Chaya of Bizzy B. Bakes blog made Cheesecake Factory's Cheesecake:
The Talking Spoon Blog made Panera's Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich:
I made Veselka's Banana Crunch Muffins:
Suzette Cooks Blog made Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies:
Thanks everyone!
Red Lobster Biscuits by Abby of An A for Effort:
Payday Bars by Michelle of Brown Eyed Baker:
Olive Garden Alfredo with broccoli and chicken by Me
It's been a super-busy month for me and I haven't been baking or cooking nearly as much as I would have liked to. I'm currently house hunting, moving work locations, finishing up a Business course, the list goes on... Here's to a (hopefully) much calmer month ahead! If you haven't already checked out this Kraft Canada contest, click HERE for info and for a Giveaway (Canadians only). Looks like fun and you can win $20,000!
Thai Fusion Restaurant's Red Curry by Meg of Cooking in College
Ocean Club Chicken by Plain Chicken
Bon Ton Bakery Cinnamon Bread by Ashley of Eat Me, Delicious
Pei Wei Spicy Chicken Salad by Anne Strawberry
And lastly, I made Duncan Hines' Yellow Cake
If you would like to join next month (to be posted April 7/11), send me a quick email or leave me a comment with the link to your copycat post - old or new - and I would love to include it. For more info, click the link below my banner. Take care :)
Olive Garden's Minestrone Soup
Junior's Famous Cheesecake by Me
Kadhai Murgh (Indian Chicken Curry) by Kitchen Flavors Blog
Benihana's Ginger Dressing on Salmon by Chaya of My Sweet and Savory Blog
Girl Scout Samoas AKA Caramel De-Lites on Once Upon a Plate
Shake 'n Bake Chicken on Once Upon a Plate
White Castle Sliders on Big Red Kitchen
Thank you everybody and please feel free to add in your link in the Widget below! For future months, email me your blog links and I'll include them in the monthly round-up.
This has got to be THE BEST New York Cheesecake that I have ever tasted. It is a clone of the famous Junior's Cheesecake from New York of course! The most important part when making any cheesecake is to make sure the cream cheese, eggs, heavy cream are all at room temperature so they combine smoothly and homogonously. The more subtle the changes in temperature, the less likely your cake is to crack. That's why a water bath helps - because it stabilizes the temperature of the cheesecake.
This is the ultimate pure cheesecake. I'm not exaggerating. Cheesecake lovers, you MUST try this. There's no chocolate marble or strawberry swirl to take the glory away from the ultra-dreamy filling. The top is slightly sweeter from the beautiful caramellization while the inside is smooth and creamy. The only change I made to the original recipe is that I used a graham cracker crust instead of a sponge cake crust.I will also be including this in my Copycat Club Feb/11 round-up. Please join me - see link above :)
Junior's Original New York Cheesecake10" Cake | Junior's Cheesecake Cookbook
Sponge Cake Layer
1/2 cup sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
3 large eggs, seperated
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 drops lemon extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Cheesecake Filling
4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 2/3 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
SPONGE CAKE BASE:Preheat the oven to 350 F and generously butter a 9-inch springform pan. Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt together ina medium sized bowl and set aside.
Beat the egg yolks together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high for 3 minutes. Then, with the mixer still running, gradually add the 1/3 cup of sugar and continue beating until thick light-yellow ribbons form in the bowl, about 5 minutes more. Beat in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
Sift the flour mixture over the batter and stir it in by hand until mo more white flecks appear then blend in the butter. In a clean bowl, using clean dry beaters, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together on high until frothy. Gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form (the whites should stand up in stiff peaks, but not be dry). Stir about 1/3 cup of the whites into the batter, then gently fold in the remaining whites (don't worry if a few white specks remain). Gently spoon the batter into the pan. Bake the cake just until the center of the cake springs back when lightly touched, only about 10 minutes (watch carefully!) Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack while you continue making the cheesecake filling. Do not remove the cake from the pan.FILLING:Place one 8-ounce package of the cream cheese, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy, about 3 minutes, then beat in the remaining 3 packages of the cream cheese. Increase the mixer speed to high and beat in the remaining 1 1/3 cups of the sugar, then beat in the vanilla. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, beating the batter well after each one. Blend in heavy cream. At this point mix the filling only until completely blended (just like they do at Junior's) Be careful not to overmix the batter.
Gently spoon the cheese filling on top of the baked sponge cake layer. Place the springform pan in a large shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1 inch up the side of the pan. Bake the cheesecake until the center barely jiggles when you shake the pan, about 1 hour. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 1 hour. Then cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it's completely cold, at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove the sides of the springform pan. Slide the cake off of the bottom of the pan onto a serving plate. Or, if you wish, simply leave the cake on the removable bottom of the pan and place it on a serving plate. Store any leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator.
Starbucks Maple Oat Nut Scones by Tia (me)
Nutrigrain Fruit and Nut Bars on the Apartment Therapy Blog
PF Chang's Lettuce Wraps at The Culinary Life by Stephanie
Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latteat Babble's Family Kitchen
Bonefish Grill's Bang Bang Shrimp at Amy's Dinner
Starbucks Classic Coffee Cake by Tia @ Buttercreambarbie
Happy New Year!!! 2011 is here! I was so exhausted on New Year's eve that I slept right through midnight and woke up at 2AM, after all the festivities were over. I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, eh? lol
This cake is a clone of the Starbucks' Classic Coffee Cake. It has a crunchy, buttery topping and a ribbon of cinnamon-brown sugar sandwiched between tender, fluffy cake. I think that what makes this cake stand out from other coffee cakes is the higher ratio of topping to cake. When I first made it I thought I must have measured incorectly because the batter was so thin in the pan, I was struggling to spread it out over the filling. However, the result is delicious!I have seen baked items come and go... the trends have brought us everything from low-fat vegan brownies to gourmet doughnuts to mini-scones and breakfast sandwiches, but this coffee cake always seems to find its place in Starbucks' pastry cases everywhere. Sometimes it has a sprinkling of pecans on top, sometimes a drizzle of simple glaze, or a dusting of powdered sugar. I guess they call it a classic for a reason!This year I hope to see lots more people joining in Copycat Club where we bake and cook clones of our favorite famous eats. Click the link above and email me your copycat post or feel free to add it on the 7th of every month when I post the round-up.Starbucks Classic Coffee Cake9 x 13" cake | adapted from Top Secret RecipesTOPPING
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 (1 stick) of butter, softened
FILLING1/3 cup light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
CAKE
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup whole milkDIRECTIONS1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine topping ingredients, cutting in the butter to form a crumbly texture. 2. In a separate small bowl combine the filling ingredients. 3. Using an electric mixer cream the butter and sugars together then add the eggs, oil and vanilla. Combine well. Sift together flour, soda, salt and powder. Add the flour mixture alternating with the milk and buttermilk. Do not overmix. Spread 1/2 the batter in a greased 9x13 inch pan. Sprinkle filling evenly over the batter then top with remaining batter and finally, spread the topping evenly over the top. Note: The batter will be thin in the pan - it might be challenging to spread it out to cover the filling, but that's OK!4. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it.
Chaya of Comfy Cook made Ronzoni's Fettuccini Alfredo
The Girl Who Ate Everything made Lion House Rolls
If you didn't have a chance to email me your post or if I somehow missed you, please add your Copycat post below. I'd love to take a peek!
