Creamy Vanilla-Caramel Cheesecake

October 11, 2009 at 5:12 pm (all-purpose flour, caramel topping, chocolate wafers, cholesterol-free egg substitute, cream cheese, Desserts, egg whites, granulated sugar, oven, pecan halves, vanilla, vanilla wafers, vanilla yogurt)

Prep Time:20 min
Start to Finish:5 hr 5 min
makes:16 servings

15 chocolate or vanilla wafer cookies, crushed (1/2 cup)
2 packages (8 oz each) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel), softened
2/3 cup sugar
3 egg whites or 1/2 cup fat-free egg product
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups lowfat vanilla yogurt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup fat-free caramel topping
Pecan halves, if desired
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1. Heat oven to 300°F. Spray springform pan, 9×3 inches, with cooking spray. Sprinkle cookie crumbs over bottom of pan.

2. Beat cream cheese in medium bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add sugar, egg whites and vanilla. Beat on medium speed about 2 minutes or until smooth. Add yogurt and flour. Beat on low speed until smooth.

3. Carefully spread batter over cookie crumbs in pan. Bake 1 hour. Turn off oven; cool in oven 30 minutes with door closed. Remove from oven; cool 15 minutes. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

4. Drizzle caramel topping over cheesecake. Garnish with pecan halves. Store covered in the refrigerator.

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Chocolate-Ricotta Icebox Cake

August 21, 2009 at 12:43 pm (7 ingredients or less, cake, chocolate wafers, food processor, heavy cream, refrigerator, ricotta cheese, semisweet chocolate, stovetop, vegetable cooking spray)

Prep: 30 minutes
Total: 6 hours 30 minutes
Serves 10

Nonstick cooking spray
14 ounces semisweet chocolate (do not use chips)
2 containers (15 ounces each) part-skim ricotta cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 package (9 ounces) chocolate wafers (about 44 cookies)
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1. Prepare pan: Remove sides from a 9-inch round springform pan (see note, below). Place a sheet of waxed paper over bottom, leaving an overhang; lock sides onto bottom, firmly securing paper. Spray inside of pan with cooking spray; line sides with a strip of waxed paper 28 inches long and 4 inches wide.

2. Make chocolate-ricotta mixture: Break 12 ounces of chocolate into pieces. Place in a heatproof medium bowl set over, not in, a pan of simmering water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chocolate has melted, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. In a food processor, blend ricotta until very smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl. Add warm chocolate; blend until smooth. In a large bowl, beat cream until stiff peaks form. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in chocolate-ricotta mixture.

4. Assemble cake: Arrange half the cookies in an overlapping pattern to cover bottom of pan. Spoon half the chocolate-ricotta mixture on top of cookies; smooth top. Cover with remaining cookies; top with remaining chocolate-ricotta mixture, and smooth top. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 6 hours and up to 2 days.

5. Before serving, release sides of pan and remove waxed paper from sides. Using bottom piece of waxed paper, pull cake onto a platter; with a metal spatula, lift cake and remove waxed paper. Using a vegetable peeler, shave remaining 2 ounces chocolate over top of cake. With a knife dipped in hot water, cut cake into 10 slices (wipe off knife, and dip in hot water after each slice).

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