Time flies, whether you’re having fun or not. Thankfully, most of my time has been occupied by enjoyable things, but the past week or so seems to have completely escaped my grasp. Planning is clearly not my forte, judging by the lack of posts recently, but at least I had the forethought to make my entry for the Daring Bakers early on before this whirlwind of activity picked up and carried off my free time.
The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.
Perhaps it’s a good thing that this was in fact, not a challenge due to schedule constraints, but part of me deeply misses the old days of crazy recipes, near-disasters that force one to think outside of the box, and rising to the occasion, ultimately finding an even better result than anticipated. Cheesecake may present some difficulties and potential pit falls, with the threat of cracked tops or dense fillings looming, but once you make one, you can pretty much make a million. With you eyes closed. While twittering. And preparing dinner at the same time.
Regardless, a plated presentation was definitely in order, being one of my favorite things at the moment. The whole she-bang starts out with a key lime cheesecake made in a silicon hemisphere mold, baked for only a few minutes to set and then frozen. Once each half sphere is popped out, they’re placed on top of tender graham cakes, imitating the flavors of a traditional cheesecake crust. Beneath that, for a satisfying crunch, is a thin layer of almond shortbread, anchoring the whole dessert and adding a nice nutty flavor beneath it all. Crowned with some candied key limes and sugared mint leaves, it was a rich but refreshing dessert, perfectly suited for this heat wave we’re experiencing on the east coast. If only I still had one of these little plates left now!
YUM! What a cool presentation of the challenge…looks absolutely delicious. :)
Sugared mint leaves!! Amazing!
I love your take on the challenge. It looks so unusual, and tasty!
Wow, I’m amazed you had time to make this in all the business that’s been surrounding you! It looks great. And the idea of a graham cake and a shortbread base? Genius!! And of course, I love key lime. I wish I could have some right now.
your cheesecake looks fantastic! Love the presentation, i almost thought it was ice-cream on a cake :) Great job!
Lovely presentation and I just love the flavours. Great work on this challenge. Must get one of those spherical moulds.
Wow that is absolutely stunning!
Wow.. what a gorgeous dessert, Hannah! It sounds so delicious as well.. perfect for this uncommon April heatwave that I’ve been LOVING. :)
Great job!
xoxo
Free time? What’s that? :)
You did fabulously with the challenge once again Hannah!
I like the shape of your cheesecake. Unique. And like a snowball or a Gaperon cheese. It’s beautiful.
Mmmm. I feel like if there were a vegan alien, they would make this dessert. It’s so futuristic. I mean all of that in a good way, obviously!
that looks awesome, Hannah! I love! frozen cheesecakes, too!
btw, where do you get key lime leaves from??
Wow! I love the shape of the cheesecake/custard layer! Beautiful presentation.
That’s it– I’m getting one of those molds. Great plating and photo!
Awesome job!! loge the unusual shape :)
Soooo pretty! I love the dome shape!
I’ve never seen a cheesecake shaped like that before, but it works beautifully. This cheesecake looks so professional.
wow that is stunning!!
Phenomenal, as always! You consistently amaze me with your innovative approach. I love your blog so much!
It was an easy one, but I love cheese cake so much, I was still happy!
Looks so refreshing and light!
Stunning!
I had a bit of trouble with my cheesecake as it was also the very first one I ever made, but I do think you’re right; once you know how to make one you can make any of them. I love your presentation of the cheesecake though! Looks delicious!
thats certainly creative! loved the idea of making hemi-spheres and the use of silicone mold! the graham ‘cake’ also sounds great :) Hats off!
Love the hemispher mold. Reminds me of a Pierre herme creation.
Sounds delicious and the presentation is amazing!!
That looks and sounds so good!
I’ve never made cheesecake, vegan or otherwise. Did you use tofu? Vegan cream cheese? It looks tasty and refreshing!
That is a great use of the hemisphere molds. What beautiful plating with great lines – I love it! No matter how simple the recipe, I know you will always make it into something special. Fantastic :)
Amazing! It looks so tasty! And you’re right about this heat wave, it’s been crazy hot here!
Your plating is spectacular.
Great job and amazing presentation.
Looks beautiful!
I miss the days of crazy recipes as well. I used to have to do each recipe twice just to get an end result that was kind of up to my standards. I could’ve done this cheesecake with my eyes closed and it was my first one ever.
