It began with ochungg proposing a personal baking project - a mission entirely out of character for someone who neither enjoys planning nor complex culinary processes. This eventually led to the my creation of a flowchart, and her narrowing down the options to a New York Cheesecake. The theme was Minions.
I suggested constructing two versions of a Lemon Cheesecake, as ochungg's rendition was intended to be a gift (ie. not to be eaten after toiling away on the project for countless hours).
I suggested constructing two versions of a Lemon Cheesecake, as ochungg's rendition was intended to be a gift (ie. not to be eaten after toiling away on the project for countless hours).
The first version, appropriately termed "V1", was formulated to be a no-bake cheesecake that utilized gelatin and heavy cream as stabilizers as opposed to eggs.
As with any non-Japanese cheesecake, the foundation was a graham cracker crust, followed by a creamy cheesecake layer. The top layer of the cake included lemon curd and chocolate wafer cookie crumbs; the distinct palette of these components was used to craft Bob's distinctive facial features.
As with any non-Japanese cheesecake, the foundation was a graham cracker crust, followed by a creamy cheesecake layer. The top layer of the cake included lemon curd and chocolate wafer cookie crumbs; the distinct palette of these components was used to craft Bob's distinctive facial features.
In order to create the form for the goggles decoration, four aluminium foil rings were crafted as guides. For a pan measuring 9.5 inches in diameter, rings measuring 3.8 inches and 3 inches in diameter were constructed.
These rings were placed on top of the cake, within each other, concentrically. The spacing between the rings was allocated for the thickness of Bob's goggles, and was filled with chocolate cookie crumbs.
These rings were placed on top of the cake, within each other, concentrically. The spacing between the rings was allocated for the thickness of Bob's goggles, and was filled with chocolate cookie crumbs.
This Lemon Cheesecake is the second Minion-themed creation to find its way on this space. Yellow is a fairly easy tone to achieve in baking, but perhaps I'll take a more intrepid approach next time for a Sulley concept.
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups graham crackers
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling
(Recipe inspired by and adapted from honeykki)
- 2 pkgs/500 g Philadelphia Light Cream Cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 8 g gelatin (approx. 1 Knox unflavoured gelatin packet)
- 25 g hot water
- 237 ml/1 small carton Neilson whipping cream *
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon extract (opt.)
- pinch of salt
Lemon Curd *
(Recipe inspired by and adapted from honeykki)
- 150 ml lemon juice
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar *
- 3 eggs + 2 egg yolks
- 1.5 tbsp corn starch
- zest of one lemon
Decorative Elements
- 225 g/approx. 12 chocolate wafer cookies *
- 2 tbsp sweetened condensed milk *
- 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- splash of half & half cream
Directions:
i) Crust
1) Place graham crackers in a food processor and pulse to a fine crumb. Transfer to large bowl.
2) Add in melted butter and evenly combine.
3) Grease and line a loose-bottom pan with parchment paper.
4) Press the crumb mixture onto the bottom of the pan and smooth with the back of a spoon or spatula, ensuring uniformity in thickness to the best of one's abilities. Press to compact.
5) Place in refrigerator and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes. Prepare cheesecake filling in the meantime.
ii) Cheesecake Filling
1) In a large bowl, beat softened cream cheese until smooth.
2) Add in sugar(s) and beat again until fluffy.
3) Dissolve gelatin in hot water (in a 1:3 gelatin-water ratio) and incorporate into mixture.
4) In a separate bowl, combine whipping cream and granulated sugar. Beat until thick; the consistency should resemble soft peaks (in meringue).
5) Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture in three additions. Gently combine each time using a spatula such that airiness is maintained.
6) Add in vanilla extract, pinch of salt, and lemon extract (if desired). Mix well.
7) Pour mixture into loose-bottom pan and refrigerate.
8) Chill for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator, then transfer to the freezer. Let chill for at least 1.5 hours to set.
iii) Lemon Curd
1) Combine lemon juice, sugar, and eggs/egg yolks in a large bowl. Mix well until sugar dissolves completely.
2) Mix cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water. Combine well.
3) Bring a small pan of water to a boil. Place lemon mixture on top of the plan and whisk until it thickens. (This process can range between 10 to 20 minutes.)
4) Once mixture has thickened to a goopy consistency, remove from heat and let cool.
5) Transfer to a shallow dish. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent film formation and chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
iv) Assembly
1) Construct aluminium foil rings for the surface decoration - See explanation above.
