Banana Split Cheesecake

This is another one that is just a very basic cheesecake. This is all about the toppings!!!! We made all of our toppings from scratch, but again, you don't too. I am mostly just going to post some pictures of this one and leave it at that. Nothing too complicated.

YUMMY!!!!!

 

We used strawberry, chocolate, and butterscotch toppings. I cut the cheesecake slice into three pieces, and slopped the toppings right on. Pretty easy!!

I have Jenn to thank for this cheesecake! It was all her idea!!! And she even made the chocolate and butterscotch toppings!! I made the cheesecake, strawberry topping, and whipped cream. It was a joint effort with a delightful, very filling, sweet end!!! SO GOOD! THANKS JENN!!

Dutch Apple Cheesecake

I made this cheesecake at the request of a friend for a birthday party. She said that her sister would like something fruity, so I threw out this suggestion and received a big fat yes!! This was made back in March (yes I am a little behind) and I didn't write down the exact recipe that I used. But you will get the idea and can adjust it to your liking.

This was just a pretty basic apple pie filling recipe that I used. The apples were put on top of the crust before I put on the cream cheese mixture and also on top the the cooked cheesecake.

 Yes, that is a random Dominoes Pizza box in the corner of the picture.....:-D

After I laid out the apple pieces, I drizzled a layer of caramel sauce over them. Again, I don't have the recipe for this one either, but it really doesn't matter what you use. I made my own, but you could probably cheat and use a premade one. ;)

The Cheesecake mixture itself was just a basic one. Nothing fancy. After it was cooked and chilled, I added more of the apple pieces to the top, and topped it off with a little more of the caramel sauce and some dutch crumble.

 The finished product!!

The Birthday Girl, Missy!

This was by far my favorite cheesecake that I have ever made! It did take about three days to make, but totally worth it!!!

Red Velvet Cheesecake

That fact that this is a Red Velvet Cheesecake, really leaves little left to be said about it. It's rich, it's chocolaty...it's yummy! Enough Said.

It looks more brown in this picture, but I assure you that is due to poor lighting in the kitchen. It really is very very red!!

Filling:

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa       
1/2 cup whole buttermilk
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 (1ounce) bottles red food coloring

Topping:

3 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup butter                                                          
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar                                             
1 teaspoon vanilla                                                           
                                                                                      
Crust:

1 1/2 cups chocolate graham crackers
1/4 cup butter
1/4 sugar

Note: Because of the buttermilk in this recipe, this cheesecake will never set as firm as other cheesecakes. But it is still delicious!!

Perfect Cheesecake Tip #2

Always make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature. This will make it easier to blend, eliminate chunks, and insure maximum smoothness. If the cream cheese is cold, your cheesecake will end up looking like it was made out of cottage cheese!! No bueno!

Banana Cream Cheesecake

I need to start off by saying that we all (we all being me, Mandi, and Jenn) loved this cheesecake! If you sense a "but" coming on, you are correct. Its nothing bad, just one minor adjustment I would make for the next time around. I put a little over a cup of bananas into the cheesecake, and it was just a bit too much. We all agreed that the banana and cream cheese didn't balance each other out as well as it should. Just not enough of the cream cheese taste. So I have adjusted the amount in the recipe that I am going to post.

We all did, however, agree that the fluffiness created  by the whipping cream and one less egg than normal was a nice change from the normal dense, overly sweet cheesecake that we are all used to. Usually by the time I get to the last few bites of a piece cheesecake, I find myself struggling to make it through. I had no problem making it through one LARGE piece of this light and fluffy cheesecake. I hope that you enjoy this cheesecake as much as the three of us did!!

                YUMMY!!




Filling:

1/4 cup margarine, melted
4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 eggs
3/4 cup mashed bananas
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract


Crust:

1 1/2 cups vanilla wafers
1/4 butter (softened)

Perfect Cheesecake Tip #1

Always run the knife under warm water before EACH cut into your cheesecake. You will be guaranteed a perfect slice every time!!

Caramel Brownie New York Cheesecake

Filling:

4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Crust:

1 package brownie mix of your choice*
Caramel Sauce**

Bake brownie mix in spring form pan for 10 minutes according to package directions. Take pan out and turn oven to desired temperature for baking cheesecake. Pour thin to moderate layer of caramel sauce over brownie, and then pour cheesecake mixture over caramel. Bake. Top off with drizzled caramel and chocolate.

Note:
*Depending on size of brownie package, all of mixture may not be needed.
** Home made caramel sauce may be used, or use pre-made. Either works just fine! :D


This cheesecake is very very rich, must have a LARGE sweet tooth!

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake

Filling:

4 packages cream cheese
1 1/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons lemon extract

Crust:

1 1/2 cup crushed graham crackers
1/4 sugar
1/4 cup butter

Blueberry Topping:

1 can blueberry pie filling (about as easy as it gets! :D)



Note: I thought it was amazing, roommates thought it was amazing, therefore, it IS amazing!

Cheesecake-aholic

As most of my friends know, I love cheesecake. I love to make it, and more than that, I love to eat it! I spent years thinking I knew everything there was to know about baking a good cheesecake. The only problem was, I couldn't get the big crack down the middle and the brown on the edges to go away. I knew everything there was to know eh? 

Well, I'm pretty sure I am closer to perfection now! The cracks and the brown edges have gone, and yummy, smooth, (did I say yummy? :D) cheesecake has taken their place. On this blog, I will post the pictures and recipes to every cheesecake that I make. Even the ones that don't turn out so good. I will tell you what it was that made it not work, and then make it again and let you know what I did to change it. I will also be giving you tips and tricks to the perfect cheesecake along the way. But I probably wont tell you them all at once!

I hope you enjoy this blog as much as I think I am going to! It will open up opportunity for me to make many more cheesecakes than I normally would and I am super excited about that. As are my roommates I'm sure!

Thank you Jenn for this awesome idea!!