Double feature!: Brownie Cheesecake and Layered Strawberry Pudding

The end of the summer can only mean one thing: Adam's annual family reunion. Last year we managed to escape unscathed due to his sister's wedding and subsequent cancellation of the reunion, but this year there was no where to run. Don't get me wrong, we love his family, it's just that, well, there are a few in every bunch if you know what I mean. My mother in law hates to bake, so she asked me to bring dessert! With 16 people and a variety of dietary needs, I picked a super simple brownie cheesecake and a cool layered strawberry pudding. The weather was projected to be wicked hot, but remained quite pleasant, and I'm really glad I chose cool desserts.


Brownie Cheesecake!

This is another one of those semi-cheater recipes where I followed the instructions and bought a pre-formulated brownie mix. The first step involves taking a portion of that mix, sifting it with flour and stirring in some melted butter to make the crust.

The recipe recommends not greasing the pan and I can deeply understand why: the crust was so greasy I couldn't get it to commit to a solid layer. It kept slipping and sliding around all coy like, simply refusing to become a crust. But I won.

And then I used the same mixing bowl to make the delicious cheesecake part. I'm pretty sure that this isn't FDA approved, but since the recipe didn't contain anything that you can't eat raw, I figured I was in the clear. Once you beat your cream cheese into fluffy submission, add the rest of the brownie mix and the included package of liquid fudge.

Don't you wish you were in my kitchen right about now? When you turn the mixer back on the batter will quickly pick up a mousse like consistency, which is pretty fun. Then you pour it over your prepared crusty parts (and pray that they've stopped sliding around under pressure). Pop that baby in the oven for the recommended time based on your pan size and viola! Chocolate cheesecake.

Betty Crocker tried to convince me to add a can of cherry pie filling on top, but I found the idea rather vile, so instead I took a box of fresh berries to put on top (and promptly forgot them in the refrigerator when it came time to serve). The recipe says that this little cake serves 16 people and it is not kidding; this is one of the most crazy rich cheesecakes I've ever eaten. And oh so good!

Brownie Cheesecake
adapted from Betty Crocker

1 box (1 lb 2.4 oz) Betty Crocker® Original Supreme Premium brownie mix
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1.) Heat oven to 350ºF. Stir together 3/4 cup of the brownie mix, flour and the butter. Press in bottom of ungreased springform pan.

2.) Beat cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed about 2 minutes, scraping bowl frequently, until smooth. Add remaining brownie mix, the whipping cream and chocolate syrup. Beat on medium speed, scraping bowl frequently, until smooth. Pour over crust in pan.

3.) Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until set; cool 20 minutes. Run metal spatula along side of cheesecake to loosen before and after refrigerating. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.

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INTERMISSION
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Layered Strawberry Pudding!

I want you to know that I agonized over what to call this dish. My mom used to make it for fancy dinner parties when I was a kid, so I asked her for the recipe and she didn't include a name! So I made one up. Think of pudding in the British sense, not the slimy sense, except that it is served cold. Or something.

Start by tearing up an angel food cake into itty bitty pieces...

...and by convincing the boyfriend to slave over slicing two boxes of strawberries. Sprinkle the berries with a smudge of sugar to get them to release their juices, but not too much because this dish turns out pretty sweet on its own.

Then start whipping up a couple of boxes of pudding. Originally my mom told me to use French Vanilla, but then about halfway through the whipping step she sent me a twitter update saying that perhaps she had meant white chocolate. Either way, I was stuck with a bowl of neon yellow goo and I decided to roll with it. No one knows the difference, right?

Okay, the difference is pretty clear. Ignore that part.

Take a very large bowl and place a layer of cake pieces in the bottom. Add a layer of strawberries, pour in some pudding, smooth over a layer of cool whip. Then add a layer of cake, strawberries, pudding, etc. Continue until you either run out of bowl or out of ingredients, but end with a cool whip layer. That way, if you are smart, you can make a pretty design out of strawberries on top. Or you can be like me.

And Adam's version of what to do with leftovers:

When you serve this, it is best to go straight down into the bowl and take a deep scoop. This way you get the most possible layers and create for yourself a little tunnel of deliciousness:


Layered Strawberry Pudding

1 angel food cake (premade or make your own, I won't judge)
2 boxes of fresh strawberries
a little sugar
1 large tub of whipped topping
2 small boxes of instant white chocolate (or possibly french vanilla) pudding
4 cups of milk

Tear angel food cake into little pieces. Slice strawberries and toss with a little sugar to release the juices. Whisk together milk and pudding mix, following the instructions on the box. In a large, preferably glass, bowl, layer in the following order: cake, strawberries, pudding, whipped topping. Continue until bowl is full or ingredients run out, but be sure to end with whipped topping. Chill for a few hours and serve with deep scoops.


That's it for this year's family reunion. Let's see if he keeps me through next year's...