2) Scrape cream filling from centre of chocolate wafer cookies. Discard if not consuming.
2) Using a food processor, pulse to a fine crumb.
3) Transfer to a medium-sized bowl and add in sweetened condensed milk. Combine well, being sure to break up any large clumps.
4) Set aside crumb mixture.
5) Remove cheesecake from freezer and retrieve lemon curd mixture.
6) Obtain the four aluminium foil rings that were previously constructed. Arrange on top of cheesecake as a guide for the surface decoration (ie. Bob's goggles)
7) Smooth lemon curd on top of cake, working around the circumference of the larger foil ring.
8) Using a small funnel, distribute the chocolate cookie crumbs evenly along the trench formed between the two foil rings. Should a funnel not be available, work with a tiny dessert spoon and steady hands. Transfer excess cookie crumbs to a container and set aside for other desserts/casual munching.
9) Melt chocolate chips in a microwave on medium power in intervals of 30 seconds. Once bubbles begin to form, add a splash of cold half & half cream and microwave again. Mix well to get rid of clumps.
10) Transfer to a piping bag (or small Ziploc) and snip off the tip. Draw the eyes and mouth of the Minion.
11) Place finished cheesecake back into the freezer for a minimum of three hours.
12) Remove from pan and store in an airtight dish.
13) Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe yields a greater amount of Lemon Curd than needed for a loose-bottom pan measuring 9.5 inches in diameter and 1.5 inches in height, so the remainder can be set aside for Lemon Meringue Parfait Cups. Similarly, one may need to adjust the ingredient amounts accordingly to fit one's pan of choice.
- 3/4 cups of granulated sugar was utilized for the Lemon Curd. Feel free to adjust this amount to one's own preferences for less/more sweetness.
- A greater amount of melted butter can be used to create a denser crust. A lower butter-to-crumb ratio results in the need for greater compaction levels. This recipe utilized 1/4 cup of melted butter, though it is advised to use more to certify a stable foundation.
- Ensure that the cream cheese has softened completely before beating, as clumps will appear in the mixture if still solid. It is recommended to remove the cream cheese from the refrigerator and allow it to soften at room temperature. However, microwaving on a low power setting for 30-40 second intervals is a viable alternative.
- Knox Unflavoured Gelatin was utilized in this recipe. Should other brands/forms of gelatin be used, a 1:3 gelatin to water ratio needs to be maintained such that the filling stabilizes.
- The original recipe called for 200 g of whipping cream, however any similarly-sized carton should be acceptable.
- The original Lemon Curd recipe called for 1/4 cup of softened butter. A substitution of starch mixture was utilized out of convenience, though the addition of butter would have likely yielded a creamier finish and higher degree of viscosity. That said, it is suggested to use butter instead of starch.
- Mr. Creamy, a more economic version of Oreo cookies, was used in this recipe, though feel free to use one's preferred type of chocolate graham crackers (with or without filling).
- Bob was chosen as the main character for this cake - as such, a yellow and white palette dictated the choice of decorative elements. Should one opt to construct a different character, one is free to swap yellow-toned curd and chocolate cookie crumbs for other hues (such as orange curd or golden graham crumbs) to better suit one's theme.
Crust
- 2 cups graham crackers
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling
(Recipe inspired by and adapted from honeykki)
- 2 pkgs/500 g Philadelphia Light Cream Cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 8 g gelatin (approx. 1 Knox unflavoured gelatin packet)
- 25 g hot water
- 237 ml/1 small carton Neilson whipping cream *
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon extract (opt.)
- pinch of salt
Lemon Curd *
(Recipe inspired by and adapted from honeykki)
- 150 ml lemon juice
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar *
- 3 eggs + 2 egg yolks
- 1.5 tbsp corn starch
- zest of one lemon
Decorative Elements
- 225 g/approx. 12 chocolate wafer cookies *
- 2 tbsp sweetened condensed milk *
- 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- splash of half & half cream
Directions:
i) Crust
1) Place graham crackers in a food processor and pulse to a fine crumb. Transfer to large bowl.
2) Add in melted butter and evenly combine.
3) Grease and line a loose-bottom pan with parchment paper.
4) Press the crumb mixture onto the bottom of the pan and smooth with the back of a spoon or spatula, ensuring uniformity in thickness to the best of one's abilities. Press to compact.
5) Place in refrigerator and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes. Prepare cheesecake filling in the meantime.
ii) Cheesecake Filling
1) In a large bowl, beat softened cream cheese until smooth.
