Malted Milk Ball Cheesecake

I’m not the biggest cheesecake lover in the world.  I can actually take it or leave it.  So when I’d found out that this month’s Abby Dodge #baketogether selection was “cheesecake ~ your way”,  I was admittedly a little underwhelmed.

What I did find exciting however was the prospect of tweaking Abby’s original recipe (not that Abby’s needed tweaking, it’s simply gorgeous!) into making something uniquely my own.

After giving some extreme flavor profiles (beer and/or rum, for my hubby) careful consideration, these were the two “safer” ingredient add ins I decided upon.  Maybe another time I’ll be brave enough to experiment with the extreme, but not now… Not with Abby’s beautiful recipe.

When I came up with the idea to use the malted milk balls into the recipe, I’d mistakenly thought they’d remain solid and add some crunch and texture to an otherwise creamy dessert.  Not so much. As the cheesecake cooked, so did the malted milk balls and all that was left was the soft and undeniable flavor.  The visible evidence was gone but the flavor was pretty terrific (even if I do say so myself).  I think you’ll be happy with the results if you decide to give this a whirl in your own kitchen.  Here’s my recipe adapted from Abby’s.

For the crust:
1 box of Teddy Grahams  (chocolate flavor)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon chocolate malted milk powder
6 tablespoons melted butter

-In a food processor, pulse the Teddy Grahams until finely ground.
-Add the sugar, malted milk powder and butter. Pulse until the mixture is the consistency of wet sand.
-Add the crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9″ Springform pan and press the crumbs firmly and evenly along the bottom of the pan to form the crust.
-Bake the crust in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes and then set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the filling.

For the filling:
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups malted milk balls, halved
2-1/2 tablespoons chocolate malted milk powder
1-1/3 cups sugar
3/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
Additional malted milk power for topping (optional)

-Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
-In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, flour, salt, malted milk powder and sugar until creamy.
-Add the sour cream and vanilla extract. Beat until just mixed.
-One by one, add the eggs blending after each addition making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl on occasion.
-Remove the bowl from the mixer and using a spatula, carefully fold in the malted milk balls to the cream cheese mixture.
-Pour the cream cheese mixture into the prepared springform pan and using the *drop method, remove as many air bubbles from your filling as possible.
*drop method – lifting the pan about an inch off the surface of the counter, evenly drop the pan onto the counter and you’ll notice all the tiny air bubbles rising to the surface and then popping.  Continue to do that several times until the bubbles are no longer pronounced.

-Place the cheesecake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for approximately 60 minutes on the center rack of your oven. (Note that the center of the cheesecake will be slightly jiggly and will continue to cook a bit after it’s been removed from the oven).
-Set on a rack to cool completely and then the outer ring can be removed for serving.
-If desired, sprinkle with additional malted milk powder.

As you’ll remember me saying “I’m not the biggest fan of cheesecake…”

That being said, I decided (for photography and blogging sake, of course) to take a bite. Then two, then three… Somebody stop me!

I hope you’ll enjoy my adaptation of Abby’s original cheesecake and will visit me again next month to see  what’s on the schedule to #baketogether next time.  I know I can hardly wait!!!

Until we bake again,