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Sincere Acts of Sweetness

April 26, 2008

Cheesecake Pops


When I saw that this month’s recipe was for cheesecake I was a little worried, mostly due to my lack of experience making it. However this recipe was for cupcake pops and who doesn’t love food on a stick? And as luck would have it, about a week before I heard about this mission I had offered to make cheesecake as a birthday treat for a coworker, Angela. It was official; this mission would be made just for her. 

The day I started to make this began innocently enough. Everything was going well until step one; I tried to find a pan with tall enough sides to hold a ten inch cake pan but I didn’t own one! The largest roasting pan I had could hold my nine-inch pan, so I decided I had to go with that. I forged ahead.

I prepared the batter as directed, poured it into my cake pan, filled my roasting pan with near-boiling water (that was trickier than I expected) and put the cake in the oven. And because I had to use a smaller pan, I had a fair amount of batter left over. That was when I decided to be a rebel and create not one but two types of cheesecake pops: the “Challenge” version and a slightly modified version. The modified version was made using my new Wilton silicone pan that had 24 1”x1” squares. I prepared the pan the same way I did using the 9” metal one and also baked them in a water bath. The results of each pan were dramatically different. I’ll recap the “Challenge” ones first.

The 9” metal cake pan took an eternity to bake. I had it in the oven for close to 80 minutes and I’m not even convinced that it was finished baking. However since the toothpick came out clean, I took it out of the oven against my better judgment. I let it cool overnight in the fridge and eagerly began the second phase of the recipe.

The top of the cake looked so pretty with its soft, golden brown hue; it seemed like such a shame to have to turn it into mush, but I did anyway. This was when I started to get annoyed. Attempting to shape the cheesecake into a ball shape was akin to rolling a blob of toothpaste in between my hands; it just stuck to me and oozed in between my fingers! I was only able to produce a small ball-like shape but it was nowhere near the required two ounces. So I’m improvised. I prepared a 9”x9” brownie pan with waxed paper, filled it up with the cheesecake mush, put a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface, and stuck it into the freezer for about three hours. Once it was really good and solid, I pulled it out of the freezer and cut the block of cheesecake into about 20 two-ounce chunks. They started to get soft fairly quickly so pushed a hollow lollipop stick into each one and put them back into the freezer to harden.

I decided to make two options for the outer shell. First, I melted a bar of Hershey’s Symphony Milk Chocolate with almonds and toffee in a double boiler. I successfully enrobed six pops and then stuck them back into the freezer. I finished the rest of the pops with a pound or so of melted semisweet chocolate chips. I had the hardest time getting the chocolate to thin out though! I had to add several spoonfuls of vegetable shortening to get the chocolate to the point where it was viscous enough to cooperate. I had to work really fast because the melted chocolate was thawing the cheesecake which would then cause the pops to break apart and fall back into the chocolate. I lost several pops this way. The ones that survived got a either a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips or of rainbow sprinkles and were quickly put back into the freezer.

As for the experimental “square” pops, these were much more of a success. I baked these for about a half hour and each square baked perfectly. The texture was much more firm and I didn’t have to keep freeze them at all. They were ready to go once they had cooled from the oven. I coated them in pink Candy Melts and decorated them with pink, orange, and yellow sprinkles. I didn’t lose any of them to breakage either. These also traveled really well too and they kept forever. I ate the last ones about two weeks after they were made and they still tasted really good. I think these would be a fun option for a bake sale.
When it came time to send the pops to my work,, I was convinced that they would arrive as a vat of cheesecake and chocolate goo. However to my delight they were fine. I packed them in a container lined with ice packs and promptly put them in the freezer until they were served. Later on that day I received several really wonderful comments from coworkers about the bigger, two ounce pops.

So, even though these were kind of a pain to make, in the end they were delicious and allowed me to use some of my creativity. Everyone that had one really seemed to like them too. The flavor of the cheesecake was really very good and the texture was what I think a cheesecake should be. It was very light and just melts in your mouth. The flavor was subtle and not too cream cheesy.

I learned a lot from this challenge. It really pushed me to get creative and to think on my feet. I wonder what next month will bring?

Cheesecake Pops
Yield: After all the casualties I ended up with 15 big, two ounce pops and 24 square ½ oz pops. The original recipe says it makes 45.
From the book: Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Connor

5 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 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, confectionery coating or wafer chocolate – candy supply stores carry colors, as well as the three kinds of chocolate.)
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

Optional
Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees) -

Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325F. 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 spring form 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 confectionery chocolate pieces) as needed.

37 comments:

  1. You did an awesome job! Love the decorations!

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  2. Interesting comparison between the cubes and the pan...I think if I make these again, I may look for a similar cube pan...

    j

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  3. I like the cubes...I want to do them again that way.

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  4. Nice thinking on your feet! I loved the convo--your husband was so sweet to relay it. And, ALL of your pops looked just terrific.

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  5. I really love the color combos of your pops! I also used silicon molds and they turned out really well.

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  6. Brilliant idea to use the Wilton silicone pan! I agree that it was so hard to get clean shapes (round or square). I think your pops are so lovely and I'm glad they were a hit with everyone (you deserve the compliments!).

    Also, thanks for commenting on my blog. I'm so glad to have found yours!

