Many WSU departments celebrate the holidays with a potluck lunch. At Capital Planning and Development (CPD), this was a typical activity until 2004.
That December, Keith Bloom, director of construction services, heard a local radio news program describing the many sharing trees placed in area businesses. The announcer said one particular tree still had a lot of children’s names hanging from paper tags. That news sparked an idea that has grown faster than you can say “White Chocolate Orange Cheesecake.”
To support the Pullman Child Welfare organization, Bloom invited co-workers to bake up “heirloom” desserts or something special that could be auctioned to the highest bidder.
“Bring your Grandmother’s special pie or your great-great-great grandfather’s special dessert,” Bloom said. “We’ll have some fun and give any money we raise to help make Christmas special for kids.”
Inaugural success
The endeavor was encouraged by Jerry Schlatter, CPD associate vice president. Brian Funke, a CPD construction engineer and a licensed auctioneer, provided the expertise that made that first auction more successful than anyone anticipated.
Virgil’s Killer Brownies, the first dessert auctioned in 2004, sold for $25. Other contributions included Pumpkin Cheese Cake, Kentucky Butter Cake, Gramercy Tavern Gingerbread Cake and a wide variety of pies and cookies. The White Chocolate Orange Cheesecake sold for $100.
To the amazement of everyone present, that first auction raised more than $1,000. When Bloom delivered the funds to the Pullman Child Welfare representative, the tears of thanks in her eyes convinced him this was an event worth repeating.
Donations triple
In 2005, CPD designated two local charities that deal with immediate needs of families during the holidays: Pullman Child Welfare and the Community Action Center Food Bank. Additional charities were suggested, but it was determined that, in keeping with the original intent, these two had the greatest impact locally. CPD encouraged staff to support other charities through the Combined Fund Drive.
Holding the 2005 Christmas auction in the School of Communication Building atrium, CPD was again amazed at the generosity of attendees. The bigger location was packed with staff and their guests, the number of desserts nearly doubled, and the total proceeds, shared between the two charities, exceeded $3,500.
Auction items included a Honey Toffee Tart, Holiday Bourbon Cake, Sacher Torte, Aunt Martha’s Apple Pie and madeleines cookies. A Triple-Layer Chocolate Cheesecake sold for $325.
Also included in the 2005 auction items was the first ever “LEED certifiable” residence assembled at WSU, contributed by CPD Project Manager Jeff Lannigan. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
That particular residence is intended to house a small family of the winged variety, and the successful bidder for the LEED certifiable birdhouse was Dwight Hagihara, director of Environmental Health and Safety.
Triple-Layer Chocolate Cheesecake
1 package (9 oz.) chocolate wafer cookies, crushed (about 2 cups)
¾ cup sugar, divided
½ cup butter, melted
2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened, divided
1 package (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla, divided
2 squares (1 oz.) semisweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
1 1/3 cups sour cream, divided
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
¼ cup chopped pecans
¼ teaspoon almond extract
GLAZE & TOPPING:
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
3 squares (1 oz. each) semisweet chocolate, divided
½ cup white chocolate morsels
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Combine cookie crumbs, ¼ cup sugar and butter; blend well. Press into bottom and 2 inches up the side of a 9-inch springform pan; set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat one 8-oz. package cream cheese and ¼ cup sugar until fluffy. Add 1 egg and ¼ teaspoon vanilla; blend well. Stir in chocolate and 1/3 cup sour cream. Spoon over crust.
In another bowl, beat remaining 8-oz. package cream cheese, brown sugar and four until fluffy. Add 1 egg and ½ teaspoon vanilla; blend well. Stir in pecans. Spoon carefully over chocolate layer.
In another bowl, beat 3-oz. package cream cheese and ¼ cup sugar until fluffy. Blend in 1 egg. Stir in remaining 1 cup sour cream and ¼ teaspoon vanilla. Add almond extract. Spoon carefully over pecan layer.
Bake at 325 degrees for about 55 minutes or until center is almost set. Turn off oven and leave cheesecake inside for 30 minutes; open door partway and leave cake in oven another 30 minutes. Remove from oven; cool completely. Refrigerate at least 8 hours.
For glaze, bring cream to a boil. Add three squares semisweet chocolate; let stand 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Remove cheesecake from pan and spread chocolate ganache on top, spreading to within ½ in of edge. Refrigerate.
Combine white chocolate morsels and oil and microwave for 1 minute at 70% power; stir. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring until melted. Spread with spatula into a very thin layer on baking sheet. Refrigerate 2 minutes or until set.
To make curls, push a metal spatula firmly along the baking sheet, under the chocolate, so the chocolate curls as it is pushed. If chocolate is too firm to curl, let stand a few minutes at room temperature; refrigerate again if it becomes too soft. Use a toothpick to carefully place each chocolate curl on a waxed paper covered tray. Refrigerate curls until ready to use.
Arrange chocolate curls in center of cheesecake just before serving.
Yield: 12 servings.
