Cake of the Day: Wi-Fi Cheesecake from ‘Nerdy Nummies’

Every day, Yahoo Food features delectable cakes. They taste good, they look good, and they’re made by good people — talented bakers from around the world. This week we’ll be sharing adorable creations from Rosanna Pansino of the popular YouTube baking channel, Nerdy Nummies and her new cookbook The Nerdy Nummies Cookbook: Sweet Treats for the Geek in All of Us. Check back to Cake of the Day for more geeky desserts!

Wi-Fi Cheesecake. (Photograph by Michael Schmidt)

Wi-Fi Cheesecake
Makes one 9-inch round cheesecake

Wi-Fi helping people all over stay connected to the Internet from almost anywhere. I designed this cheesecake to look like a Wi-Fi symbol when you cut into it. Once you’ve made this recipe, connecting to the internet will be a piece of cake!

?New York–Style Cheesecake filling and crust (see recipe below)
Electric blue food coloring gel
9-inch springform pan Decorating bag
#12 decorating tip

????????????Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Make the crust as directed, pressing the crumb mixture 2 inches up the sides of the 9-inch springform pan [Image A]. Bake for 10 minutes to set the crust. Remove the pan from the oven to cool, but leave the oven on.

Make the filling as directed. Measure out and set aside 2 cups of the filling and pour the rest into the prepared crust and spread evenly [Image B].

Tint the reserved 2 cups of cheesecake mixture with electric blue food coloring until you reach the desired shade of blue [Image C].

Scoop the blue mixture into a decorating bag fitted with a #12 tip.

Pipe a 2-inch-diameter circle in the center of the cheesecake [Image D].

Pipe three concentric rings around the center circle [Image E].

Bake, cool, and chill as directed.

Cut the cheesecake into portions to resemble Wi-Fi signals [Image F].

New York-Style Cheesecake
Makes one 9-inch round cheesecake

Crust
11/2 cups cookie crumbs (graham crackers, gingersnaps, or chocolate wafers)
¼ cup sugar
5 tablespoons salted butter, melted

Filling
4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Make the crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the cookie crumbs and sugar. Stir in the melted butter until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the crumb mixture onto the bottom and 2 inches up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes to set the crust. Remove from the oven to cool, but leave the oven on.

Make the filling: In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and light.

Beat in the eggs, vanilla, and cornstarch until just combined (do not overmix).

Mix in the sour cream until well blended.

Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and spread evenly.

Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. Turn the oven off, prop the door open slightly, and let the cake sit for 1 hour.

Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.

Cover and refrigerate until well chilled before serving. (My trick: I place a dinner plate wrapped in a clean kitchen towel on top of the springform to prevent any condensation from dripping onto the cake.)

Reprinted with permission from Nerdy Nummies by Rosanna Pansino (Atria Books).

For more awesome cake inspiration, visit our Cake of the Day Pinterest board and get to pinning!

More delicious cakes that bring out your inner geek:

Cake of the Day: UFO Cake Pops from ‘Nerdy Nummies’

Geode Candy Cupcakes from ‘Nerdy Nummies’

Comic Book POP Cake