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Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Squares



My my... finally i am able to post what i've baked today... took longer then usual to prepare this cheesecake! its not difficult but it has a few steps and the cooling and chilling process is long so by the time i get to take a bite it was almost 7pm.. so u ask.. is it worth it?? hehhehe... these dulce de leche cheesecake squares are exactly as good as you would expect from milk caramel, and cheesecake, and the crust..oh..and also.. the chocolate.



If ur looking for a strong dulce de leche flavor in a baked good, this unfortunately isn’t it. Oh, it’s there, but it’s not front and center. It has to share the spotlight with cream cheese...but honestly, if there was ever a way to make cheesecake more heavenly, this would have to be it. I'm so so glad that hb had requested for this cheesecake last night or i wud hv bake my typical cream cheese pound cake instead hehhe...Recipe adapted fm Gourmet, Dec 2003




Ingredients
For crust
3 1/2 oz graham crackers, crumbled (1cup) (i used digestive)
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For filling
1 tsp unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup whole milk
8 oz cream cheese, softened (250g)
2 large eggs (abt 120g)
3/8 tsp salt
1 cup dulce de leche (store bought or recipe follows)

For glaze
3 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), coarsely chopped (100g)
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces (56g)
2 tsp light corn syrup (i didnt use)

Method
Make crust: Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 160C. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with 2 sheets of foil (crisscrossed), leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.

Finely grind crackers with sugar and a pinch of salt in a food processor. With motor running, add butter, blending until combined. Press mixture evenly onto bottom of baking pan. Bake 10 minutes, then cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes. (u can also crush digestive biscuit in ziplock, place it into a big bowl together with sugar and salt. Pour melted butter over it and mix using ur finger)



Make filling:
Sprinkle gelatin over milk in a small bowl and let stand 2 minutes to soften. Beat together cream cheese, eggs, salt, and gelatin mixture in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes, (dont panic if batter is too thin!) then stir in dulce de leche gently but thoroughly. Pour filling over crust, smoothing top, then bake in a hot water bath (I was able to fit mine in a 9×9-inch baking pan) in oven until center is just set, about 45 minutes. Cool cheesecake completely in pan on rack, about 2 hours. Chill, covered, at least 6 hours.



Glaze cake within 2 hours of serving:
Heat all glaze ingredients in a double boiler or a small metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth, then pour over cheesecake, tilting baking pan to coat top evenly. Chill, uncovered, 30 minutes.



Lift cheesecake from pan using foil overhang and cut into 1-inch (i cut mine 2" hehe) squares with a thin knife, wiping off knife after each cut. (Don’t skip this step! A clean knife is essential for uber-neat squares.)

Note: Cheesecake (without glaze) can be chilled up to 3 days.

Dulce de Leche (Milk Caramel)
Pour one can (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk into top of double-boiler pan; cover. Place over boiling water. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 40 to 50 minutes, or until thick and light caramel-colored.

Remove from heat. Whisk until smooth.

Note: I think u can get store bought dulce de leche in some specialist supermarket... mine are fm Argentina hehhe (thank u Alberto for buying us bottles and bottles of it) Also, I’m sure you notice that there is some gelatin in this recipe, and think it’s odd. But, if you think about it, it makes sense? The reason why most cheesecake recipes don’t fare well as squares is that they’re too soft to easily pick up, the gelatin fixes this perfectly!

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About Me

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Hi.. I am a SAHM to 2 kiddoes..19yr old boy n 2 year old girl.. met my Austrian hubby here in Singapore and hv been living here all my life... my love for baking started when i was 6mths preggie to my daughter, Sonia... my addiction to baking has not stop eversince.. I hope to learn as much as i can abt baking and decorating and then share it with u along the way..