Cosmo and Snickers Cheesecake

Cosmo

Meet Cosmo: a portrait of a conflicted psyche. He is a geriatric cat who loves the warmth, comfort and quiet of domesticated life and at the same time longs for the wild hair-raising life of an alley cat. Like most indoor cats, he lives to be petted and cuddled. We might find him contentedly napping on a blanket or a warm lap but the next moment, when the front door opens and opportunity presents itself, he darts out the door for an adventure. A few years back, he took off for a whole week and when he came back, he was dirty, scraggy, thirsty and very very hungry. Tufts of fur were missing and he was laden with fleas. One would think that such an experience might have given him a scare. But not him. Something snaps and he bolts out the door again. That torn right ear you see is a product of another escapade. When we still lived in Sacramento, he purposely sought out a notoriously mean neighborhood cat to start a brawl. Good thing his limbs and other body parts have stayed intact. One thing we can count on though is that he always comes back. Like a boomerang. You see, he wants to have his cake and eat it too.

Cosmo also possesses a strong instinct to scavenge. For the record, his food bowl is seldom empty and he does eat and like his own food. Still, he craves human food. When he was a kitten, he would tip over the kitchen garbage pail every night and scatter its contents throughout the house. Steve was forced to put a brick in the pail so that it would be too heavy for Cosmo to push or pull down. Also as a kitten, he was known to snatch a slice of pizza right out of one's hand. He chewed through paper or plastic bags to get to a donut or a loaf of bread. One time I caught him lapping a pan of grease that was left on the counter. (I hate it when he goes on the counter!) When I cook, I'm always tripping over him because he walks around me waiting for any crumbs or bits of food to drop on the floor. His latest and biggest offense happened a couple of months ago.

Rosalind decided to make a cheesecake for her aunt's birthday. She didn't start mixing the batter until after dinner so as soon as we popped the cake in oven, I told her to get ready for bed and I would pull the cake out of the oven when it was done. And I did. But as I was waiting for the cake to completely cool so I can wrap it up and store it in the refrigerator, I fell asleep.

I admit that it was also my fault that in the morning, Rosalind found three good-size craters carved on her beautiful cheesecake. It appeared that Cosmo helped himself to about a quarter of the cake! I wasn't there to witness her initial reaction to this little tragedy. Steve was and he told me how upset she was about it. Rosalind calmly related the incident to me and declared that we just had to make another one. And we did.

Cosmo, of course was scarcely to be seen that day. I do believe that he has nine lives (and maybe more). In addition to his preferred high calorie/fat diet, he had frequently incurred the wrath of a many fellow creatures and successful averted its impact. If there is ever a nuclear war, I can see him surviving that too, among all the cockroaches of the world.

Now I'm afraid I won't be able to entice you to try out this extraordinarily scrumptious out-of-this-word confection after going on about feline scavengers, nuclear war and cockroaches. But just look at this picture! Underneath all that rich caramel, salty peanuts, chocolate chips, and Snickers candy chunks, there is a creamy vanilla bean cheesecake with chocolate wafer crust. It really more than satisfies.

Snickers Cheesecake

Cheesecake is my go-to dessert because it's versatile. It's an easy make-ahead dessert and it freezes well. To get the creamy texture, I treat it like a custard; I bake it in a water bath in low heat.


Snickers Cheesecake

Chocolate Crust:
4 Tablespoons butter (2 oz)
4 Tablespoons granulated sugar
4 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon milk
1/2 cup all purpose flour


Line a 9 inch springform pan with parchment paper.

In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the cocoa powder and mix on low speed until well-combined. Mix in the milk then add the flour. Mix on low speed just until the dough holds together. Press the dough on the bottom of the springform pan. Bake at 350F for about 10 minutes. Let cool.

Batter:
24 oz cream cheese room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 vanilla bean (split the bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds)
(or 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract)

The batter will be mixed in low speed the whole time to avoid incorporating too much air, which will make the cake crack or souffle up then crash. Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, cream the (room temperature) cream cheese with the vanilla bean seeds until smooth and there are no more lumps. Scrape the bottom and side of the bowl every now and then.

Slowly add the sugar and mix thoroughly. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition. Mix until combined. (If you are using vanilla extract, add it with the eggs).

Toppings:
1 cup salted peanuts
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup caramel (store bought or homemade)
1 Snickers candybar, chopped

Assembly:

Butter the sides of the cooled springform pan. Scatter 1/2 cup salted peanuts, 1/2 cup chocolate chips and dollops of caramel (approximately 1/2 cup worth) on the baked chocolate crust.

Next, pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake the cheesecake in a water bath. To avoid water seeping in, wrap the outside of the springform pan in foil or place it in a slightly larger cake pan (10 or 12 inch), as shown in the picture. Put the whole contraption on a sheet pan with about 1/2 inch of water. Bake the cheesecake at 300F for about an hour.

The cheesecake is done when the outside of the cake is slightly puffed and the center still jiggles a little bit like firm Jello. Let the cake completely cool in its pan.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours; overnight is best. Unmold the cheesecake. Spread the rest of the caramel on top.

Garnish with the rest of the topping.