Page 236 - Chocolate Cake Doctor

218 C H O C O L A T E C H E E S E C A K E S A N D S O M U C H M O R E

Softening Cream Cheese

othing could be easier than of cream cheese in the batter, and they
N assembling a cheesecake that will never disappear. If you want to make
begins with a cake mix. But you must cheesecake but your cream cheese has
remember to use soft, room-temperature been in the refrigerator, warm it up in the
cream cheese when blending the filling. microwave oven: Unwrap the block of
Unless that cream cheese is soft, and cream cheese, place it on a microwave-
the ingredients added to it are at room safe plate, and microwave on high power
temperature, you will wind up with lumps for 20 to 30 seconds.

2. Place the cake mix, melted butter, and oughly cream the mixture. Stop the
1 egg in a large mixing bowl. Blend with machine and add the 3 eggs and the lime
an electric mixer on low speed for 2 min- juice to the batter. Beat on medium speed
utes. Stop the machine and scrape down for 1 minute. Stop the machine and
the sides of the bowl with a rubber spat- scrape down the sides of the bowl with
ula. The batter should come together into the rubber spatula. Pour the filling onto
a ball. With your fingertips, pat the batter the crust and spread it out with the rub-
evenly over the bottom and up the sides ber spatula so that it is smooth. Place the
of the springform pan, spreading it out pan in the oven.
with your fingers until smooth. Set the
4. Bake the cheesecake until it looks
pan aside.
shiny and the center barely jiggles when
3. Place the cream cheese and sweet- you shake the pan, 58 to 62 minutes.
ened condensed milk in the same mixing Remove the pan from the oven and place
bowl that was used for the crust. With the it on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes.
same beaters (no need to clean them Then lightly cover the pan with plastic
either), blend with an electric mixer on wrap and place it in the refrigerator to
low speed until just combined, 30 sec- chill for at least 1 hour, or preferably 24
onds. Increase the mixer speed to hours, for the flavors to meld.
medium and beat 1 minute more to thor-