What do you get when you mix Bavarian cream with cheesecake? A Bavarian Cream Cheesecake. This dessert will have you coming back for seconds.

Above is a picture of my vanilla sugar. I keep my vanilla pods after I’ve scraped out the caviar. I add the pod to my granulated sugar jar; this way, I always have vanilla sugar on hand.  I’m using vanilla sugar in my shortbread cookie crust for this recipe.

Below are twelve tablespoons of butter. Using either a microsafe bowl or a pot, melt the butter, then add the processed cookie crumbs.

 

Above is what’s called an offset spatula. This makes frosting any cake so much easier than using, for example, a butter knife.

Note: A useful tip for frosting is to dip the offset spatula into very hot water and then wipe off the spatula. You want to do this once you spread the cream all over the top with the Bavarian cream.  This technique will give you a smooth top and a defined outer edge.

Prep Time: 1 hour
Bake Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Inactive Bake Time: 30 minutes, cheesecake remains in the oven with the temperature off nd the door ajar.
Chill Time: Overnight (the 30 minutes of inactive bake time is included here)
Total Time: 1 day 2 hours 40 minutes
Yields: 10 to 12 servings
Equipment: Stand Mixer with both paddle and whisk attachments, 1 (9 x 9) Spring form pan with removable bottom, 1 (10-cup) food processor, chef’s knife, 3 large mixing bowls

Ingredients for the Shortbread Crust:
2 1/2 cups shortbread cookie crumbs
12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) of butter, unsalted and melted
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
4 tbsp granulated sugar (optional vanilla sugar)

Ingredients for the Bavarian Cream:
1 tsp powdered gelatin
2 tbsp whole milk
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp banana extract
2/3 cup heavy cream, cold
5 tbsp powdered sugar

Ingredients for the Cheesecake Filling:
3 (8-ounce) bars of cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt
3 tbsp of all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
4 tsps of banana extract
2 tsps of pure vanilla extract
1 cup of puréed bananas (2 bananas)
3 large eggs, room temperature

Instructions for the Whipped Cream Topping:
1/2 cup heavy cream, cold
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract
Garnish:
2 fresh bananas, sliced

Instructions for the Crust:
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper, lining the bottom and greasing the sides. Add the broken-up shortbread cookies to a food processor, fitted with a metal blade. Press pulse a few times to process the cookies into crumbs. Add in the melted butter, and continue pulsing until the mixture has the consistency of wet sand. Carefully remove the blade, then dump the crumbs into the springform pan. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides (example, pictures above) of the springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool. Cover the outside of the pan with aluminum foil to prevent the water from seeping through the springform pan. (ex, pictures above). Set the prepared pan aside.

Instructions for the Bavarian Cream:
In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin onto the milk and set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the egg yolks together and set aside. Add the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, and banana extract to a large saucepan and heat over medium heat until warm. Remove the cream mixture from the heat and slowly pour the hot cream into the whisked eggs to temper* them. Add the egg and cream mixture back into the saucepan and return to the heat. Continue cooking over medium heat until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, or reaches 160°F. This process should happen pretty quickly. Add the gelatin mixture to the hot cream and stir until smooth.

Pour the custard into another bowl and set that bowl inside another larger bowl containing a good amount of ice. Allow the custard to cool to room temperature. While the custard is cooling, add heavy cream and powdered sugar to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form. Once the custard (Bavarian cream) has cooled, gently fold the whipped cream into the custard.

Place a piece of plastic wrap directly over the custard to prevent a skin from forming on top, and transfer to the refrigerator.

Instructions for the Cheesecake:
Preheat oven to 300°F.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, Kosher salt, and flour on low speed until completely combined and smooth. Be sure to use low speed to reduce the amount of air added to the batter (this may cause cracks in the cake). Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the sour cream, puréed bananas, and vanilla extract, and mix on low speed until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly to combine after each of them is added. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined.

Pour the cheesecake batter into the crust. Place the springform pan inside a large roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with enough warm water to go about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. The water should not go above the top of the aluminum foil on the springform pan. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. The center should be set, but still slightly. Turn the oven off and leave the door closed for an additional 30 minutes. The cheesecake will continue to cook but slowly begin to cool as well.

Crack open the oven door for an additional 30 minutes to allow the cheesecake to cool slowly. This helps to prevent cracking. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath along with the foil wrapping. Place onto a cooling rack and cool for an additional 30 minutes. Remove from the springform pan.

Spread the chilled Bavarian cream evenly over the top using an offset spatula. A good tip for frosting (underneath the picture of the offset spatula) is referenced above. Refrigerate the cheesecake overnight until completely cool and firm.

Add the heavy whipping, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract for the whipped cream topping to the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until stiff peaks. Pipe swirls of whipped cream around the edges of the cheesecake. Add sliced fresh bananas for the top and along the sides.

Store in refrigerator. If you’re decorating in advance with the whipped cream and fresh bananas, place the cheesecake in a plastic cake container, and then into the freezer.  This will stop the bananas from turning brown.  Bring the cheesecake out to thaw enough to slice before serving. 

There you have it, my Bavarian Cream Cheesecake.

Notes:
1) Tip: Please read the entire recipe and any instructions between the pictures before beginning.

2) *To Temper, is the process of adding a small amount of the hot cream slowly to beaten eggs while whisking so the eggs won’t scramble. Then add the egg mixture back to the pot, combining it with the rest of the cream mixture.

3) Use ripe bananas, not ones that have browned.

4) Be sure the custard is, at a minimum, room temperature so whipped cream does not wilt.

5) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through the online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.