ssuk {korean mugwort} cheesecake
ssuk {korean mugwort} cheesecake
yields one 9-inch cheesecake
time: 1 hour of prep time, ~7 hours of baking/chilling time
notes
prep: remove eggs and cream cheese from fridge and bring down to room temperature.
preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
oreo crust
remove cream from oreos, discard cream and save cracker part in a bowl. crush crackers down leaving a few pea sized chunks. toss into a large mixing bowl with 2 tbsp of sugar. pour in melted butter and incorporate until crackers are evenly coated
transfer cracker mixture onto the bottom of the pan and carefully pack down into one even layer using a cup or the back side of your fingers.
bake in the oven at 350 for 10 minutes, remove and allow it to cool down;
cheesecake filling
bring the oven temperature down to 275 degrees fahrenheit. line the interior walls of the spring form pan with a strip of parchment paper. note: the height of the parchment paper should be no higher than 1 inch above the height of the pan. line the exterior walls of the pan with aluminum foil.
in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, loosen up the sour cream and allow it to spread around the bottom of the bowl. then, toss in one room temperature block of softened cream cheese. incorporate into sour cream and do the same for each block of cream cheese (one at a time). once all of your cream cheese has been incorporated into the sour cream, pour in cane sugar and vanilla pulp/extract and beat together for about 30 seconds.
wet mixture: in a separate bowl, whisk together 3 eggs and 1 egg yolk, 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, and lemon zest just until the eggs have loosened up.
slowly stream in wet mixture into the cream cheese mixture and beat together until evenly incorporated. try not to over mix here as you’ll beat air into the mixture that will yield a bubbly cheesecake
tap your mixing bowl down on the counter about 10-15 times to release air bubbles. you should see pockets of air bubbles burst at the surface. pour the cream cheese filling into the spring form pan over the cookie crust. using a spatula or scraper, smooth and level out the surface of the cheesecake filling.
carefully place cheesecake in the center of your oven-safe pan on the middle rack of your oven. carefully pour in boiling water to fill up to the halfway line of the oven-safe pan. close oven and bake for 1.5 hours.
after 1.5 hours, turn oven off, open the door of the oven to release some hot air (10 seconds), close the door, and leave the cheesecake in the oven for 1 hour for the cheesecake to set.
transfer the cheesecake into the fridge and allow it to chill for at least 1 hour.
ssuk whipped cream
remove cheesecake from fridge, carefully remove spring form pan ring and peel off the parchment paper. Replace the parchment paper with an acetate strip and tape the end of the strip to secure the placement.
In a chilled bowl, pour in 1 cup of heavy whipping cream and whip for 2-3 minutes or until medium peaks form. gently pour in powdered sugar, ssuk powder, and lemon zest, and whip together for another 15 seconds. scoop in one tbsp of sour cream and until all of the sour cream has been incorporated. careful not to over-whip or add the sour cream all at once, you may lose the airiness on your whipped cream.
dissolve gelatin powder by stirring into a bowl of warm water (2 tbs) and let it sit for 2 minutes. slowly stream in gelatin mixture into the cream and whisk together for 30 seconds.
Pour the whipped cream on the surface of the cheesecake. using a spatula or pastry scraper, level and smooth out the surface of the whipped cream. carefully place spring form pan ring back around the cheesecake.
Place the cheesecake back in the fridge for at least half an hour allowing the whipped topping to chill.
serving
removing the cheesecake from the pan: make sure you have your final serving platter or stand close by! unbuckle the spring form pan rim and remove from the pan. take a butterknife under the bottom edge of the pan and carefully lift to release the crust from the tin. using a flat and wide spatula or whatever flat tool you have with a handle, slide under the cheesecake, carefully lift, and transfer to serving plate or stand. then, gently peel off acetate strip.
cutting the cheesecake: THIS STEP IS IMPORTANT otherwise you won’t be able to see the layers cleanly. score the surface with the line that you’re going to cut with a knife. run your knife under warm water and wipe off water. cut down into the cheesecake until you hit the crust and carefully saw the crust out until knife releases. wipe your knife and run through the same process for the other side.
ingredients
oreo crust
1 standard pack of oreos (14.3oz)
2 tbsp cane sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cups melted unsalted butter
cheesecake filling
1 cup sour cream
3 8oz. blocks of softened cream cheese
3/4 cups cane sugar
3 room temp eggs + 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
zest of 1 lemon
pulp of 1 vanilla pod or 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
whipped cream topping
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 pack gelatin powder
3 tbs warm water
1/2 cup powdered ssuk {korean mugwort}
special equipment
9” springform pan, electric mixer with paddle and whisk attachment, parchment paper, aluminum foil, acetate strip for baking, tape, 1 sheet pan that’s > 9”
grocery store list
dairy: unsalted butter, 1 lb sour cream, 1 pint heavy whipping cream, 3 8oz blocks cream cheese, 4 eggs
baking: korean mugwort, cane sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla pod or extract, gelatin powder, kosher salt
other: 1 lemon, 1 tray of oreos
