A Literal Cake of Cheese and Handmade Crackers #BakingBloggers

Today, the Baking Bloggers, led by Sue of Palatable Pastime, are sharing cheesecakes. Don't get me wrong, I love cheesecakes - so much so that we served cheesecakes at our wedding instead of regular cake - but I had seen a cake made of cheese wheels and really, really wanted to make one. And I thought this might be the perfect recipe to share with the group. I did email to make sure it wasn't too far outside of her vision in picking the theme and she responded, "...as long as you bake some part of it." Well, I handrolled and baked the crackers. I hope that works for her.

The Line-Up of Cheesecakes

Culinary Adventures with Camilla: A Literal Cake of Cheese and Handmade Crackers

Sneha's Recipe: Baked New York Style Cheesecake

Trampling Rose: Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake

Tara's Multicultural Table: Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake

Karen's Kitchen: Classic New York Cheesecake

Cookaholic Wife: Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

A Day in the Life on the Farm: Individual Cheesecakes for 2

Sid's Sea Palm Cooking: Savory Salmon Cheesecake

Palatable Pastime: Sugar Cookie Cheesecake

The Redhead Baker: Tiramisu Cheesecake

Handmade Crackers

Since this is the baked part, I'm sharing this first...

Ingredients makes approximately 3 dozen 2" cookies

3/4 C pastry flour
3/4 C white flour
1 T organic granulated sugar
1/2 t salt
4 T (1/2 stick) butter (unsalted, cut into small pieces)
1/3 C water
1 T fresh herbs (I used chives)

Procedure

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Put flours, sugar, salt, butter, and herbs in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to incorporate. With the blade running, add water and blend until a smooth dough form.

Divide the dough in half and place one half on a floured work surface. Roll the dough out between two sheets of wax or parchment paper. Make the dough as thin as you can. because the thinner the crackers are, the flakier and tastier they are.

Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into 1-1/2" to 2" crackers. I was inspired by Valentines' Day and made mine into hearts. Re-roll any leftover dough until you've used it all. This batch made about 36 crackers.

Bake the crackers until crisp and lightly browned, approximately 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack before serving. They will harden as they cool.

A Literal Cake of Cheese

Now this is the part that's less of a recipe and more of a game. Imagine me at the cheese counter, picking up the round cheeses and seeing how they aesthetically fit into a "layer" cake. I ended up with Willoughby cheese as my base. This is a buttery, washed-rind cheese that's succulent, earthy, and savory. And it has a thin, beautiful quince-colored rind that encases a remarkably oozy interior.

For my second layer, I chose Bucherondin. This goat's milk cheese has a wrinkled white exterior that looks like the bark of a birch tree. The aging process renders the outside a soft brie-like texture while the inside is a tangy more crumbly chevre. It's divine!