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  7. Seeing your and others who baked in small molds makes me think that's what I'll try to do if I make these again. The cubes are truly lovely. I hope your husband did give you a lot of love.

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  8. Julia, thank you for your lovely comment on my pops:)) Yours look adorable! I like the orange color on yours. Yum!

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  9. I'm glad to hear that they were such a hit at your husband's work - especially after the problems they gave you! Great job on this challenge!

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  10. I found the messiness of them part of the fun, it meant fingerlicking.
    Good job!

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  11. The candy melt covered ones are pretty, but I would personally reach for the ones with the mini chocolate chips! Great job!

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  12. I love the cubed pops! Great idea.

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  13. It was difficult coating the lollies with the chocolate-hard work indeed. Well done with your pops and lovely blog too-shall add to my reader. :)

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  14. Wow! Yours are wonderful! What a nice wife you are too.... I never send my husband to the office with dessert.

    xoxox Amy

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  15. Wow Julia! Those look great, no wonder those people were impressed with them!

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  16. Thanks so much for your comment...your pops look amazing!

    Let me know how the water bath turns out, and I agree...the recipe was a little TOO sticky, chewy, messy, and gooey.

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  17. i wanted to try making these in a wilton mould as well but it was metal. was afraid i would not be able to unmould the cheesecake. bravo! your pops are amazing!

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  18. Your pops look incredible! Great job. Aren't compliments wonderful, they make me happy.

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  19. wow! Your cheesecake pops look great! good idea to make them into little squares. Yummyness!

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  20. Tag Julia! You make my day...check my blog for details!

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  21. Nice looking pops! I like the pink ones. That pan with the individual squares is pretty interesting.

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  22. I love the detail in your post. The silicone pan looks fun what other things have you baked in it?

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  23. Just stopped by to let you know those "pops" look yummy !

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  24. Thanks Julia for your comments...Lewis has us wrapped in his cuteness! Here is the lemon recipe, let me know how it turns out!

    Lemon Chiffon Cake

    Ingredients:
    7 eggs, separated
    2 cups all-purpose flour
    1-1/2 cups sugar
    3 teaspoons baking powder
    1 teaspoon salt
    3/4 cup water
    1/2 cup vegetable oil
    4 teaspoons grated lemon peel
    2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
    LEMON FROSTING:
    1/3 cup butter, softened
    3 cups confectioners' sugar
    4-1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
    Dash salt
    1/4 cup lemon juice

    Directions:
    Let eggs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks, water, oil, lemon peel and vanilla; add to dry ingredients. Beat until well blended.
    In another large mixing bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form; fold into batter. Gently spoon into an ungreased 10-in. tube pan. Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets.
    Bake on the lowest oven rack at 325° for 50-55 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert the pan; cool completely, about 1 hour.
    Run a knife around side and center tube of pan. Remove cake to a serving plate. In a small mixing bowl, combine frosting ingredients; beat until smooth. Spread over top of cake. Yield: 12-16 servings.

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  25. your pops look AMAZING! I especially love that first picture with all the different shots; great job!

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  26. Alright, I've only experienced one of your creations (the cake Matthew brought in five or six weeks ago; yay for lemon curd!), but it was enough to make me a convert. Thanks for these new pictures and the story behind them! These look awesome. We will be attempting these at my house.

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  27. I'm Fred (transcribed comment from above) and yes, I'm a whole-hearted propenent of this cheesecake delivery method. They were uber duber yummy.
    Time to warm up the biz plan, me thinks.

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  28. I was lucky enough to partake in this unbelievable treat. Wow! That's it....WOW!

    Thanks, Julia! :)

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  29. Great job!! Yes..they were a pain.. but in the end..with all the thrills and exclamations of enjoyment, was definitely worth it =) Yours look Fantastic!!

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  30. I LOVE your pan. The pops came out spectularly. I love the pink ones!
    Great Job!

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  31. AnonymousMay 03, 2008

    Absolutely the most INCREDIBLE dessert I've ever eaten...there was no getting enough of it and savored EVERY bite. I'm hungry for these all over again! =)

    Thank you for such an incredible birthday gift...PRICELESS! You're one AMAZING woman!

    ~Angela

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  32. You did a wonderful job on your pops! I love the cubes.

    Natalie @ Gluten a Go Go

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  33. AnonymousMay 08, 2008

    do u know where i can get that pan? I can't find it online???

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  34. I found the pan at Joanne Fabrics but they don't have it online (not sure why). I was able to find it here though ShopBakersNook.com

    It also comes in a one-bite flower shape.

    :-)

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  35. AnonymousMay 09, 2008

    Your cheesecake pops were fabulous in so many ways: perfect texture, sublime cheesecake flavor, decadent chocolate coating for a lovely contrast to the smoothness of the (perfectly cooked) cheesecake, and insanely appealing presentation. Thanks for sending them in to the office!

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  36. Thank you to everyone for their sincere and sweet comments. I'm so incredibly flattered!

    Big shout-out to Shelterrific for citing this post. You just made my day!

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  37. I don't know HOW I missed your post on the pops! Anyhow, I have found you now and I'm very glad I did! They turned out great looking!

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Your comments really make my day. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave one!

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