Sunday, December 11, 2011

Neapolitan Mascarpone Cheesecake with Pomegranate-Rose Meringue Cookies

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My family always has a different preference on the flavor of desserts.  My husband is a big fan of chocolate, and dislike strawberry, or any kinds of berries, period.  My kids are big fans on ANY kinds of berries and fruit, especially strawberries.  For me?  I’m the least picky person in the house.  I basically eat anything (I’m such a pig).  Smile with tongue out

Napoleon Chiffon Mascarpone Cheesecake-trio

Why am I telling you this? Because that’s how this cake was created. To please everyone with a dessert. I’m so glad each of my family member loves a different kind of food/ flavor. That always give me opportunity to explore and try new things.  

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When my husband first saw the cake, his reaction was “wow, this looks delicious!” Despite there’s strawberries in the cake, which was quite obvious from that pink color. Open-mouthed smile When he took the first bite, he exclaimed, “hm….this is so good….” Then he kept quiet because he was too busy eating. You know what, I think he does like strawberries, after all. Smile with tongue out


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My kids both had a big piece of this cake during afternoon tea.  Chocolate, vanilla and strawberries all in one bite, what’s not to like?  The good thing about this cake is the lightness.  It’s super moist, light and fluffy.  The sweetness is just right and you won’t feel guilty eating a huge piece.

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I top it off with some Pomegranate-Rose Meringue Cookies.  These cookies are airy and light.  It’s sweet, as all meringue cookies are, with a hint of tanginess from the Pomegranate powder.  The pure rose extract adds a hint of floral tone to the cookies and compliment wonderfully with the Pomegranate flavor.  It’s super crispy so it gives a nice contrast to the cake’s texture.  


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If you’re thinking of a cake to make for gatherings or celebrations, this would be an elegant yet easy to prepare type of cake to bring to the party.  Best of all, you can make the Pomegranate-Rose Meringue Cookies a day or two ahead of time and keep them in an air-tight container for freshness.  Just make sure you store some for the cake decoration before you snacked all of them before the party.  Smile

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Napoleon Mascarpone Cheesecake (Printable Recipe)
Makes 1 9-inch round cake

Ingredients

5 eggs, separated and at room temperature
a pinch of Kosher salt
3/4 cup caster sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
8 ounces Mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup whipping cream
11/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons strawberries preserves
powdered sugar, for garnish
Some Pomegranate-Rose Meringue Cookies, for garnish (recipe follow)
boiling water (for water bath while baking)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9-inch spring-form cake pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper on the bottom and sides. Wrap 2 layers of foil paper on the outside of the cake pan to prevent water from going into the cake pan while baking.

Separate egg whites from egg yolks. Make sure there’s no yolks in the whites. In the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg whites with a pinch of Kosher and cream of tartar until egg white is soft peak.  Gradually add half of the sugar, beating on high speed until egg white is medium peak. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat mascarpone cheese with remaining half of the sugar until smooth and fluffy.  Whisk in whipping cream, egg yolks, vanilla extract and lemon juice until well combined. Turn mixer on low, add flour, and cornstarch until just combined.

Equally divide batter into 3 separate bowls, fold cocoa powder into one, and fold strawberry preserves into another and leave one plain.

Equally divide beaten egg whites into each of the cake batter until just incorporated (Do not over mix).
Pour chocolate batter on the bottom of the prepared spring form pan and spread batter into a smooth and even layer.  Gently pour the vanilla batter on top followed by the strawberry batter.  Carefully smooth the surface.

Place cake pan into a larger roasting pan and place roasting pan in lower third rack of the oven.  Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come half way up the side of the cake pan.

Bake 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the center comes out clean.
Remove cake from roasting pan.  Carefully remove foil from the spring form pan and cool on a wiring rack.  When cake is completely cooled, remove the sides of the pan, dust with powdered sugar and decorate with Pomegranate-Rose Meringue Cookies. 

Pomegranate-Rose Meringue Cookies (Printable Recipe)
Makes 40 cookies



3 large pasteurized egg whites, at room temperature
a pinch of kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup caster (superfine baker's) sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon pure rose extract (it's really strong, so a little goes a long way)
1/4 cup freeze dried pomegranate powder

Preheat the oven 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with salt and cream of tartar until frothy, about 2 minutes. With the machine on medium-high speed, gradually add the sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time.  Increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture is thick, shiny and holds stiff peaks, about 7 to 8 minutes.  Then add the vanilla extract, rose extract, and pomegranate powder.  Beat until ingredients are incorporated.

Scrape the meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip and pipe the cookies onto the lined baking sheets. Starting in the middle and make 1 1/2 circles, about 1 1/2-inch in diameter and 1 1/2-inch apart.

Bake the meringues until they are firm, about 2 hours. Turn off the oven and leave them in there overnight.

If meringue are not totally dry, bake for an additional 15 minutes at 200 degrees F will crisp them up again.



38 comments:

  1. How beautiful it looks :) awesome pictures with yummy meringue cookies..first picture is truly show stopper.

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  2. This looks wonderful! You are such a great food stylist, too! Awesome pictures! :)

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  3. @Pavithra: Thank you for your sweet comment. :) The meringur cookies really give this cake the elegant look.

