My favourite desert is probably a baked cheesecake, and the funny thing is I never use to like it until this cheesecake. It is made with lemon zest and the seeds from a vanilla bean to produce a wonderfully fresh flavour, whilst the texture is extremely creamy and quite light.
Most recipes call for a double boiler and the addition of flour; this is to prevent the chances of cracking on the top. However, I assure you that these steps are not necessary – as long as your ingredients are at room temperature and you don’t beat too much air into the batter, there will be absolutely no cracks. So it’s actually simpler than you think.
Today’s post is a little different as I have created a stop motion video. It doesn’t show the precise instructions but it gives you a general idea. Sorry – I know the stop motion is not completely smooth so please bear with me.
Also, I would like to give credit to the incredible José González for the amazing song Stay Alive (it’s one of my favourite songs).
*Watch in HD
I honestly enjoy creating stop motion videos, and my very first one was in grade 6. It was actually a Claymation on how to save electricity, and we needed to do voiceovers for each the characters. Now that I look back on it, the task seems pretty silly – but I guess it was suitable for our age back then.
Another weird task was making up a song to describe the formation of a cyclone. In pairs, we needed to come up with the lyrics then sing it, and since I have a really bad voice, it honestly didn’t go too well.
It’s funny how easy school used to be in comparison to now, but as we get older we also get better. Hence, I believe that some things are meant to be difficult – because life’s a journey of overcoming the hardships which will lead to an even better destination.
The song featured in this stop motion video is played in the credits of one of my favourite movies; The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It’s basically about a man, Walter Mitty, who begins an adventure around the world with the aim to find the missing negative that is essential for the Life magazine cover. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should definitely go watch it.
There are some really good quotes in the movie, such as the motto for Life magazine –
“To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life”.
As well as –
“Beautiful things don’t ask for attention”, and
“If I like a moment, for me, personally, I don’t like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it”.
The Secret life of Walter Mitty is truly an exceptional movie, with the beautiful scenery and its brilliant soundtrack (listen to full soundtrack here). It is no doubt inspiring whilst it shows you how to make the most out of life. One of the main messages/lessons I received from the movie is that it’s not too late to start being who you are. As much as I hate to admit it- I actually cried out of happiness after watching the movie.
Walter Mitty also demonstrates how to step out of your comfort zone, follow your dreams and start living. So, I guess, they’re some of the many the reasons why I started Beyond Our Sky, as there was a voice in my head asking me – why not? So far, there are not a lot of people reading my blog since I started it two weeks ago, but thank you for all the support. I’m still learning and I hope to improve the design of the blog, my writing and of course the photography.
This will probably be my last post as school holidays are almost finished. Well, not my very last post – but you probably won’t be seeing anything new until the next holidays, which is in about 10 weeks time. Although, I am pretty proud of myself as I have managed to put 6 posts on the blog and I honestly thought I would only have time to upload 2 posts.
So thank you for reading and I hope you try to make this baked cheesecake. Until next time, goodbye!!!
Baked Cheesecake
Makes a 22cm cheesecake that is light and creamy. Can serve up to 12 people.
Ingredients
- 325g plain sweet biscuits (such as Arnott’s Nice or Scotch Fingers)
- 200g butter, melted
- 500g cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup (150g) caster sugar
- 1 cup (300g) sour cream
- Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
- 3 eggs
- Fresh berries to decorate (I like to use raspberries, blueberries and strawberries)
*All ingredients for the cheesecake must be at room temperature.
Method
- Preheat oven to 160°C/140°C fan-forced. Grease a 6cm-deep, 22cm round (base) spring-form cake pan.
- Place biscuits into a zip lock bag and crush until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs (or use a food processor). Transfer into a medium-sized bowl, then add the melted butter and mix until combined.
- Press half the mixture into the base of pan, using a straight-edged glass to ensure it’s compact. Press the remaining mixture into the sides of the pan, using the glass to ensure it’s even all around the edges. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed for 3 minutes. Add the sugar and beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, then on high for 1 minute.
- Add the sour cream, vanilla seeds and lemon rind then mix on medium speed for 2 minutes until well combined. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
- Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on medium speed in between each addition. Once all the eggs are added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on medium for 30 seconds.
- Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until just set and centre wobbles slightly. Allow to cool in oven for 2 hours, with door ajar. Refrigerate overnight and remove from tin.
- Decorate with fresh berries, then serve and enjoy!