This eggless Brownie Oreo Cheesecake is made by using Fudge Brownie as the base, topped with the Cheesecake that is loaded with Oreo crumbs and frosted with Buttercream. This Cheesecake is rich, soft and luscious. This fusion Cheesecake is so smooth that it melts in your mouth making you enjoy the flavors and textures.
WHAT IS FUDGE BROWNIE?
Fudge Brownie is a type of brownie that is dense, dark and fudge-like. This brownie is called “Fudge Brownie” as it has more chocolate/cocoa and less flour making them denser, more fudgy, chewy and chocolatty. Fudge brownie is flat; do not rise tall like cake brownies. This Fudge brownie recipe is eggless and uses flaxmeal to replace the eggs.
HOW IS CHEESECAKE MADE?
Cheesecake is a layered dessert baked using a mixture of fresh cheese, cream and sugar. It has a crust made of graham crackers that holds the cheese and cream filling on top. This New York styled Cheesecake is prepared using cream cheese, sour cream, heavy cream, condensed milk, lemon juice and sugar. This batter makes it denser and richer in flavor and texture than the regular cheesecake which is made using heavy cream and sour cream. This thinner batter makes the Regular Cheesecake silkier and creamier than the New-York styled Cheesecake. I have added Oreo cookie crumbs to this Cheesecake that adds flavor and texture to it.
WHAT IS AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM FROSTING AND WHY THIS FROSTING?
There are 7 types of Buttercream frostings – the Traditional American Buttercream, French Buttercream, Swiss Meringue Buttercream, Italian Meringue Buttercream, German Buttercream, Ermine Buttercream and Vegan Buttercream frostings.
For this recipe, I preferred the American Buttercream Frosting as it soft and stiffer than other Buttercream frostings to hold the shape of the petals that I have piped out on the cake. This American Buttercream frosting recipe uses only butter, powdered sugar, cornstarch and flavoring like vanilla. This frosting is very versatile as it spreads well and can be used as base for different flavoring.
IS THIS CAKE HEALTHY?
I must say, NO! This eggless Brownie Oreo Cheesecake with American Buttercream Frosting is loaded with butter, chocolate, cream cheese, sour cream, heavy cream, condensed milk and sugar making it extremely high on calories. However, the mélange of flavors and textures is sure to please your taste buds. So, cheers to a slice of this Cheesecake as a special treat!
Notes:
- Prepare the Brownie at least a day before so that there is enough time for it cool down and set.
- Make the Cheesecake too a day in advance so that it has time to cool down and then set. Cheesecake sets better when it is chilled. It must be chilled for at least 6 hours.
- Using the water bath while baking cheesecake prevents the cake from cracking on top. Be careful to wrap the springform pan tightly with some aluminum foil so that water does not seep into the pan.
- You can use any other kind of frosting on top of the cheesecake. I preferred American Buttercream frosting as it is stiff enough to hold the petal piping that I made with tip #81.
Ingredients
FOR BROWNIE LAYER:
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips – 1 cup (175gms)
Butter – 7 tablespoons
Flavorless Cooking Oil – 1 tablespoon
Flax meal – 3 tablespoons
Water – 9 tablespoons
Sugar – 3/4 cup
Cocoa Powder – 1/4 cup
All Purpose Flour / Maida – 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons
Salt – 1/2 teaspoon
Baking Powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Baking soda – 1/4 teaspoon
FOR CHEESECAKE BASE:
Graham Cracker Crumbs – 1 ¾ cups (150gms)
Unsalted Butter, melted – 1/3 cup
Granulated Sugar – ¼ cup
FOR OREO CHEESECAKE FILLING:
Oreo Cookies - 10
Heavy Cream – ½ cup
Cornstarch – 3 tablespoons
Water – 3 tablespoons
Cream Cheese – 24oz (8oz 3 slabs), softened at room temperature
Sour Cream – ½ cup
Granulated Sugar – ½ cup
Sweetened Condensed Milk – 1 tin (396gms)
Lemon Juice – 1 tablespoon
Vanilla Extract – 1 tablespoon
FOR AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
Butter, softened – 2 sticks
Powdered Sugar – 4 cups
Cornstarch – 2 tablespoons
Heavy Whipping Cream – 2 tablespoons
Vanilla Extract – 2 teaspoons
Salt – 1 teaspoon
Yellow Food Color – 4-5 drops (I used 1/8 turmeric diluted in little water)
Instructions
PREPARING BROWNIE:
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Line a 9 inches springform pan with parchment paper.
