Cheesecake Week Part II: Junior's Little Fella Chocolate Swirls

Welcome to Part II and the final entry for Cheesecake week.

I was wondering what to do with the final bit of cream cheese that my little Oompa Loompas were dancing around with and then came inspiration and a reason. The inspiration continued to come from Junior's Cheesecake Cookbook: 50 To-Die-For Recipes for New York-Style Cheesecake. The reason came from Fun and Food. Fun and Food hosts an event: Game Night Party Recipes. The idea here is to come up with simple and easy to make recipes that would make an at home game night easy and fun. Personally I did not grow up in a sports house. There were no football Sundays or Cricket Saturdays in my home so I guess that's why I never developed the need to rearrange a day around kick off. That being said, I still love game nights just with a different twist. My friends and I have board game nights or more recently added Wii nights. The tennis game on Wii has proven to bring out the competitive side in everyone!

So my contribution to Game Night are these delicious little chocolate cheesecakes once again brought to you buy Junior's. I am certain this is not the last you have heard from Junior's Cheesecake Cookbook. They are well written and although at times can be pretty complex; they are very easy to make. Please enjoy these 'little fellas'.

Junior's Little Fella Chocolate Swirls

Ingredients (makes 1 dozen):

2 8oz packages cream cheese (use only full fat), at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 extra-large eggs

1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream

1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 recipe Chocolate Curls

1 12oz jar hot fudge ice cream topping (optional) warm

Construction:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 12 standard muffin cups with silicone, foil, parchment, or paper liners.
2. Put one package of the cream cheese, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl a few times. Blend in the remaining package of cream cheese. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat in the remaining 1/3 cup sugar, then the vanilla. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after adding each one. Beat in the cream just until it's completely blended. Be careful not to over mix! Remove 3/4 cup of the batter and stir in the cocoa.
3. Divide the white batter among the 12 muffin cups. Drop a heaping teaspoon of chocolate batter in the center of each, pushing it down slightly. Using a small knife, cut through the batter just until dark swirls appear.
4. Place the muffin tin in a large shallow pan and add hot water until it comes about 1 inch up the sides of the tin. Bake the cakes until set and slightly puffy, about 45 minutes. Remove the cakes from the water bath, transfer the tin to a wore rack, and let cool for 2 hours. Cover the cakes with plastic wrap (do not remove from the tin) and put in the freezer until cold, at least 1 hour.
5. To remove the cakes, lift them out with your hands and peel off the liners. Place the cakes, top side up, on a serving platter or individual desserts plates. Top with the chocolate curls if you wish and refrigerate. Serve drizzled with the hot fudge sauce, if you wish. If there are any cakes left, cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator or wrap and freeze for up to 1 month.

Lewis Notes on Little Fella Chocolate Swirls:

• I had to bend my foil roasting pan to fit my muffin pan. Just another reason why these foil pans are perfect for cheesecake baking.
• This is a very easy recipe to make. Again though, as is common with Junior's recipes, you need to do a little pre-planning. Total time from idea to completion: 4 Hours. (give or take the distance from your chair to your mixer) So make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get these made before everyone shows up for the game!

These wonderfully delicious little fellas are served with a little chocolate sauce. I keep trying to give them away so they aren't staring at me, calling to me, "Eat me!!!"

Thanks again to Fun and Food for the Game Night party idea and I hope you all enjoy these wonderful little delights and to Junior's Cheesecake Cookbook for the recipe.

Ingredients:

Try not to cry when your sugar bowl slips from your hand:

Plain filling & Chocolate filling:

Filling the cups:

Coming out of the oven: (don't worry they go down)

Chocolate Shavings for the top:

Final Product:

My lovely, beautiful wife always gets the 'picture plate'. Her review: "OH MY GOD!!!" She described the textured as that of a typical cheesecake: very dense, creamy, and chocolaty.