heavy cream

- 75g sugar

- 3 eggs

- 1 tbsp Licor Beirão liquor

- 5 egg whites

- pinch of salt

- 5 tbsp sugar

- a handful of laminated almonds

Prepare the crust, crumbling the biscuits down to powder and mixing with the melted butter,

Press the batter against the bottom and sides of a removable bottom pan and place in the refrigerator,

Whip the cream,

In another bowl, beat cheese with sugar and fold in the cream and liquor,

Whisk the eggs and carefully mix them into the cheese,

Pour over the crust and bake at 170ºC for about 40 minutes,

Let cool for a long time in the oven, like overnight,

Remove from the baking pan,

Prepare the meringue: whisk egg whites with salt until creamy, then add sugar bit by bit until stiff,

Spread over the base, sticking it to the crust on the sides,

Sprinkle with the almond and place in the oven at 170ºC for about 25 min.

Midnight Goddess { apple crumble cheesecake }

Tal como vem sendo costume quando faço bolos para alguém em particular, a ideia para este bolo surgiu porque o meu irmão mais velho está prestes a virar "adulto" (nem acredito!).

Como ele vai estar em Coimbra e eu no Porto, a juntar ao facto de que o meu irmão mais novo chegava ontem à noite da Alemanha, e ao facto de eu estar farta de estar agarrada ao computador a fazer cortes, tinha de se criar alguma coisa na cozinha.

Apetecia-me fazer um bolo combinado, como já vem sendo também costume, com diferentes camadas, texturas e sabores.

Decidi pegar no doce preferido dele, que vem sendo preferido de todos cá em casa: cheesecake; juntar um toque diferente: lembrei-me de que ele também gosta bastante de tarte de maçã; acrescentar uma cobertura estaladiça: crumble, de que gosto imenso, e assim foi surgindo a ideia de um cheesecake com cobertura de crumble de maçã!

Está uma delícia!!!

Once again, as it has been usual when I bake something for someone in particular, the idea for this cake occurred to me because my older brother is about to turn 18! (I can't believe that yet!)

Since he's going to be in Coimbra and I'm going to be in Oporto, adding the fact that my younger brother was arriving from Germany and the fact that I was tired of being in the computer architectizing, I had to sort something out of the kitchen.

I wanted to make another combined cake, as it has been usual too, with different layers, textures and flavors.

I decided to take his favorite cake, already a favorite for everyone here at home: cheesecake; add a different touch: he quite likes apple pie too; add something different for topping: crumble! that I love, and then everything came together as a cheesecake with apple crumble topping!
It is delicious!!!

Apple Crumble Cheesecake

Ingredientes:

Base de bolacha:

- 1 embalagem de bolachas de Aveia

- 100g de margarina

Recheio Cheesecake:

- 2 embalagens de philadelphia

- 200ml de natas frescas

- 75g de açúcar

- 2 a 3 ovos

- 2 colheres de sopa de Licor Beirão

Cobertura Crumble:

- 2 maçãs reineta grandes

- passas de uva preta grandes

- 2 colheres de sopa de Licor Beirão

- 100g de farinha

- 100g de açúcar amarelo

- 1 colher de chá de canela

- ½ chávena de amêndoas

- 100g de manteiga cortada em pequenos pedaços

Preparação:

1) Preparar a base, reduzindo as bolachas a pó e misturando com a margarina derretida,

2) Comprimir a base contra o fundo de uma forma de bolo com base amovível e levar ao frigorífico,

3) Cozinhar as maçãs descascadas, descaroçadas e cortadas em pedacinhos numa sertã, com um pouco de Licor Beirão, um pouco de açúcar amarelo e um pouco de canela, acrescentar as passas e reservar,

4) Misturar a farinha, o açúcar, a manteiga, a canela até obter uma textura de migalhas (pode ser num robot de cozinha),

5) Picar as amêndoas finamente num robot de cozinha e misturar com a mistura anterior, reservar,

6) Bater as natas,

7) Bater o queijo, incorporar o açúcar, as natas batidas e o Licor Beirão,

8) Bater os ovos à parte e incorporar um a um na mistura de queijo,

9) Verter sobre a base a mistura de queijo, cobrir cuidadosamente com a maçã (por exemplo à mão, pedaço a pedaço) e espalhar por fim o crumble,

10) Levar ao forno a 170ºC cerca de 45 min,

11) Deixar arrefecer na forma e só então desenformar.

Apple Crumble Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust:

- 1 package oat cookies

- 100g margarine

Filling:

- 2 packages philadelphia

- 200ml heavy cream

- 75g sugar

- 2 to 3 eggs

- 2 tbsp Licor Beirão (orangey-flavored liquor)

Crumble Topping:

- 2 big green apples

- raisins

- 2 tbsp Licor Beirão (orangey-flavored liquor)

- 100g flour

- 100g yellow sugar

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- ½ cup almonds

- 100g butter, chopped in small pieces

Preparation:

1) Make the crust, reducing the cookies to crumbles and mixing with melted margarine,

2) Press the crust batter onto the bottom of a cake pan with removable bottom, place in the refrigerator,

3) Cook the apples, peeled, cored and chopped in a pan with a little Licor Beirão, a little yellow sugar and cinnamon, add the raisins and let cool,

4) Mix flour, sugar, butter and cinnamon until it reaches a crumble texture (doable in a food processor),

5) Chop the almonds in a food processor and mix into the last mixture, put aside,

6) Beat the heavy cream

7) Beat cheese, incorporate heavy cream, sugar and liquor,

8) Beat eggs separately and add one at a time to the cheese mixture, beating

9) Pour the cheese mixture over the crust, cover carefully with the apple, and spread over the crumble mixture,

10) Place in the oven at 170ºC for around 45 min,

11) Let cool in the mould.