    @Bo: Thank you. :)

    @Kelli: Thank you for your kind words. I'm very into food styling and photograph, and still learning every time I work with different type of food/dishes.

    @ Suzanne: Thank you, Suzanne. Let me know how you like it. :)

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  4. Amy it's such a treat when your e-mails arrive...I just had to visit with this beautiful looking cake...what decadence! x

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  5. Amy, This looks very beautiful. I love the pinkish colour, really awesome :)

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  6. Un superbe gâteau que je dévoverais volontiers, bravo
    Je te souhaite un bon début de semaine
    Valérie

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  7. @yvette: Thank you so much for your comment and taking the time to visit my blog. :) It's always a pleasure to read all your comments. I hope you'll be back soon again.

    @Ann: Thank you. Yes, this cake reminds me of the napoleon ice cream. Hm....I think it'll be nice to serve a scoop along with a slice of this cake. :D

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  8. Hi Amy, wow .... love your cake. Delicious and beautiful decoration. Have a nice day.

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  9. @Valérie: Merci pour vos commentaires sucrés. Je vous souhaite une merveilleuse semaine à venir aussi. C'est toujours merveilleux de lire votre commentaire. J'ai vraiment l'apprécier.

    @Amelia: Thank you so much for your sweet somment. :) I wish you a wonderful week ahead of you. Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you back again soon. I always enjoy reading your comments.

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  10. Oh I am so drooling!!! goodness.. the colours are awesome.. i want.. i want..

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  11. Stunning looking cake!
    I'm sure it is soooooooo delicious

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  12. Seriously? You need to be charging lots for this!

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  13. This has got to be super delicious. Just look at it! You did an amazing job!! It's very beautiful.

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  14. Wow! Just the name alone is a mouthful! Looks so beautiful and delicious. Now I've got to try it! :-)

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  15. What a beautiful cake! It sounds so good.

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  16. @LoveForFood: thank you. Wish I can share this cake with you. I'm sure you'll love it.

    @Winnie: Thanks. :) It looks elegant and yet so easy to make. That's why I love it so much

    @Belinda: LOL....too bad I don't have a bakery. Should I charge my husband or kids? hm...I'm going to charge all of them...with hugs and kisses! :) Thanks for your comment.

    @Simply Tia: Thank you so much. :) I have to agree, it's very yummy.

    @Cranberry Morning: Thank you. Please let me know how you like it after trying the recipe. I would love to hear from you.

    @Michele: Thank you. Appreciate your comment.

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  17. You made this?! This is soooo gorgeous. I swear, when I first saw it, I was scanning to see what bakery you got it from. I bow to you! You are a cake master. ;)

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  18. @ Caroyn: Thank you for your sweet comment. You made me blush. If I have my own bakery one day, I would definitely include this cake for sell. :)

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  19. We would love these at our house. It looks so delicious. Your pictures are just fantastic. Come visit. We have a great Kahlua hot cocoa this week and today we are giving away a wonderful Christmas present. A great book and it comes autographed! Come by and register to win.

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  20. @CarolinaHeartStrings: Thank you, make this cake and I'm sure your family will be very pleased. :)

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  21. Oh my, this is beautiful and sounds so good! You are so creative...I'm sure your family loves all the wonderful dishes.

    Thanks so much for sharing!
    Pat

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  22. @Pat from Gypsy Heart: Thank you. :) Yeah, I love trying new flavor and creating new recipes. It's as much fun for me as for the family to enjoy.

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  23. STUNNING Photos and such a delicious sounding cake. Trying to decide now my Christmas menu... this would add such beauty to the dessert table

    Dave

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  24. @ Dave: Thank you. Oh yeah, you family and guests would definitely love this cake. :)

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  25. oh wow! I love this!! sounds delicious!!

    Thanks for linking up, I featured this post in my wrap up http://tidymom.net/2011/holiday-foods/

    Have a Merry Christmas!

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  26. @TidyMom: Thank you for hosting the linky party and featuring my Napoleon Mascarpone Cheesecake. :) I appreciate everything you do. Merry Christmas to you and your family too!

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  27. Now this is a total cheesecake party! Such a tasty & pretty treat for the holidays :)

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  28. @Marla: Thank you. I'm glad you like it. :) Thanks for stopping by and leaving me a message. Happy Holiday to you & your family.

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  29. Yum! Count me in. I'm such a pig for desserts!

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  30. @Lui: Sure thing. :) Yeah, I can't resist any kind of desserts.

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  31. hello Amy,
    your cake looks really delicious, i am going to try making it one of these days. Btw. i dont think ican find dried pomegranate powder in my place, can i substitute it with something else? thanks...

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  32. @ Jenny: Thank you. I'm sure you'll love this cake. I got my Pom Powder from Whole Foods Supermarket, but you can substitute with any freeze dried fruit such as raspberries or strawberries. Trader Joe's also has quite a bit of varieties of freeze dried fruit. Check this recipe out for the reference. http://utry.it/2011/02/chocolate-dipped-strawberry-meringue.html
    Anyhow, you can always get the Pom Powder online these days. Here's the link for your reference. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001TNW23U/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=utryit-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001TNW23U
    Hope it helps.

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  33. Wow, that does look marvelous. I'm sure that you've been baking cakes for a long time now.

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  34. My kid loved it so much that he wanted me to make it every week, thanks.

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