This week: one cereal, three treats, and the secret to silky-smooth cottage cheese

Hey Reader!

In the second issue of BakedLean Weekly, we're going full childhood cereal nostalgia:

• Three ways to turn Fruity Pebbles into a high-protein loaf, cereal-milk ice cream, and gooey crispy treats!
• Why cottage cheese strangely made my double-chocolate protein cheesecake creamier than Greek yogurt!
• How to get cottage cheese perfectly smooth when your blender refuses to cooperate...
• And whether I should test Cocoa Pebbles, Birthday Cake Pebbles, or Cinnamon Pebbles next!

Weekly Recipe Highlights

Fruity Pebbles Protein Loaf Cake

A soft, funfetti-style protein loaf packed with fruity pebbles sweetness.

Cut into 10 slices for a guilt-free breakfast, snack, or dessert.

The frosting comes from my Fruity Pebbles Fluffy Yogurt recipe, adding more protein and a creamy white-chocolate contrast to the cereal flavor.

MACROS PER SLICE:​
​267 calories | 20g protein | 4g fat | 39g carbs

​VIEW THE RECIPE →​

What I Experimented With Last Week

Double Chocolate High-Protein Cheesecake

Last week’s mission was figuring out whether cottage cheese or Greek yogurt makes the better high-protein cheesecake.

I made versions with both, and the cottage cheese version was oddly creamier.

Greek yogurt starts smooth, so I expected it to produce the better texture. Instead, it made the cheesecake tangier and slightly less creamy. Cottage cheese produced a richer, more neutral filling—but only when I blended it until there was absolutely no trace of the curds.

Blending it correctly is my big takeaway: if the cottage cheese isn’t perfectly smooth before baking, you’ll end up with a grainy cheesecake.

If Your Cottage Cheese Won’t Blend Smooth

If you have a cheap blender, chances are that it's just not powerful enough to break down the curds. If your stand blender isn’t getting the job done, try an immersion blender.

If that still doesn’t work, add one tablespoon of milk at a time and blend again. The extra liquid can help a weaker blender circulate the mixture and pull the remaining curds into the blades.

Be careful adding milk, though. More liquid changes the balance of the batter, so use only enough to get everything moving.

OR...

Check the ingredients in your cottage cheese.

Some brands contain additional stabilizers or thickeners that can affect how smoothly the curds blend. Look for brands without those additives it you want the smoothest cottage cheese blend.

​VIEW THE RECIPE →​

Between the cocoa powder, chocolate protein powder, and chocolate frosting swirl, I spent a lot of time thinking about chocolate last week.

Which brings us back to the Pebbles cereal world...

Future Follower Spotlight

Which Pebbles Flavor(s) Should We Yabba-Dabba-Do Next?

But three more flavors await:

Cocoa Pebbles. Birthday Cake Pebbles. Cinnamon Pebbles. Which cereal should BakedLean conquer next?

What dessert would best suit Cocoa Pebbles? Should Birthday Cake Pebbles become protein cookies or Creamis? Do Cinnamon Pebbles belong in something I haven’t thought of yet?

Email me the cereal mashups you most want to see, whether a tried and true flavor combination or something wacky.

I’ll highlight the most requested ideas in an upcoming issue... and probably bake them, too.

Much love and happy baking, Jacob