Marble Cheesecake Squares

If you've forgotten to set out the cream cheese to soften, arrange the unwrapped blocks in a single layer in a large bowl, and microwave at HIGH a minute or until slightly soft.

Yield 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup chocolate graham cracker crumbs (about 9 cookie sheets)
• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 2 (8-ounce) blocks fat-free cream cheese, softened
• 1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 large egg whites
• 1 large egg
• 1 ounce semisweet chocolate

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°.

Place crumbs in a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray; drizzle with butter. Toss with a fork until moist. Press into bottom of pan. Bake at 325° for 8 minutes; cool on a wire rack.

Place cheeses in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until smooth. Add sugar and flour; beat well. Add vanilla, egg whites, and egg; beat until well blended. Pour cheese mixture into prepared pan.

Place chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl; microwave at high 1 1/2 minutes or until soft, stirring after 45 seconds (chocolate should not completely melt). Stir until smooth. Drop melted chocolate onto cheese mixture to form 9 mounds. Swirl chocolate into batter using the tip of a knife. Bake at 325° for 35 minutes or until almost set. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill at least 4 hours.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 239 (29% from fat)

Fat: 7.6g (sat 4.1g,mono 2.1g,poly 0.2g)

Protein: 9.7g

Carbohydrate: 31.4g

Fiber: 0.6g

Cholesterol: 41mg

Iron: 0.6mg

Sodium: 355mg

Calcium: 124mg

Patricia Baird, Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2004

Chocolate-Pumpkin Marble Cake

Notes: Two separate batters are swirled together to create this playful marbled pound cake.
Yield

Makes 12 to 16 servings
Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups (3/4 lb.) butter, at room temperature
* 3 cups sugar
* 6 large eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla
* 1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin
* 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
* 3/4 cup Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa
* 2/3 cup buttermilk
* Chocolate glaze (recipe follows)
* 1/2 cup chopped roasted, unsalted peanuts (optional)

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Scrape half the mixture into another bowl.

2. To make pumpkin batter: Beat pumpkin into half the butter mixture until well blended. In another bowl, stir together 1 3/4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and beat on low speed or fold in with a flexible spatula just until blended.

3. To make chocolate batter: In another bowl, mix remaining 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the cocoa. Add flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk to the other half of the butter mixture (starting and ending with flour mixture), beating after each addition just until blended.

4. Spoon half the pumpkin batter into a buttered and floured 12-cup bundt-cake pan. Drop half the chocolate batter by spoonfuls over (but not entirely covering) the pumpkin batter. Repeat to spoon remaining pumpkin and chocolate batters into pan. Gently run the blade of a butter knife around the center of the pan several times, then draw the knife across the width of the pan in 10 to 12 places to swirl batters.

5. Bake in a 350° regular or 325° convection oven until a wood skewer inserted into center of cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 55 to 60 minutes. Let cake cool 10 minutes in pan, then invert onto a rack, lift off pan, and cool cake completely.

6. Pour warm chocolate glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Sprinkle glaze with peanuts if desired. Let stand until glaze is set, about 2 hours, or chill about 30 minutes.

Chocolate Glaze: In a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler, combine 4 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate, 1/2 cup whipping cream, 1 tablespoon butter, and 1 teaspoon corn syrup. Bring an inch or two of water to a boil in a pan that the bowl can nest in or in bottom of double boiler, then remove from heat. Place chocolate mixture over water and let stand, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth, about 10 minutes.
Nutritional Information

Calories:
498 (47% from fat)
Protein:
6.5g
Fat:
26g (sat 15)
Carbohydrate:
64g
Fiber:
1.4g
Sodium:
464mg
Cholesterol:
138mg

Charity Ferreira, Sunset, NOVEMBER 2003
From Cooking Light.