Daring Bakers POP! (Dairy-free cheesecake pops with recipe)
I’ve had a lot of fun with every Daring Baker challenge I’ve participated in. I’m still an amateur baker and each month I’ve had to do something I’ve never done before.
First, I tackled my biggest baking fear – yeast. Next, was the first time I had ever made Swiss meringue buttercream (which I now make on a regular basis). In January, I made my first lemon meringue pie including my first time making lemon curd. And last month, I made my first layer cake.
This month is no exception for the list of firsts. Cheesecake. I happen to love cheesecake, but I haven’t had any since finding out I was lactose intolerant. I just figured cheesecake would be one of those things I wouldn’t have again without being in extreme pain (or taking an entire box of Lactaid crushed over the cheesecake).
With the help of the NEW Daring Bakers site, I was able to get my questions answered and made the cheesecake completely dairy free. And it’s delicious! The pops are so cute and an easy way to bring cheesecake to a party. Thanks to this month’s hostesses: Deborah from Taste and Tell and Elle from Feeding My Enthusiasms. Be sure to check out the DB blogroll to see all the other cheesecake pops.
Cheesecake Pops
Adapted from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Me (halved the recipe and made it dairy free)
Makes ~35 pops
2 1/2 8-ounce package of Toffuti Better than Cream Cheese – at room temperature
1 cup of sugar
2 tablespoon of flour
1/8 tsp salt
2 1/2 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 Tbsp full-fat soymilk + 2 tsp Earth Balance margarine – melted, mixed and cooled to room temp
1/2 pound dark chocolate
1 tablespoon of shortening
straws & sprinkles
Preheat oven to 325F. Set some water to boil.
In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the eggs and the egg yolk, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream mixture (milk + butter).
Pour the batter into 8-inch pan, coated with cooking spray. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes. (Mine took 50 minutes.)
Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight. (I refrigerated overnight.)
When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls (My cheesecake was very firm. I just cut the cheesecake into squares and triangles) and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a straw into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.
When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In a double boiler (I use a bowl over a pan of boiling water), heat the chocolate and the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried.
Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. (I let held the pop for a minute or so to let the chocolate set so that I wouldn’t have a “footprint” on my pops)
Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
that cake is so beautiful, and sounds delicious!
Wow! Your pictures are amazing! I would love to sink my teeth into that cake right now!
Well…. you’ve done it again! Now, I simply have to add this to my Christmas Eve repetoire. It is fabulous! So many recipes….not enough time!
http://www.simplysweeter.blogspot.com
wow! this look unbelievable. I might have to conquer my fear of baking just for this.
Wow, that is stunning! Nice job!
Whoa..this looks beyond incredible…I dont think my sweet tooth will be satisfied ever without this!
I have to do this for Christmas dessert! Thanks for sharing!
C’est magnifique! Great job!!
Seriously, that looks downright sinful and gorgeous!!! Just amazing Jen!
wow, this is over the top 🙂 but totally worth it!! looks awesome!
What a great combination of flavors! I can almost smell the cake. Yum!!
STUNNING! Good job on this, I want a piece!
…great cake!!! and happy bday to Z!!! Hugs, ciao Flavia
What am amazing cake! I love the bright red and contrasting white, simmply beautiful!
What a beautiful cake! My family would love this. Cheesecake and red velvet are my hubby’s favorites. Maybe I will make it for his birthday!
Talk about impressive! You go!
And just when I think you can’t keep coming up with brilliant ideas and delicious photos…this looks/sounds utterly amazing!
Cheesecake in between the cake layers… OMG. You so outdid yourself. That is amazing!
Wow. I saw a similar cheesecake but couldn’t fint a recipe so resolved to just make “plain ole red velvet cupcakes.” This looks so much better!
Oh My – this looks so amazing!
that looks awesome! I saw something similar in the Sam’s club add that I’ve been wanting to try but homemade would be even better
This cake looks so beautiful and I bet it tastes INCREDIBLE! I couldn’t print it out fast enough – I’m definitely trying it in the new year! Wow!
this has been on my ‘want to try’ list for a while! Maybe this will be the push i need to give it a try!
That cake looks gorgeous and delicious!
This is so cool! The only reason I like red velvet is the cream cheese frosting and this just takes it to a whole new level!
Wow, where to begin?! That bright red is gorgeous! The cheesecake hiding in the center sounds ridiculously delicious! Gorgeous photos too:)
this is a perfect holiday cake! great idea.
What a great idea! I love how the cheesecake layer looks so impressive sandwiched between the shockingly red red velvet layers!
Ok this looks amazing!
Hey girl, I am 100% sure I am going to make this for Christmas…it looks amazing! Just wondering…you used a 9″ springform pan for the cheesecake, right?
Joanne, Sorry for the delay, but yet, I used a springform pan for the cheesecake. I think that’s why it came out a tad bigger than the cake layers. Did you make it for Christmas? How did it turn out?
I made this for Christmas and it was absolutely AMAZING! My family really enjoyed it and I already have thoughts of the other cakes that would be incredible with a layer of cheesecake inbetween. What a great idea!
This looks amazing! I am making 60 red velvet cupcakes for my cousin’s homecoming. I used the red velvet recipe without the cheesecake…AMAZING! The best recipe I have found yet. Thanks, keep it up!