Cheese Cake Pops

Say what?! A cheese cake in a pop? Are you crazy? Perhaps, but lets save that can of worms for another day.
So I had an epithany while dozing off to sleep the other night. I wanted to do another cake pop but felt my first attempt was not as good as it could have been. I started thinking about all the cakes and desserts I like and if it was possible to make these into a pop.
I decided to take a cheesecake recipe that I have done several times and give it a go. It was a bit of trial and error but I got there in the end. If you fancy just doing the cheese cake without the pop bit please do as it has always worked out as a good american cheesecake recipe. You do need to make the cheesecake the day before you serve it.

Ingredients:

200g digestive biscuits
50g unsalted butter melted
900g cream cheese
pinch of salt
300g caster sugar
240ml sour cream
2tsp vanilla extract
Lemon peel from one lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
500g milk chocolate

Equipment:

Food processor or if you have not got one, a food bag and something heavy.
Lolly pop sticks
9in spring cake tin
Cellophane cake pop sweet bags
Ribbon
Foam (that one you get from florist that they stick flowers in. You can get it on amazon too) wrapped in clingfilm

Makes about 16-20 depending how big your balls are. (never gets old)


Day one, preheat your oven to gas mark 4. Put your biscuits in your food processor and whizz till they are crumbs (or bash them in a bag). Add the melted butter and whizz again. Butter your cake tin and then line the base with the crumbs. Don't use all of it, you just want a thin layer if your doing them as pops as we need some of the crumbs for decoration afterwards.

If your doing just the cheesecake, use it all. Pat it down and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes or till it has browned on top.

Take out to cool completely. While that is happening, beat your cream cheese till smooth and then add the sugar and salt. I like to do this in the food processor as it is quick and easy. Otherwise just do this in a large bowl till well combined.
Next add the sour cream, vanilla extract, lemon peel and juice and beat again. Now add the eggs and egg yolks and give a final mix.

Pour the mixture onto the base and put in the oven for about 50 minutes. It should have a slight wobble in the centre when done. After this time, leave it in the oven but with the door ajar for another 45 minutes. Then take it out and leave to cool. When it is take it out of the tin and put in the fridge overnight.

Day two, take it out of the fridge and either serve or if you are popping it, scrape all the cheesecake into a bowl. Add about half of the base. Use your own judgement as to how much base you want in the mixture. Give it a mix. Now this is quite a messy bit, line a baking tray with cling film and either using your hand or a better idea is an ice cream scoop, make the mixture into balls. You then need to put them in the freezer for about 4/5 hours.

When you are just about to take them out, melt your chocolate and get your left over crumbs ready on the side. Once melted take the balls out of the freezer, dip your lolly pop stick in the chocolate and then into the ball. Then quickly but carefully coat it with chocolate. I found the bigger the ball, the heavier it was which caused what I am now calling, the firemans pole situation. In future I would make them a little smaller.

I then used the foam to stick them in so as not to get flat heads like my previous cake pops. Next sprinkle the left over biscuit crumbs before the chocolate sets.

When they are all done, put them in a cake pop bag and tie with ribbon.

I was quite pleased with these. You get that nice creamy cheesecake filling with a hit of the chocolate. Its a deconstructed cheesecake if you will.

Mr P said he liked them but they needed more crumbs on the outside. Can't please everyone....sigh.