Your pictures always look so amazing…I want to drool every time I see them, and this one is no exception :)
That mold is so cool!!! Very lovely plating :)
wow, what a beautiful presentation, Hannah! I love the hemisphere shape! Every little detail looks super beautiful and sounds super tasty. Mmmmm!
What stunning presentation, Hannah! I love your flavour choice—as you say, very refreshing.
Your platings are gorgeous and always a work of art. I’m getting better with mine but still struggle.
~ingrid
That’s gorgeous! I love the domed top; it’s such a beautiful presentation.
Very pretty and refreshing! A great creation!
Cheers,
Rosa
What beauty!! I love the presentation, not to mention the fact that the thing sounds AMAZINGLY delicious!!!
Sounds delicious! I love the way it looks. Very pretty!
What a cute little cake! I’m so glad you posted this because I have been wondering if tofu cheesecakes make good frozen cheesecakes. All the nonvegan ones have whipped topping in them so I thought tofu might be too heavy. Anyway… frozen keylime cheesecake sounds perfect for hot summer days ahead!
Once again, as always, you rocked it! That is one beauty of a cheesecake, and I love the dome shape. I need to get some of those silicone molds, as I love domes :)
Wow, awesome job! That looks so good!
So cute! Love the presentation
Beautiful! I love the molded cheesecake–plated desserts are so much fun, I miss having the tools to play around with them at the bakery.
oh my goodness. you always raise the bar beyond the luscious…
Beautiful work Hannah. I love all of your presentations.
What a beautiful little cheesecake! (which I;m guessing is your favorite type since you included so many variations in My Sweet Vegan!) Thanks for the samolella update- I’ve been more liking sprouts lately, looks like they’re going to need a break!
If you get a chance, please check out my blog’s most recent post- the vitual tour may be a horrific interest to you as it was for me :-0
That is beautiful!
That looks amazing and the lime sounds really good. Great work again!
This looks gorgeous. Glad you were able to show us your creative flair!
What beautiful plating! Love the flavors too. I agree though – I can bake a cheesecake in my sleep :/
That does look nicely refreshing for a warm day such as today. I agree with the nonchallenge of this though but I’m also with you on that maybe being a good thing. Way too busy.
Mmm, that looks amazing!! I love your dome =D.
Absolutely beautiful and creative presentation!
Gorgeous, as always!
Wow so creative. It looks wonderful.
Love your take on it! Was thinking about making something domed but didn’t feel like trying in the end.
Love the way your cheesecake looks, very pretty!
ooh, I love that it’s a graham cake instead of crust – I’ve never tried cheesecake with cake before but I bet it’s awesome!
oh this is just too lovely. it’s an artwork by itself. loving the dome-shape and it’s definitely one of the best-looking cheesecakes i’ve seen so far! x
small yet perfectly formed – I’ve never had key lime cheesecake before but this looks so delicious and refreshing I may be tempted to seek out a recipe!
Gorgeous cake! I wish I could eat it through the screen. I love the key lime flavor and the very summery feeling to this presentation. Thanks for another fabulous eye candy!
Beautiful! Those sugared mint leaves are just perfect, too.
You’re so right about cheesecake-making abilities. Once you get the hang of them, you’re like, “What’s the big deal?” :)
… Off to wish I had some cheesecake in the fridge …
Absolutely stunning presentation, Hannah! I don’t know how you manage with your schedule as busy at it is, seriously, you put me to shame!
Love that round mold. Makes for a beautiful presentation!
prettypretty:)
Pretty (and share the heat!) and refreshing looking. I’m with you on the challenge part though, or lack of.
that looked AMAZING! baking + twittering + making dinner? wow! you’re super multitasker! Love your presentation and flavour combination.
Very nice…looks really yummie! Love the pictures!
Honestly, you’re the first one to complain (in Twitter too!). I was worried more people would think like you but I was amazed at how many of the Daring Bakers had never attempted cheesecake before. The group isn’t all professionals, but people who just want to learn new skills and try new things. I saw some amazing, creative things happen over the course of the month. I hope you’ll feel more challenged in the future. Not every challenge is for everyone, that’s for sure.
absolutely stunning cheesecake! i love how you assembled it and the key lime i’m ceratin is sublime!