Having thoroughly enjoyed a good number of cups of Brewed Chocolate since writing the review, it was only a matter of time before it became an ingredient in one of my desserts. Straddling the line between coffee and chocolate, it wasn’t hard to find complimentary flavors to pair with it… Namely, chocolate and coffee!

Letting the brewed chocolate shine in a simple cheesecake base, it would have been easy enough to make it like a traditional dessert, but after witnessing so many inspiring plated works of art being assembled, I simply couldn’t contain my desire to follow suit.

The “crust” is sprinkled on the side in the form of cocoa-coffee soil, veganized from this recipe just by using margarine instead of butter. A few drops of clear caramel sauce complete the plate, while the cheesecake itself is topped with whipped soy cream and a broken chocolate mendiant with cacao nibs. Pretty simple still, but a whole lot more fun than just a plain old cheesecake, if you ask me!

Of course, with extra cheesecake, I decided to play around with a second presentation, much more like an individual trifle. The soil is scooped into the bottom of a glass, which is then topped by smaller cubes of cheesecake, and then a whole mendiant. This is one that I can definitely see making again for a larger crowd, as it’s just as much work as making regular old parfaits.

You could certainly bake the crust into the bottom if you’d prefer, but this is one recipe that is delicious however you serve it. It only makes a very small amount, so if you’re planning on having company, I would suggest doubling the recipe and baking it in an 8 x 8 pan instead.

Brewed Chocolate Cheesecake

1 8-Ounce Package Vegan “Cream Cheese”
1/4 Cup Vegan “Sour Cream”, or Pureed Extra-Firm Silken Tofu
1/3 Cup Brewed Chocolate
1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 Teaspoon Salt

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and lightly grease an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan.

Begin by beating the “cream cheese” in your stand mixer until soft and creamy. Add in all of the other ingredients, and mix thoroughly until completely smooth and homogeneous. Pour the cheesecake mixture into your prepared pan and bake for approximately 30 minutes, until set around the edges but still wobbly in the center when tapped. Let the cheesecake cool completely in the pan, and then chill, covered, for at least 2 hours until cold all the way through. Cut into squares or cubes and serve as desired.

Printable Recipe

All of those hours in the kitchen and countless failures are worth it when that one souffle finally rises.

Allowing us Daring Bakers a bit more time to recover from holiday excess, it was a brilliant scheme to propose a lighter, easier challenge. Instead of the typical novel of a recipe that rattles on for 18 or more pages, this one was quite simple, but allowed for plenty of creative freedom- Exactly what I crave.

This month’s challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.

Like most DB challenges these days, I was at first miffed by the simplicity of those plain old tuiles, this boring and unexceptional cookie that could be easily made by newbie bakers. Instead of wasting time and getting in a huff though, I quickly moved on and made exactly what I would have wanted from the challenge. What else other than a plated dessert?

Believe it or not, this one required no veganization on my part, as Lolo had already concocted a perfect recipe for vegan tuiles, which I happily put to use. Going with the theme of “light and airy,” I sketched out a few shapes of little birds and then cut them out of cardboard to make my templates. Coloring the dough by using beet juice instead of water, plus just a tiny pinch of paprika, my love birds took flight in rosy shades of pink. A tiny dab of the batter mixed with cocoa created their eyes.

Perched upon spun sugar nests, these crispy feathered cookies were quite an adorable pair, and I could have easily stopped there. But no, I had my heart set on a composed plate of different flavors and textures. Starting from the bottom up, rounds of fluffy chocolate cake were topped with pistachio mousse, making for a rich, creamy base to contrast nicely with the wafer-thin tuiles. Surrounded by a simple coconut foam, each bite was a little bit different, but all were satisfying to both my sweet tooth and my inner pastry chef.

Food is so central to most celebrations, and especially auspicious times like the Chinese New Year. Falling on the 26th this year, it was a scramble to figure out some way to celebrate, after getting caught up in so many different classes and events. Considering how hectic these past days have been and how much I still want to accomplish, it only made sense to make noodles. Long noodles are meant to ensure a long life, you see, and I’ll need all the time I can get to finish my never ending to-do list!

Not just any noodles would do though, and not even homemade pasta seemed special enough this time. Cracking open Johnny Iuzzini’s book for the first time, I started in winter to match with the current season, and there it was: The first recipe of the first tasting, Citrus Salad with Calamansi Noodles. Having never even seen a real calamansi lime before, I fell back on Johnny’s suggestion to use a mixture of orange, lemon, and lime juice instead of the puree. All that was necessary was substituting a combination of agar and locust bean gum for the gelatin, and voila- Citrus noodles! A resounding success.

Plated with brioche croutons, segments of tangerines and blood oranges, plus a quick chiffonade of fresh mint (finding micro green shiso leaves locally was out of the question) and a sprinkle of sesame seeds, it was such a light and refreshing dessert! So very different from any traditional noodle one might think of, but I think I might like it even more because of that.

Happy Lunar New Year- Here’s to a long, productive, and creative life!