On a special episode of Newman University’s official podcast, “The Newman Bond,” host and digital content specialist Amy Emerson ’19 teamed up with Director of Alumni Relations Dana Beitey to bring listeners a holiday dessert recipe.
Baking is one of Beitey’s favorite hobbies, and the podcast episode took place in her home kitchen. The recipe she shared was one found in a cookbook created for Newman’s 50th anniversary. The book consists of recipes from staff, faculty and alumni.
Beitey chose a cheesecake cupcake recipe by alumna Susanne (Greuel) Hamker ’71.
“I thought it would be fun because it’s super easy to do if you have kids,” Beitey said. “You can also really Christmas them up.”
All you need for the cupcakes is a handful of ingredients: two packages of cream cheese, sugar, flour, eggs, a splash of vanilla and your crust of choice, like Oreos or vanilla wafers.
As Beitey walked listeners through the recipe, she talked about how when she was a teenager, she hated being in the kitchen. Her grandmother loved to bake, though, so after Beitey had children of her own, she decided it would be fun to learn how to bake and do it with them.
“It’s become a thing now,” she said. “Sometimes even when you’re stressed, baking is a great way to de-stress a little bit.”
Because she enjoys doing things for other people, too, Beitey brings a lot of her baked goods to work for her coworkers.
As Beitey and Emerson walked through the recipe, they discussed other Christmas favorites, like holiday movies, songs and traditions.
Then, after pulling together all the cheesecakes, the two decorated the tops of them with things like Christmas trees, snowmen and more. The end result was cute, mini cheesecakes that brought Christmas joy.
To get the full scoop on the cheesecake cupcake recipe and all Beitey’s tips and tricks, check out the full podcast episode on “The Newman Bond.”
Mini cheesecake recipe
Ingredients:
- 16 oz. full-fat cream cheese (room temperature)
- 3/4 c. sugar
- 2 Tblsp. flour (mixed in with sugar to avoid lumps)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- Crust of choice (Oreo cookies, vanilla wafers, Golden Oreos, etc.)
- Toppings of choice
Directions
- With a handheld mixer, mix the sugar/flour combo with the cream cheese until soft. Do not overmix.
- Add eggs and vanilla and mix. Do not overmix. Just get everything incorporated.
- Add your crust into muffin liners. Fill about 2/3 full with cheesecake filling.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 16 to 18 minutes.
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