Heavenly Hash Cheesecake Recipe

Nothing says Happy Birthday quite like cheesecake. Today is my sister's 22nd birthday, and instead of some fabulous sugar confection of a cake, she requested cheesecake in the flavour of her favourite ice cream - heavenly hash.

After scouring various recipe websites, I was unable to find a recipe for heavenly hash cheesecake, and so I wound up modifying this recipe for Hershey's Chocolate Marble Cheesecake (well, plus some chopped dark chocolate and freshly toasted pecans).

For those who are brave enough to try the recipe for themselves, I've copied it below (along with my modifications). If you don't feel like trying it, I suppose you will just have to gaze at the photograph and drool. 

Heavenly Hash Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients:

Crust

1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup melted butter

Cake

3 8oz. packages cream cheese

3/4 cup + 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

3 Tbsp flour

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs

1/4 cup cocoa

1 Tbsp oil

Topping

1 cup pecans, freshly toasted and chopped

2 bars of decent quality dark chocolate (I used one with nuts and one without)

Preheat oven to 350F, and lightly grease a spring form pan. Combine ingredients for crust, press into the bottom of the spring form pan to form crust (I always press with my fingertips or the bottom of a drinking glass). Bake in oven for ten minutes - I took this opportunity to toast the pecans in the same oven. Cool crust thoroughly. 

Using an electric mixer, beat together packages of cream cheese until well combined and very creamy. Slowly add 3/4 cup of sugar, continue beating and scraping the edges of the bowl until no lumps remain. Fold in sour cream, flour and vanilla, then beat thoroughly. Add eggs one at a time, beating constantly. 

In a separate bowl, mix together 1/4 cup sugar, cocoa powder and oil. Slowly add about 1 1/2 cups of the cream cheese mixture and mix thoroughly. 

In a third bowl, mix together toasted pecans and one of the bars of dark chocolate (finely chop the dark chocolate first). 

In the spring form pan, layer together spoonfuls of vanilla mixture, chocolate mixture, and the occasional sprinkling of chopped pecans mixture, until all mixtures have been used up. Reserve about half of the pecan mixture for sprinkling on top. Take a knife and lightly swirl together mixtures to create a 'marbled' effect. Increase oven heat to 450F. Bake cake for 10 minutes, then without opening the oven door, decrease heat to 250F and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Shut oven off, and let cool in hot oven for 30 minutes more (without opening oven door). Loosen edges of cake from pan with a knife, then allow to cool in the fridge for several hours. Serve chilled with slices of dark chocolate on top.

This cake earned rave reviews from my family members, and most importantly, from my sister. Happy birthday!

Chocolate Fudge Ripple Ice Cream

It's midnight and what are you doing? Normal people are sleeping (I just wish I could sleep!) I, however, am standing in the middle of a chocolate covered kitchen, trying to remember how to work the ice cream maker I found in the basement. 

S's favourite food is ice cream. After finding my ice cream maker (a very exciting birthday present for 19-year old me) hiding in a dusty box in the basement, I decided I should spend some time creating the quintessentially perfect chocolate ice cream. I haven't been doing much wedding planning lately, so making fabulous ice cream seems like a good solution.

I may have succeeded. 

The worst thing about this ice cream is that it is perhaps too creamy. Slightly too delicious. So yummy, in fact, that it was difficult to eat more than a very small bowl at a time.

Chocolate Fudge Ripple Ice Cream

Creamy, Delicious Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup milk

Dash of Salt

1 1/2 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

3 Egg Yolks, lightly beaten

1/2 cup + 3/4 cup whipping cream

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Mix together sugar, milk, salt and cocoa powder in a saucepan and heat at medium-low heat. Stir often. Beat together egg yolks in a separate bowl. Slowly add about 1/2 cup of hot milk mixture, stirring vigorously. Gradually add eggs back to saucepan. Heat and stir, slowly adding 1/2 cup of whipping cream. Stir frequently until mixture is thickened, but be careful not to let it boil!

Once mixture is thickened, remove from heat and add the chocolate chips to the hot mixture. Stir until chocolate is completely dissolved. Store in refrigerator until cool, at least four hours or overnight. Once  completely cool, stir in remainder of whipping cream and teaspoon of vanilla. 

(while your ice cream mixture is cooling, you have plenty of time to make the fudge ripple component)

Fudge Ripple Recipe

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup water

6 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Mix together sugar, corn syrup, water and cocoa powder in saucepan. Heat over medium heat until bubbling, stirring constantly. Continue to cook at a low boil for 3-4 minutes. Stir often. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, and cool thoroughly. 

Once both mixtures are cool, pour ice cream mixture into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions. Mine took approximately twenty-five minutes to freeze sufficiently. The ice cream mixture should be like a very thick, partially frozen soup. 

Ice Cream Maker

Use a large spoon to layer partially frozen ice cream mixture and cooled fudge mixture together in a plastic tupperware for freezer storage. Place container in freezer for 8 hours or overnight. 

Yum!