Cheesecakes

I thought I was done with the "Cake Unit" of my Baking Blog, but then I realized that I neglected my favorite dessert, Cheesecakes. July 30Th is National Cheesecake Day in the United States. Since that day just passed, I thought it appropriate to discuss cheesecakes at this time.

There are three basic types of cheesecakes that we are familiar with in the United States. There is, first of all, the very creamy type that is not very tall or heavy, the type that is made with cream cheese, and closely resembles that which can also be made out of a box from a popular brand. This type is quick to make, and also relatively affordable in ingredients. I have seen this type in the traditional round pie shape, as well as in small squares. I have heard of this type of cheese cake referred to as Philadelphia style, but I feel that might be misleading to my readers as I recommend using Philadelphia Brand cream cheese in New York Style Cheesecake.

There is a European style of cheesecake. This type is typically made with either Ricotta Cheese, or with Farmer's Dry Cheese, depending upon whether the recipe is from Western Europe such as Italy, or from Eastern Europe, such as Poland. This type can be slightly heavier than the first type mentioned due to the different cheese used. Many Americans are not familiar with this type of cheesecake, and I find that it is an acquired taste once one is already used to the familiar cream cheese versions.

The third type of cheesecake is the New York Style Cheesecake. This type is my favorite. It is heavy, and relatively expensive to make, however. One of its ingredients is cream cheese, like the first type, but also includes many more eggs, heavy cream, etc. It also requires more time to prepare, although it is not difficult to make. Because of the cost and time involved, I typically make this type of cheesecake on holidays, particularly in the winter. If you plan on making this type of cheesecake, I recommend stocking up on the cream cheese (it takes five 8 oz. packages) when they are on sale. Cream cheese keeps for quite a while in the refrigerator, but be sure to check the expiration dates on the packages first to make sure it will be still good when you plan to bake the cake.

Cheesecakes have a bottom crust that is either made of ground graham crackers (either freshly ground yourself or from a package) or a dough like crust. Cheesecakes may be served plain, or with a fruit topping. There are also numerous variations of cheesecakes such as Key Lime Cheesecake, Marble Cheesecake, etc. As you may have noticed from my blogs each week, I tend to be a traditionalist. Most of the time, therefore, I make a New York Cheesecake, plain in that it does not incorporate other flavors within the cheesecake itself, with a simple fruit topping and glaze. However, since there are so many wonderful flavors out there made from great recipes, I encourage you to make whichever type and flavor that make your stomach sing with joy.

If you would like additional information regarding the history and types of cheesecakes from around the world, I highly recommend you visit the Wikipedia website on Cheesecakes. There is a lot of information and photos regarding the subject.

Cheesecakes are not for the faint of heart in terms of calories. Yet, cheesecake is a wonderful comfort food/dessert. At least once a year throw caution to the wind and enjoy a slice!

Next Week: Cheesecake Recipe