Recipe: Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

Well admittedly, I am cheating a little by writing this post...I didn't exactly taste the pie. The truth is I don't like cheesecake (gasp!), however, I did get some testimony on how the pie/cheesecake turned out.

According to guinea pigs/taste testers/parents...it turned out delicious! Very smooth...which was actually a concern for me considering how the batter turned out before I put it in the oven to bake.

*Last night I actually tried it (female testimonial aka mom told me I should always try my own cooking), and I have to say it was quite good (for me not liking cheesecake). It was smooth and creamy. The strawberries were a PERFECT complement to the pie. However, I'm not sure if I was a fan of the semi-sweet chocolate swirl. I thought it was too much...especially without the strawberry. With the strawberry, everything went great together. Without it, the chocolate overpowered the vanilla cheesecake, and I wasn't a fan. I would say definitely garnish the top with a fruit topping. It adds to the flavor and breaks up the chocolate a little bit. (10/11/10)

Pros: It turned out tasting great. *The fruit was an excellent addition. (10/11/10)

Cons: I found myself very skeptical of this recipe. First of all, I couldn't find a 6 oz crust that was 8 inches at the store. All of them were 9 inches. Secondly, my batter turned out lumpy. This could've been because of the mixer I used (I'm still trying to get used to the new one we just got), or it could've been because of the batter itself. Lastly, I pride the fact that the oven I use is ALWAYS on the dot with every recipe I've used (except for cookies). On this one? Not so much. The recipe claimed that you only bake it for 25-30 minutes. I had to bake it for 35. Also, I learned the key here is that you have to take it out when the middle is almost set. Not runny but not completely solid either. Just almost. This is indicated in the recipe, though. Clean up was average-not too much, not too little. Also, the garnish. It doesn't suggest a garnish for you at the end of the recipe. I did the whipped cream and strawberries, but word to the wise- don't use Reddi Whip or any kind of spray can whipped cream ahead of time. It goes flat quickly (whoopssss....). Use Miracle Whip or wait until you are just about to serve it to garnish it.

(Picture to the right is my lumpy batter)

Overall, I'd recommend it for a small get together. The prep was a little bit of a hassle to this one, but I heard the final product is great, so I can't argue with that. Over all I'll rate this as an indifferent/neutral rather than a like or dislike since I feel as though the cons and outcome cancelled each other out.

Here's the recipe if you want to try it out for yourself:

Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake (from Hershey's Fabulous Desserts, 1989)

4 packages (3 ozs each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup of sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup Hershey's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips or Mini Chips Semi Sweet Chocolate
1 teaspoon shortening
8 inch (6 ounces) packaged graham cracker crumb crust

Heat oven to 325. In large mixer bowl beat cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. In small bowl reserve 1/2 cup cream cheese mixture. Melt chocolate chips with shortening in top of double boiler over hot, not boiling, water; stir into reserved 1/2 cup cream cheese mixture. Pour vanilla mixture into crust. Spoon chocolate mixture by dollops onto vanilla mixture. Using tip of knife swirl for marbled effect. Place filled crust on cookie sheet. Bake 25-30 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on wire rack. Cover; chill several hours or until firm. Garnish as desired.

For the garnish I just used strawberries and Reddi-whip, but like I said, the latter was a poor choice and I'd go with Miracle Whip.

This was the last recipe of this cookbook that I'm going to make! Read the next post for the "exit entry".