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Cheesecake

Cheesecake is one of America’s favorite desserts. Many restaurants offer a version of cheesecake because they know their customers will ask for it. But home cooks can make a delicious cheesecake. Have you tried to make cheesecake? Try it—some versions are easy!

Request it!
The cheesecake Bible : includes 200 recipes
George Geary.
Toronto : R. Rose, c2008.
Includes index.
     
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Junior's cheesecake cookbook : 50 to-die-for recipes for New York-style cheesecake
Alan Rosen & Beth Allen ; photography by Mark Ferri.
Newtown, CT : Taunton Press, c2007.
Baking quite possibly the best cheesecakes in the universe, Juniors Restaurant in New York is a legend in its own right. Now cheesecake lovers can indulge in more than 50 recipes for Juniors New York-style cheesecakes.
     
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125 best cheesecake recipes
George Geary.
Toronto : R. Rose, 2002.
A cookbook with 125 different cheesecake recipes, including tips and techniques for bakers.
     

Basic ingredients for a cheesecake are:

  • Cream cheese
  • Sugar
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla

And then the creativity begins! There are as many different recipes for cheesecake as there are cheesecake lovers. Chocolate flavoring is classic, but what kind of chocolate? Chocolate fudge swirl is yummy and beautiful. Tiny chocolate chips spread liberally on a vanilla cake make a good combination. Walnuts and caramel complement these tastes. So do fruits!

Oven tips for Successful Baking

Use a wet, slow and even heat. Placing the pan in water will allow the water bath to gently bake with moist heat.

Create a high, full cake by using a pre-heated conventional oven (not convection)—that will provide even heat. Don’t open the oven to check on it until at least 30 minutes into the baking cycle.

Remove from the oven and do not disturb it for a full two hours. The cake needs to cool and completely set.

These tips will insure a cake that doesn’t crack or fall.

Raspberry, blueberry, and cherry flavors go well with cheesecake. Key lime is at the top of the cheesecake popularity list. A layered crust of tart apples or sweet pears provides unusual texture. What about pumpkin for a seasonal fall cake? Liquors such as creme de menthe or Amaretto work well. Strong coffee flavor perks up a cheesecake and is a natural fit with its creamy texture. A careful pairing of any of these flavors makes a special cake.

Recipes call for ingredients to be thoroughly mixed and added into a crust. Common crusts are graham cracker, cookie, and shortbread. Butter pastry and sponge cake crusts are suitable for some fillings. Matching crust to filling is part of the creativity in making a signature cheesecake.

Whatever your taste preference, a cheesecake can be make to suit it. Try one today!

Article by: St. Louis Public Library staff