Tuesday 11 June 2013

Peach Cheesecake


Phong Hong Bakes indeed! I know you don't see that many bakes on my blog even though ahem, my blog title seems to suggest otherwise. Actually, I do bake but my problem is (1) the cake is ugly (2) the photo is ugly or (3) both. LOL! I do snap pics of the ugly cakes or even the failed ones for posterity. I made brownies a few times but the photos were not decent at at all. How do you people get such pretty brownie pictures, I really don't know. Mine looked like gobs of brown or black and I have since given up.



This Peach Cheesecake came about after I saw the recipe for Spiced Plum Cheesecake in the book Favourite Cupcakes and Cheesecakes. It looked rather pretty and since I don't have any spiced plums, I decided to substitute with canned peaches. The recipe uses Kashta cheese, a middle eastern cheese, something I am not familiar with. So I used regular cream cheese.



Unlike the usual cheesecakes that I am used to, the batter uses egg separation method, pretty much like Ogura Cheesecake.  The base is made of a combination of sweet biscuits (I used the usual digestive biscuits) and almond meal. 

I love the texture of this cheesecake because it is light and creamy unlike New York style cheesecake which is more on the dense and heavy side. I think this is due to the egg separation method. And due to the light texture, it was very easy to slice. However, I didn't like the almond meal base. It tasted funny to me and the next time, I will leave it out and use only digestive biscuits as the base.



Another thing is, it is best to use peach halves. I discovered to my horror that the canned peach I bought was in slices which I had used for the Peach Upside Down Cake. But it was too late and still it turned out alright. If you use peach halves, it is easier and saves more time when arranging the peaches on the cake base.

My cake was slightly underdone at the middle but it was OK as this type of cheesecakes is very forgiving. I had baked the cheesecake for 1 hour and perhaps another 10 minutes would have been perfect.

This cheesecake is a keeper and there are other combination of fruits and ingredients that you can use. It is really delicious and and very easy to put together.









Peach Cheesecake
Recipe source : Adapted from Spiced Plum Cheesecake from Favorite Cupcakes and Cheesecakes (page 143)

Ingredients :

For the base :
- 50g melted butter
- 75g almond meal (In future I will omit this)
- 75g disgestive biscuits, finely crushed (In future to use 150g due to omission of almond meal)

For the filling :
- 825g canned peach halves, drained
- 250g cream cheese
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup hot milk
- 1/4 cup custard powder
- 4 large eggs, separated

Method :
1. Combine the butter, digestive biscuits and almond meal in a bowl and mix well.
2. Press into a 9 inch springform pan and bake at 140C for 10 minutes (you can skip baking the base if you like)
3. Arrange the peaces, cut side down over the base.
4. Place cream cheese, sour cream, caster sugar and vanilla extract in an electric mixer and beat until smooth.
5. Add the hot milk and neat until smooth.
6. Then add the custard powder and egg yolks and mix well.
7. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to firm peaks.
8. Fold into the cheese mixture and then pour over the peach base.
9. Bake at 140C for 1 hour 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
10. Run a spatula around the inside of the tin immediately after it is removed from the oven.
11. Cool and chill.




This post is linked to Cook-Your-Books #1 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours.

45 comments:

  1. PH, I love cheesecake, making me so craving for a slice now hahaha...

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    1. Jess, try this cheesecake it is very nice!

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  2. Hi Phong Hong,
    Your cheesecake looks very creamy and yummy! And I like canned peaches, having a slice of this is wonderful indeed, chilled and delicious!
    I agree with you, brown food do not photograph well! I need a new camera! Yeah, yeah, blame it all on the camera!! Hahaha!
    Thank you for linking!

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    1. Thanks, Joyce! This cheesecake is a favorite now. I love the taste and the texture.

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  3. Hi Phong Hong
    Your cheesecake is indeed very tempting. To me, your cheesecake look unusual to me as the peach fruit is at bottom of the cake and not on the top surface. I am sure this cheesecake sounds sinfully delicious and yummy.

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    1. Mel, the peach goes very well with the cheese mixture. I simply love it!

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  4. Phong Hong must not let my children see yr mouth watering cheese cake, otherwise they will ' bising' me to bake cheesecake as it has been quite a while since I last bake the oreo cheese Ogura Cake which I yet to post! hehe.... My children love cheese and I always feel so guilty to prepare food with cheese! Sign.....

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    1. Christine, this cheesecake is quite appealing with the peach slices peeping out of the cake. It is a good cheesecake and I hope that you bake it for your children :)

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  5. This cheesecake definitely looks delicious! I know what you meant about the photos for brownies, mine turned out looking ugly too lol! I was told that you need to chill it before cutting to get a nice clean cut...have not baked any brownies since that tip so don't know if that will work lol!

