Cheesecake plus brownies – best of both world’s – now this is what I call pure indulgence .Sharing with you today a super easy eggless , gelatin free recipe which is so rich in itself that you do not need any frosting or toppings – Lemon cheesecake brownies. Enjoy it with a cup of tea or coffee or anytime of the day. These treats are addictive, so do not blame me if you eat more than your share. I mean imagine biting into rich ,creamy and tangy lemon cheesecake layer followed by fudgy , oh so chocolaty gooey brownie. Its like a match made in heaven . Texture and taste wise they are so different , but the combination is to die for.
I baked these previous evening , let it set in the fridge overnight (ok ..waiting is the hardest part ) The entire night I was dreaming about them. Next morning hubby dear left for office, I dropped my son to school rushed home and started my day with a “feel good factor” breakfast – Me , my tea and these gorgeous cheesecake brownies . Do I need to say more.
I had 2 slices in one go .
Honestly I am not a cheesecake fan . A bite or two that’s it I am done because its too creamy for my palate . But these ones are so balanced – not overly sweet and just right , exactly the way I want. I wish I was the one to come up with this idea. But I didn’t . These cheesecake brownies are inspired by Starbucks . The day I saw them I knew I had to make them – an egg less version – yayyyyy!! Sometimes only an idea is enough to develop a recipe.
This is like 2 recipes in one. You can just make brownies or these lovely cheesecake plus brownies. If you are not in the mood to make lemon cheesecake , feel free to skip the tang – though I feel it gives a nice freshness to the overall brownies. You can substitute it with orange zest , chai spice or simply grated ginger , cinnamon , cardamom etc. or just keep it plain. You can spruce up the brownie layer with chocolate chunks , nuts or dried fruits too.
Highlights-
decadent balanced sweetness customize to your taste 2 in 1 recipe No need of frosting easy substitutes
Enjoy the recipe and important notes and substitution. This recipe is super simple, but you need to read the instructions and notes well.
Important notes and Do’s and Don’ts –
All ingredients have to be at room temperature unless and otherwise mentioned including the cream cheese Always pre heat your oven at least for 20 minutes and cook on the middle rack with both heating elements on. No , this cannot be made on the microwave setting. I am not a fan of glass pans – uneven heat conduction and slow baking . I always use metal pans. Feel free to use glass pans if you have luck with them. Make cheesecake part preparation before the brownie ones . Who says brownies has to be square in shape , but if you desire you can use 8″ or 9″ square or round tins for this recipe. The thickness and time taken to cook will differ a bit. You do not need a springform pan to make this one. Simply cross lay the parchment paper with an over hang so that its easy for you to pull it out of the pan once its done. But if you have spring form or loose bottom pans , feel free to use them. Do not use whipping attachment for creaming cream cheese – we do not want to fill air in the cheese cake layer , just a beater attachment, food processor or even a mixer will work. I have used silken tofu , you can substitute it with same amount of hung curd ( thick curd) in both – brownies and cheesecake layers Do not over cook your cheesecake brownies . You can by all means skip cheesecake part and make brownies – baking time will decrease – somewhere around 25-28 minutes. No , toothpick test doesn’t work for cheesecake brownies As cheesecake is custard types .. the only test for this cake is that the top of cheesecake should be just set firm , the cheesecake has left the sides of the pan but is still jiggly . And the brownie batter swirls on the top are fully set . It will keep on cooking after you take it out of the oven , so best follow my time instructions and it will further set in the fridge. I know waiting to dig in is the hardest part , but you need to patiently wait until the cheesecake brownies have cooled down at room temperature and further set in the fridge for 3-4 hours for a clean firm cut. Unlike other cakes , these taste even better chilled .
I have used raw sugar for entire preparation (in cheesecake and brownie part ), hence my cheesecake looks a bit beige in color. You can use any granulated sugar of your choice but avoid very big granules as it doesn’t quiet cream up well with cream cheese . Too many notes, I don’t intend to scare you – just follow these instructions and you will have the best egg less lemon cheesecake brownies of your life. Some quick pictorial below –
The brownie part
on double boiler , see how thick and gritty t is at first . After adding tofu it becomes smooth and shiny. And after adding it to the dry ingredients and folding it in , it becomes perfect
Putting everything together
grease and dusted the pan . Added brownie layer . Give it a gentle tap . Added blobs of cheesecake layer . Spread it with a help of an of set spatula or back of a spoon leveling as much as possible.Then top it with reserved brownie batter and make random swirls with toothpick or fork.
Hope you like this recipe and do give it a try. I would love to hear from you. If you have tried any of my recipes do drop in a feedback in the comment section or on my Facebook page carveyourcraving in messages section and follow me on Pinterest . We are now on instagram too – follow me here. Happy cooking! Do share it with the world! If sharing ,please link back to the post as reproducing, distributing or copying pictures or text/ recipes that belong to carveyourcraving is a copyright violation. You can always link back to the website. Thanks for stopping by.
