Wednesday, March 17, 2010

green lime cheesecake - how st patty's day changed my life

green lime mini cheesecake - 57Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Although I'm not Irish, nor do I celebrate Saint Patrick's Day (other than drinking I guess), it's a great excuse to bake! Green, green, green- What could I possibly great that is green and appetizing at the same time? I've grown up not particularly caring for lime flavored baked goods; most likely because I've never tasted any good ones. With that said, I chose to just go for it because I couldn't get away with a green colored chocolate cake or anything.

green lime mini cheesecake - 04green lime mini cheesecake - 09
The verdict was a cheesecake- a mini cheesecake to be exact. You see, I still wasn't so sure if this lime thing would come out as tasty as I hoped, so I thought it'd be best to make a tiny version first. Also, I figured cheesecake would be the best choice for a dessert seeing as how it's already pale in color, so it'd be easier to tint it green.

green lime mini cheesecake - 22
I'm not sure what my dilemma with lime/lemon is. Key lime pie- ehh. Lemon meringue pie- ehh. Notice that up until now, I have not tried even one recipe which focuses on lime or lemon. Where is this hatred coming from?

green lime mini cheesecake - 34
Perhaps I was wrong. What if, for some odd reason, I did not know everything there was about food. Had I just never tasted a good lime dessert before?

green lime mini cheesecake - 39green lime mini cheesecake - 41
Before the big tasting event was to ensue, I proudly placed my cute baby cheesecake in front of my boyfriend. He was in as much awe as I was; the cake was fucking adorable. Although at first the puke green tint may be off putting, after much examination, the entire package becomes so deliciously appealing. The sheen green top of the cake is encompassed by this rock hard brown gravel in all its majesty.

green lime mini cheesecake - 47green lime mini cheesecake - 53
As the first slice of the cheesecake was removed, we astonishingly gazed into the center of the cake. It was almost as if I expected it to be not as green in the center. Well I was wrong; my hulk-green cake was indeed green throughout.

green lime mini cheesecake - 62
Okay- we get it- the cheesecake looked adorable, but how did it taste? Shocking! I didn't mind it at all; to be quite honest, I enjoyed it. Lime has this fresh bright zing which I didn't realize I liked. My favorite part was noticing the little specs of lime zest sparkled throughout the cake. And the cheesecake itself tasted creamy and smooth; making for a perfect little package.

---RECIPE---
Taken from All Recipes.
"Luscious Lemon Cheesecake" (I substituted the lemon for lime, obviously).

crust ingredients:
1+1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts (omitted)
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

filling ingredients:
4 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1+1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon juice (lime)
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel (lime)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions:
1. In a bowl, combine crumbs, nuts and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom of a greased 10-in. springform pan; set aside. in a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, beating on low speed just until combined. Add lemon juice, peel and vanilla; beat just until blended. Pour into crust.
2. Bake at 350 degrees F for 55 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from the oven; let stand for 5 minutes. Combine topping ingredients; spread over filling. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
3. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before slicing.

No comments:

Post a Comment