Brown Sugar Cheesecake

Gosh dang, I produce some good cheesecakes...you might as well just call me the cheesecake factory.

Brown Sugar Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust -

1-1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs

1/2 cup toasted ground almonds

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling - 

1-1/2 pounds cream cheese, softened

8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 Tablespoons molasses

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup cream

4 eggs

Topping -

1-1/2 cups sour cream

2 Tablespoons light brown sugar

4 Tablespoons bourbon

Directions:

1.  Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with aluminum foil.  Attach sides of pan.  Mix crust ingredients in a bowl until moistened.    Press crust mixture onto bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the pan.  Refrigerate while preparing the filling.

2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3.  In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, and sugar until smooth.  Add molasses, vanilla, sour cream, and cream.  Beat just until combined.

4.  Add eggs one at a time, barely waiting for one to be incorporated before adding the next.

5.  Pour filling into prepared pan.  Bake for 40 minutes.  Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake for 40 more minutes.

6.  Combine topping ingredients in a bowl while cheesecake is baking.  After the 80 minutes, remove the cheesecake from the oven and carefully spread the topping over the top of the cheesecake.  Be careful!  Your pan will be very full.

7.  Return the cheesecake to the oven.  Bake for 5 minutes and then turn the oven off.  Leave the cheesecake in the oven for one hour.  Do not open the oven door.

8.  Remove the cheesecake from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.    

9.  Decorate cheesecake with nuts or fruit before serving.

Source: Vintage Kitchen Notes

Pumpkin Dream Cake

If anything other than the voice of Charles Kelley could be described as dreamy, it would be this cake.  Pumpkin Dream Cake is seriously dreamy.

Don't judge me...I know it's an awful picture.  It was my birthday, and I really wanted to eat the cake.

  

Pumpkin Dream Cake

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup milk

12 ounces cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons cinnamon

6 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Grease 3, 8-inch round cake pans.

2.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

3.  In a separate large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs one at a time.  Beat in the vanilla, pumpkin, and oil.  Alternately, beat in the flour mixture and milk.

4.  Divide batter between the prepared pans and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  

5.  Remove pans from oven and immediately place in freezer for 45 minutes to keep the cake moist.

6.  To make the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.  Beat in the maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon.  Beat in powdered sugar on low speed until combined and then high speed until smooth.

7.  Apply a thick layer of frosting between each layer of the cake, and then frost the entire cake.  

8.  Store in fridge.

Source:  The Novice Chef