Cheesecake pops

Recently I have become an addict of the Food Network show "Bake" with Anna Olson. The following is an account of my endeavor to recreate her Cheesecake Pops for friends.

Making the New York Style Cheesecake was fairly easy, despite the many hours and steps. It is also quite delicious, especially since I am not an avid fan of cheesecake.

Classic New York Cheesecake 

Makes 1 9-inch cheesecake.

Preparation time:
Cooking time:
Yield: 12

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing the pan

Cheesecake

• 4 packages 250 gram packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• 3 large whole eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream (not low-fat), divided
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• I also added the seeds of a vanilla bean 

Assembly

Directions

Crust

Cheesecake

Assembly

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. For the crust, stir the graham crumbs, sugar and melted butter until evenly combined and press this into the bottom of an ungreased 9-inch springform pan. Bake this for 10 minutes, then cool. Brush the sides of the pan with a little melted butter.
3. For the cheesecake, increase the oven temperature to 400 F. Beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the 1 ¼ cups of sugar a little at a time, and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl often. Beat in the cornstarch, vanilla and lemon zest. Beat in the eggs one at a time, on a lower speed, and scraping after each addition, then beat in the yolk. Still on low speed, beat in ¾ cup of sour cream. Scrape this over the cooled crust.
4. Bake the cheesecake for 10 minutes at 400 F and then reduce the oven temperature to 225 F and bake for 25 more minutes. Turn off the oven, and leave the cheesecake in for an hour, cracking the oven door after 30 minutes. While the cheesecake is baking, prepare the sour cream layer.
5. Stir the remaining ¾ cup of sour cream with the remaining 2 Tbsp of sugar and the lemon juice. Spread this over the top of the cheesecake as soon as it has come out of the oven. Allow the cheesecake to cool completely to room temperature, then carefully run a spatula around the outside of the cheesecake to loosen it from the pan, then chill the cheesecake for at least 6 hours before slicing and serving.
6. The cheesecake will keep, refrigerated, for up to 4 days.

Now comes the tale of the cake pops. My boyfriend was not pleased that I "ruined half a cheesecake" to make cake pops when he could have eaten it as is. The recipients of the pops; however, stated they were "Sex on a stick" and fantastic. I suppose all the heartache was worth it, and a learning experience.

The kitchen was too warm, so the scooped pops would not support the lollipop sticks upright. Dipping the pops in melted chocolate proved to be messy, and I could not get them to stand upright to dry properly in a container of sugar. They aren't perfect but are tasty. Oh well, you live and learn.

Cheesecake Pops  

Preparation time:
Cooking time:
Yield: 24

Ingredients

• 1/3 a prepared cheesecake
• 24 lollipop sticks
• 3 ounces dark chocolate, melted
• 3 ounces milk chocolate, melted
• 3 ounces white chocolate, melted
• graham cracker crumbs, coloured sugar, pearl dust, small sprinkles for decor

Directions

1. Gently stir the cheesecake, crust and all, in a stand mixer fitter with the paddle attachment, or by hand with a spatula, until the crust has mixed with the filling. Use a small ice cream scoop or melon baler to scoop 1-inch balls of cheesecake an roll them in your hands to shape more precisely. Insert a lollipop stick into the cheesecake and place on a parchment lined baking tray (if the cheesecake mixture seems too soft, you can freeze the scooped balls for 30 minutes before shaping and inserting the sticks). Freeze the pops for an hour, while preparing the chocolate and accents.
2. Dip the pops in your choice of chocolates and then dip or sprinkle the accents on at your choosing. For presentation, arrange the dipped and decorated pops in a vase filled with coloured sugar, or in a lollipop stand (available at kitchen supply stores).