2) Add in sugar(s) and beat again until fluffy.
3) Dissolve gelatin in hot water (in a 1:3 gelatin-water ratio) and incorporate into mixture.
4) In a separate bowl, combine whipping cream and granulated sugar. Beat until thick; the consistency should resemble soft peaks (in meringue).
5) Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture in three additions. Gently combine each time using a spatula such that airiness is maintained.
6) Add in vanilla extract, pinch of salt, and lemon extract (if desired). Mix well.
7) Pour mixture into loose-bottom pan and refrigerate.
8) Chill for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator, then transfer to the freezer. Let chill for at least 1.5 hours to set.
iii) Lemon Curd
1) Combine lemon juice, sugar, and eggs/egg yolks in a large bowl. Mix well until sugar dissolves completely.
2) Mix cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water. Combine well.
3) Bring a small pan of water to a boil. Place lemon mixture on top of the plan and whisk until it thickens. (This process can range between 10 to 20 minutes.)
4) Once mixture has thickened to a goopy consistency, remove from heat and let cool.
5) Transfer to a shallow dish. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent film formation and chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
iv) Assembly
1) Construct aluminium foil rings for the surface decoration - See explanation above.
2) Scrape cream filling from centre of chocolate wafer cookies. Discard if not consuming.
2) Using a food processor, pulse to a fine crumb.
3) Transfer to a medium-sized bowl and add in sweetened condensed milk. Combine well, being sure to break up any large clumps.
4) Set aside crumb mixture.
5) Remove cheesecake from freezer and retrieve lemon curd mixture.
6) Obtain the four aluminium foil rings that were previously constructed. Arrange on top of cheesecake as a guide for the surface decoration (ie. Bob's goggles)
7) Smooth lemon curd on top of cake, working around the circumference of the larger foil ring.
8) Using a small funnel, distribute the chocolate cookie crumbs evenly along the trench formed between the two foil rings. Should a funnel not be available, work with a tiny dessert spoon and steady hands. Transfer excess cookie crumbs to a container and set aside for other desserts/casual munching.
9) Melt chocolate chips in a microwave on medium power in intervals of 30 seconds. Once bubbles begin to form, add a splash of cold half & half cream and microwave again. Mix well to get rid of clumps.
10) Transfer to a piping bag (or small Ziploc) and snip off the tip. Draw the eyes and mouth of the Minion.
11) Place finished cheesecake back into the freezer for a minimum of three hours.
12) Remove from pan and store in an airtight dish.
13) Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe yields a greater amount of Lemon Curd than needed for a loose-bottom pan measuring 9.5 inches in diameter and 1.5 inches in height, so the remainder can be set aside for Lemon Meringue Parfait Cups. Similarly, one may need to adjust the ingredient amounts accordingly to fit one's pan of choice.
- 3/4 cups of granulated sugar was utilized for the Lemon Curd. Feel free to adjust this amount to one's own preferences for less/more sweetness.
- A greater amount of melted butter can be used to create a denser crust. A lower butter-to-crumb ratio results in the need for greater compaction levels. This recipe utilized 1/4 cup of melted butter, though it is advised to use more to certify a stable foundation.
- Ensure that the cream cheese has softened completely before beating, as clumps will appear in the mixture if still solid. It is recommended to remove the cream cheese from the refrigerator and allow it to soften at room temperature. However, microwaving on a low power setting for 30-40 second intervals is a viable alternative.
- Knox Unflavoured Gelatin was utilized in this recipe. Should other brands/forms of gelatin be used, a 1:3 gelatin to water ratio needs to be maintained such that the filling stabilizes.
- The original recipe called for 200 g of whipping cream, however any similarly-sized carton should be acceptable.
- The original Lemon Curd recipe called for 1/4 cup of softened butter. A substitution of starch mixture was utilized out of convenience, though the addition of butter would have likely yielded a creamier finish and higher degree of viscosity. That said, it is suggested to use butter instead of starch.
- Mr. Creamy, a more economic version of Oreo cookies, was used in this recipe, though feel free to use one's preferred type of chocolate graham crackers (with or without filling).
- Bob was chosen as the main character for this cake - as such, a yellow and white palette dictated the choice of decorative elements. Should one opt to construct a different character, one is free to swap yellow-toned curd and chocolate cookie crumbs for other hues (such as orange curd or golden graham crumbs) to better suit one's theme.
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