April’s been a busy month- between essays, work, training for two triathlons, and a 10K run, my kitchen time has been zilch. Nada.  Nil.

But I bent my culinary talents to April’s Daring Baker challenge- my first one!  It was promising from the start- I am a sucker for cheesecake, and these Cheesecake Pops didn’t seem too hard.  Basically, you bake a cheesecake and shape it into cute little shapes- the wilder, the better.  Stick a popsicle stick in ‘em, freeze until they’re firm, and then dip in as many toppings as you can!

I ran into a couple of potholes along the way- first of all, there was no way I was going to convince my family that I had a desperate need for 5 blocks of cream cheese! So I cut the recipe down a bunch, but that led to the fact that there was also no way I’d buy an expensive pint of whipped cream just to use 2 tbsp worth.  So I used a little milk and a little olive oil instead.  Not exactly “following the directions” but hey, I’m cheap. 

By the time the cheesecake batter was poured into a baking paper lined pan (to prevent sticking), I knew these lollipops would be good.  A goodly portion of the batter had ended up in the nether recesses of my stomach!  The pan was slid into the oven and I settled down to lick the bowl.  On a whim, I decided to reread the directions and nearly had a heart attack when I read this: “Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan) .“  In my blissful oblivion, I’d happily placed my very leaky springform pan in a waterbath!

Thankfully, it all turned out OK.  Baked without a waterbath, the cheesecake was still pale and uncracked.  After a spin in the fridge, it complied very nicely with being hacked into various shapes.  One handy thing I discovered is that dipping the knife in hot water between cuts makes nice, clean edges on the shapes.  The pops looked very pretty, dipped in chocolate and rolled in a selection of coconut, Oreo crumbs, crushed M&Ms, and non-pareils.  My family happily devoured their creamy, velvety goodness in seconds flat!

All in all, a complete success and wonderful experience for my first challenge!  I can’t wait ’till next month…