Cheesecake

Once chilled, this cake can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to three days. In fact, it actually tastes best after being chilled overnight. Let it stand at room temperature for twenty minutes before serving.

Smaller adaptations of favorite desserts, such as raspberry-swirled cheesecake, are always appealing. Everyone gets his or her own, with plenty of buttery graham-cracker crust in each bite. Drops of fresh raspberry puree are pulled through cream-cheese batter to give the cakes a marbleized look. Baking the cupcakes in a hot-water bath produces the creamiest results and prevents the batter from sinking in the oven.

These single-serving delights are a staff favorite—not only because they are delectable, but also since they are easy to prepare. Instead of a cookie-crumb crust, a whole sandwich cookie serves as the base for each cheesecake. In addition, chopped cookies are mixed into the filling.

Take all the layers of classic cheesecake—crumbly graham-cracker crust, rich, creamy filling, and fresh fruit topping—and combine them in a modern tart. Sour cream ups the tanginess factor of the filling; almonds round out the cookie crust; and sugar sweetens the plums, which are cooked into a jam. Save some of the cooking syrup for tossing with the blueberries before scattering them over the top.

It has become a tradition in my house that I make everyone’s favorite dessert on his or her birthday. Garth’s favorite is German Chocolate Cake, Taylor’s is Banana Pudding, and so on. When it came time for my friend Joe’s birthday, his wife, Kim, let me know that his favorite was cheesecake. “No problem,” I said, as I started thinking about that awesome cheesecake in a box I was going to make (I have to admit that it’s my favorite). “He loves the old-style New York cheesecake,” she explained. Umm … no problem? But I was committed, so I did what I always do: call my family for help. Beth hooked me up with several cheesecake recipes, and this is the one I like best. It made me a big hit on Joe’s birthday.

This blueberry cake is a great alternative to classic cheesecake, especially in the summer, because it tastes less heavy. The Cream Cheese Icing makes this version of the cake less sweet than a typical vanilla cake. The graham cracker crumbs around the sides of the iced cake add a decorative touch, while completing the flavor and texture combination that brings cheesecake to mind. For an added element, try substituting Citrus Cream Cheese Icing (page 146) for the traditional icing.

THIS CREAMY CHEESECAKE IS MUCH LIGHTER THAN the classic New York cheesecake. Instead of cream cheese, we use Beecher’s Honey Blank Slate, a naturally cultured, soft, fresh farmer’s cheese blended with Washington State honey, but a good substitute is fresh ricotta cheese mixed with honey. One tip for a successful cheesecake: Before serving, run a knife around the edge to separate it from the pan. This will help prevent the cheesecake from cracking. Top the cheesecake with Caramel Sauce (page 183) or Northwest Berry Syrup (page 221).

SECRET INGREDIENTS This cheesecake has a velvety texture but less fat than more familiar versions, thanks to reduced-fat versions of cream cheese and sour cream—plus the unexpected addition of low-fat cottage cheese. With its delectable cherry topping, this dessert will please everyone, even those not counting calories.

SECRET INGREDIENT When puréed in a food processor, nonfat cottage cheese—high in protein but low in calories—becomes a smooth, creamy base for delectable cheesecakes such as this chocolate-espresso flavored version.

If you choose to bake only one cookie from this collection, make it these bites. The crisp cookie base provides the perfect contrasting setup to the luscious caramel-flavored dulce de leche—caramelized milk—hidden under the creamiest cheesecake layer. The final snazzy drizzle of dulce de leche is not essential, we know, but it makes the bites downright irresistible.

Italian cheesecake is one of the easiest Italian desserts to make, and, yes, one can add raisins, orange, or pine nuts. But I recall my grandmother’s simple version, made from goat’s-milk ricotta with minimal sugar, and it was delicious. In America, the cream-cheese version, of much smoother consistency, is common, but an Italian will willingly partake of the crumbly consistency of ricotta cheesecake, any time.

Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts, and I love the kind that is a little bit sour. This one is made with a little crema and a hazelnut crust. I like to serve it with quince, a natural pairing with cheese. I also gave it a little heat from arbol chiles to showcase the wonderful combination of sweet, sour, and spicy that is popular in modern Mexico.

I know I continually say that I’m skeptical about tofu, especially something as weird as tofu cream cheese. However, I have to say this vegan cheesecake is actually better than a lot of cheesecakes I’ve had. In fact, it’s so good that when I finished my first piece I went back for a second. Like any cheesecake, it’s great with any kind of fruit on top, especially strawberries.