ibakeq8: RED VELVET CHEESECAKE: Celebrating Wataniya telecom's birthday

I made this cake when Wataniya telecom announced a bake-a-cake competition. Don't be intimated. this cake is easier than it looks.

The Oreo crust was simple to make. Just some butter and cookies blitzed in the food processor. Needless to say I munched on a few cookies in the process, am sure the calorie fairies will forgive me, after all, who can resist caramel Oreos? I would also like to confess of having a few spoonfuls of the buttery Oreo crust. It was just too good to missed.

After I finished the Oreo crust, I wrapped the pan in aluminum foil and was ready to make the filling. My kitchen aid practically did all the work of mixing; I then poured the mixture into the pan and prepared the water bath to prevent cracks.

I waited for one and half hour for the cake to finish. Once it finished, I left it to cool in the oven with the oven door opened for another one hour and a half. Finally by then I removed it from the oven, left it to cool on the cooling rack.

I chose to make a simple decoration. I knew everyone was going to make Wataniya’s logo so I wanted to make my cake stand out. What better way to stand out than hearts?

Anyway, long story short, after the simple “symbolic” I love you Wataniya cheesecake, I dropped the cake over to Wataniya. There were many great cakes participating. Guess what? My cake was a winner! I won a Samsung S3, am not a Samsung person, but winning one is okay by me.

Wataniya, thanks a lot for your generosity and for giving us addicted bakers the opportunity to celebrate with you (aka, please make more baking contests)

Red Velvet Cheesecake
Recipe Adapted from Recipe Girl

Ingredients:

For the Crust:
17 oreo cookies, crushed finely
57 g (1/4 cup) butter, melted
1 Tablespoon granulated white sugar
For the filling:
3 packages cream cheese (each is 200 g), at room temperature
300 g (1 1/2) cups granulated white sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
240 g (1 cup) sour cream
125 ml (1/2) cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
60 ml red food coloring (two 1-ounce bottles)

For the Frosting:
1/2 package cream cheese
57 g (1/4) cup butter, at room temperature
230 g (2 cups) powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
heavy duty foil

Steps:For the crust:
1. In the food processor, blitz the Oreos, melted butter, and 1 Tablespoon sugar; then press mixture into bottom of 9-inch springform pan using the back of a spoon.

2. Preheat oven to 180°C /350 °F /Gas mark 4.
Wrap the outside of the sprinformpan with two layers aluminum foil. Make sure there are no holes in the foil. Set aside. Fill a large roasting pan with 1 inch water, and put it in the oven.

Prepare filling:
3. Using the stand mixer or food processor eat cream cheese and sugar at medium-low speed for 1 minute. Add the eggs one at a time, and remaining cheesecake ingredients, mixing on low speed just until fully combined. Don't over mix to avoid incorporating too much air into the cheesecake. Pour batter into prepared crust.

4. Carefully place the springformpan into the water bath in the preheated oven.

5. Bake for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 150°C. Bake for an additional 75 minutes or until the center is firm. After 75 min, turn oven off. Leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door slightly opened for 30 min. After 30 min, remove cheesecake from oven and place on wire rack. Run a thin knife around the outer edge of the cheesecake. Cool on rack for a couple of hours, until the cheesecake is at to room temperature. Cover with nylon wrap and place inthe fridge for at least 8 hours. Remove sides of springform pan.

Prepare frosting:
6. Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until smooth. Spread evenly on top of cheesecake.