- Warm the water, add flax meal and whisk well. Set aside for 5 minutes for the mixture to turn gooey.
- Sift together all-purpose flour and salt.
- On double boiler (bain-marie), melt chocolate chips, butter and oil using whisk. Using oil helps to keep the brownies moist.
- Add sugar and mix well. Take off the bain-marie.
- Add flax meal and vanilla extract. Mix to combine.
- Add cocoa powder. Mix well.
- Add sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until well combined.
- Transfer the brownie batter to lined pan, bake for 30-40 minutes. When skewer inserted should come out with very few crumbs and must be able to form a ball. The brownie will now have a flaky, glossy layer on top.
- Place the cake pan on a wire rack to cool down. As the brownie cools down it might collapse cracking the top layer slightly, this is OK. Let is cool down completely.
PREPARING CHEESECAKE BASE:
- Line a 9 inches springform pan with parchment paper.
- Mix the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar in a bowl. Mix until well combined.
- Transfer the cracker mixture into the lined pan using the bottom of a glass press the crumb mixture down into the base and up the sides. Press until it forms an even tight layer. Refrigerate for 30 minutes at least or until the filling is ready.
PREPARING OREO CHEESECAKE:
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl, keep it aside.
- Pulse Oreo cookies in a food processor until they are reduced to crumbs. Keep it aside.
- In an electric stand mixer, whip heavy cream for about a minute until it forms a stiff peak. Transfer it into a bowl.
- Take cream cheese in the mixer bowl, beat it on low speed for about 3 minutes until it is smooth and creamy. Ensure that there is no lump.
- Add sour cream and sugar. Continue to beat the mixture until it is well combined.
- Gradually add condensed milk and mix for about 2 minutes until it is well incorporated.
- Now add lemon juice, vanilla extract and the cornstarch mixture. Mix for 2 more minutes until it is well combined. Turn off the mixer.
- Add whipped cream and oreo cookie crumbs. Gently mix it using a spatula.
- Pour the prepared filling mixture over the chilled crust, tap the pan gently to remove any air bubbles.
- Take a large aluminum foil and wrap the springform pan leaving the top open. Prepare a water bath by placing this pan in a larger pan and pour hot water until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
- Bake the cheesecake for about 40mins or until the edges are slightly puffed up and the centre should spring back to the touch but will still be jiggly. Do not over bake.
- Once the cake is done, leave it in the oven for another 30 minutes. The cake will continue to slightly as the temperature of the oven drops.
- Take the cake pan out from the oven, remove it out of the water bath and foil wrap. Allow it to cool down to room temperature. Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 6 to 7 hours or overnight.
- Carefully loosen the edges of the cake using a sharp heated knife and open the springform pan. Remove the lining from the bottom of the cake.
PREPARING BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
- Whip butter in a stand mixer until it is creamy
- Add heavy cream, salt and cornstarch and mix on low speed until it is well incorporated. Ensure there is no lump. Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixer bowl to mix any butter stuck.
- Mix in the powdered sugar and continue to mix until it is well incorporated. Scrape the sides of the mixer bowl and mix again.
- Pour vanilla extract and mix for 2 more minutes. If you are using any food color, add a few drops and mix until well combined. Turn off the blender.
- Pipe out the frosting as needed.
ASSEMBLING THE CAKE:
- Smear 2 tablespoons of the buttercream frosting on the cake board. Place the brownie, flat side down, on the buttercream to make the base of the cake.
- Next spread about ½ to 1/3 cup of buttercream on top of the brownie.
- Place the cheesecake exactly on top of the buttercream layer such the crust is exactly positioned to align with the brownie layer.
- Fill the gap between the brownie and cheesecake and crumb coat that part of the cake, if needed.
- Transfer some buttercream into a piping bag and pipe out the frosting on top of the cheesecake as per your liking.