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    1. Jeannie, read Amelia's tips below. I am going to try it with my next brownie.

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  6. Hi Phong Hong, your cheesecake look delicious and very tempting. Nice color too. So 3pm coffee break can come over? LOL

    For brownies my method is to chill it well till slightly firm. Dip the knife in hot water, wipe the knife with towel then cut the brownies. Best to use outdoor sunlight or near window to take food/cake that are dark like chocolate. Or you can play around with your camera flash. The background must be light colour too. It's not the camera, it's the person behind the camera. The angle of the food and where you stand is very important.

    You might think I'm crazy, every posting I spent at least 1.5 to 2 hours taking about 50 to 100 pics and select about 10 to 15 pics only. That's why I cannot afford to update so often. LOL

    Have a nice day.

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    1. Amelia, thanks for the tips! I always admire your photos. No wonder lah you took so many shots and get the best ones. Myself too lazy hah! hah! I will try your suggestion for my next brownie and chocolate cake.

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  7. omg omg berair mulut I Ph...sedapnyaaaa :)..

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    1. CM, sangat sedap! Sekeping tak cukup...diet jahanam lagi hik..hik..hik...

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  8. Aloh! nampok sedaknya yum-yum cheese dan peach my two favourite bila aku balik buat kasi aku makan boleh dok

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    1. EE, I will bake this cake again for you :)

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  9. This looks like the soft cheesecake, so delicious. Love the addition of peaches.

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    1. Mich, the texture is very creamy and light and I really love it a lot!

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  10. Phong Hong, tak boleh tahan lah, this cheesecake looks so SEDAP!!!!! :)

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    1. Esther, it is very sedap and you should try it soon :)

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  11. Well this photo did the trick, because the texture looks amazing. I think I would like to eat this with the creamy light texture a lot better than the heavy dense NY cheese cake. Does that mean we can eat more? lol! It would be fun to play with the flavors...I wonder how a ginger cheese cake would taste? hehe!

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    1. Lyndsey, I think for someone who loves ginger, you would love a ginger flavoured cheesecake. The ginger liqueur might do the trick :)

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  12. Could I pls have a slice... looks totally awesome

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  13. OH wow! i LOVE cheesecakes & yours looks so INVITING! Love the soft creamy texture ! YUM!

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    1. Thanks, Kit! The texture is really lovely and I prefer this type of cheesecake.

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  14. Your cheesecake looks amazing! And I love that you used peaches instead of spiced plums...super tasty!!

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    1. Thank you, Liz! I love this cheesecake a lot!

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  15. Oooo...I super-love this baked Japanese cotton cheesecake, no need for the peach.

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    1. Arthur, this is not a cotton cheesecake. It is like the usual cheesecake but much lighter and creamier. Whatever it is, you will love it :)

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  16. it looks very creamy indeed! and it got a perfect top! very nice! it's not easy to shoot black, brown or dark food..try shooting in a light colour background as it's easier to see when there's contrast.

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    1. Thanks, Lena! Very light and creamy, just the way I like it. I will try shooting brownies again and follow your tip. Then I can do a brownie post :)

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  17. The cheesecake look super delish! Make me drooling over it.

    For dark cake like chocolate cake or brownies, sometimes I get frustated like you too, very hard to get the texture. So from my experience .... (cause normally I can only bake at night time)wait till morning /afternoon to shoot, if can, add with the light on too. :)

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    1. DG, I hope you try this cheesecake. I will try shooting my brownies again. Hopefully it will work out :)

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  18. Your peach cheesecake looks moist and wonderful. I can't wait to try it with peaches from my In-Law's garden. :)

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  19. ivy sew http://simplybeautifulhealthyliving.blogspot.com12 June 2013 at 22:47

    Phong Hong, this is so yummy. Too bad, when comes to baking, I am very lousy :(

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    1. Ivy, surely you can't be that bad? Takes a lot of practice and I am still learning :)

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    2. Oh yes, Phong Hong. I had tried few times and most of the time it ended in the garbage bins. I think I need to give it another try. Anyway, thanks Phong Hong.

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    3. Ivy, I have also thrown away many cakes and bakes! Not to mention some dishes too haha! Keep trying, you will improve just like I did :)

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  20. Have never tried a cheesecake with fruits in it, looks good. I would love to try it but not sure if my waistline would :)

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    1. Hah! Hah! Do try it because it is really good but eat only one slice! **wink**

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  21. The surface of the cheesecake is perfect and the inside is so creamy .... mmmm!

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    1. Thanks, Cheah! One of my better bakes :)

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