Who can resist a Turtle Brownie Cheesecake?... Answer: noone.... Who can resist making a no-bake version?... Answer: not many cooks.
This easy to follow recipe is... in my opinion.... the closestin texture and taste to a baked cheesecake.It is a combination of several recipes... and some inventiveness on mypart.
I started out with the intention of trying Martha Stewart'sNo-Bake Cheesecake... but just before I went to the kitchen to start.. I lookedat her reviews... many noted that the cheesecake never set-up properly... whichhad me concerned.. I didn't want a soupy cake...
So problem number one was adding something to help set-upthe mixture... I toyed with adding Cool Whip... since that works well with mypies.. but I wanted a heavier thicker consistency... so I decided to start theprocess and see where it went.
So let's get started..
Martha's recipe made a graham cracker crust.. I wantedchocolate and I wanted it gooey and thicker than the traditional crumb crust...so I decided on a brownie crust...
I didn't want it too thick so I used a 10 inch springformpan... lined it with a cake cardboard and then some parchment paper for easyremoval and serving without the metal bottom of the pan.
You can purchase cake cardboards at a baking supply store...they come in various sizes and waxed and unwaxed. Mine are unwaxed... so to keep the browniebatter from making the cardboard soggy.. I cut out a circle of parchment paperto lay on the cardboard. No need togrease it.
Next.. I wanted something that would be quick, easy and notlabor intensive.. so I used a brownie mix.. my favorite is Betty Crocker FudgeBrownies 13 x 9 size, 18.3 oz. Mix it asyou would be making brownies with the ingredients listed on the box... spreadit into the lined springform pan and bake it.
I baked it for 35 minutes.. it was still gooey in themiddle... it was good but next time I will bake it longer... I'd say 38-39minutes should be about right for a still slightly chewy brownie layer.
I used Hershey's Caramel Ice Cream topping in the jar...easy and it worked well.. so why make your own? ... but if you want to .. be myguest.
Make sure your cream cheese is very soft... this will ensureyou don't have to worry about cream cheese lumps in your batter. If you want tips on softening cream cheese quickly...click here for my post.
I used JELLO Instant Vanilla Pudding (5.1 oz) 6 1/2 cupservings ... it has a slight yellow color and made the batter that color... ifyou absolutely want a white color.. I'd recommend you use the White Chocolateflavor... since white chocolate is really vanilla.. you should be fine. The only catch may be .. I'm not sure it comesin the larger size box of instant pudding and substituting 2 small boxes maynot be an answer. The pudding is whatmakes this get thick and too much of a good thing may not be good... so if youdo experiment.. let me know how it goes.
The sour cream is a must.. it cuts the sweetness and addsthe needed tang... it also smoothes out the batter.
Make sure you use SWEETENED condensed milk.
I listed milk in the ingredients... without a quantity...mix together all the batter ingredients.. then add a little milk with thebeater going to get it to the consistency you want... you can use skim milk orregular or lower fat.. it doesn't matter.. you will use less milk with thethinner milks and more with the full fat milk.
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| Drop by Spoonfuls over the caramel and nuts |
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| Smooth out the top |
Pecans and caramel make the brownie a Turtle Brownie... noteveryone can eat nuts... and if that's your dilemma.. leave them out... I hadto leave them out of mine.. and the cake was a hit just the same.
Drizzling the caramel over the top is not as easy as itlooks... if you want nice even lines going across (I didn't bother this time).. you can buy a "ketchup squeeze bottle" .. a plastic... cheap(usually around $1) bottle you can find at Walmart... load the caramel into itand use that to squeeze the lines on top of the cake.... same goes for thechocolate syrup.
Refrigerate about 2 hours before cutting... even though itsets up right away...
Use a wet knife to cut it... it will make the slicingeasier.
All I can say is ... be prepared to have this cake disappearfast!
Recipe: No Bake Turtle BrownieCheesecake
All you need:
1 Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie mix (and ingredients neededfor brownies)
2 pkgs. (8 oz each) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, roomtemperature
1 14-ounce can (1 1/4 cups) Eagle Brand sweetened condensedmilk
2 cups sour cream
1 box (5.1 oz.) JELLO instant Vanilla Pudding mix
Milk *See TIPS
Hershey's Caramel Ice Cream Topping (in the jar)
Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
About a cup chopped pecans
All you need to do:
Put a cake cardboard into a 10 inch springform pan. Lay a round piece of parchment paper over thecardboard.
Preheat the oven and prepare the brownie as directed on thebox. Bake for about 38 minutes.
Allow the brownie to cool completely.
Reserve about a 1/4 cup of the chopped pecans and sprinklethe rest over the baked brownie. Drizzlecaramel syrup over the pecans (about 1/2 cup).Set aside.
In a standing mixer, beat the cream cheese untilsmooth. Keep beating as you pour asteady stream of the sweetened condensed milk.Beat in the sour cream and the pudding. Beat until smooth.. add milkuntil the consistency is thick but spreadable.
Spread the batter over the brownie (and pecans andcaramel)... smooth the top.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Wet a sharp knife and run it around the edge of the cake andthe pan... loosen the springform sides and remove it. Slide the cake with the cake cardboard offthe metal bottom and place on a serving plate.
Top the cake with caramel and chocolate syrup. Sprinkle the reserved pecans over the top ifusing them.
