White Chocolate-Cotton Candy Cheesecake
Recipe Courtesy of Cezanne Isle Melzer, Pastry Chef, Jacksonville (Fla.) Golf & Country Club
Ingredients
- For the Crust
- graham cracker crumbs - 180 grams
- brown sugar - 50 grams
- salted butter - 114 grams, melted
- For the Marshmallow
- gelatin leaves - 5 sheets
- egg white - 90 grams
- granulated sugar - 260 grams
- corn syrup - 52 grams
- water - 77 grams
- For the Filling
- white chocolate chips - 213 grams
- heavy whipping cream, divided - 3/4 cups + 4 Tbsps.
- cream cheese, softened - 341 grams
- marshmallows - as needed
- cotton candy extract - to taste
- powdered sugar - 49 grams
- food coloring - as needed, red, orange, yellow
- For Malted Milk Cream
- heavy whipping cream - 1 cup
- malted milk powder - 2-4 Tbsps.
- granulated sugar - 1/4 cup
- fruity pebbles - as needed
- fresh raspberries - as needed
Instructions
Procedure:
- For the crust: Mix together graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar in a bowl, then pour the melted butter over it and stir until there are no dry crumbs left. Prepare a stainless-steel ring mold with a cake collar. Pour 2 tablespoons of crumbs into each mold and press firmly into the bottom. Refrigerate the crust until the filling is ready.
- For the marshmallow: Bloom gelatin in cold water, drain and reserve. Whip egg whites until frothy. Cook sugar, corn syrup and water to 266°F, then dissolve gelatin. Continue whipping egg whites on medium speed and add cooked sugar. Whip until cool and set aside.
- For the filling: In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the white chocolate with 4 Tablespoons of heavy whipping cream, and microwave in 30-second increments, stirring each time until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Allow the chocolate to cool. In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until it’s light and fluffy. Next, pour the melted white chocolate into the cream cheese and blend until well-incorporated. Add the marshmallows and cotton candy extract, then continue beating until well-mixed. Set aside.
- Prepare the whipped cream by chilling your mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for 5 to 7 minutes. Pour the remaining heavy whipping cream into the chilled bowl and beat the heavy cream until the cream gets bubbly. Slowly add powdered sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the cream-cheese mixture until it is well-blended. The filling will be divided into thirds. In each filling, drop a small amount of food coloring and whisk until well-combined.
- To build the cheesecake, pour a scoop of pink filling, then follow with the orange filling and yellow filling, and smooth out with a spatula. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours; overnight is best.
- For the malted milk cream: In a saucepan, whisk together the heavy whipping cream and malted milk powder until all of the lumps are dissolved. Add the sugar. Cook over medium heat until scalding (just before a full boil). Remove from the heat and strain the milk mixture. Let it cool, then refrigerate for 8 hours.
- To plate: Pipe the whipped cream on top of the cheesecake. Drizzle some malted milk cream around the plate. Garnish with Fruity Pebbles and fresh raspberries.
(Note: You can whip the malted milk cream for topping, or you can use it as a sauce.)