Cheesecake

Last month I talked a bit about cheesecake, after making a cheesecake wedding cake, and thought I would devote a whole post to it. Cheesecake is seriously the greatest dessert ever! OK, so that is just my opinion, but if you don't agree, hopefully my cheesecake can sway you :)

I especially love cheesecake, not just because it tastes great, but because it is so fun to make. It is so versatile, that the possibilities are endless. Here are a few examples of what I have done with this truly fabulous dessert so far.

Pumpkin Cheesecake:
This is a cross between pumpkin pie and cheesecake. It has a gingersnap crust and a bourbon sour cream topping, garnished with pecans and whipped cream (that is a maple leaf made with crushed pecans in the center)

Key Lime Cheesecake:
I made this one with my basic cheesecake recipe and shortbread crust. It has a layer of key lime curd on the bottom, and a sour cream topping, garnished with whipped cream and key lime slices.

Creme Brulee Cheesecake:
Again, my basic cheesecake recipe and shortbread crust. Instead of my standard sour cream topping, I topped this one off with a simple homemade creme brulee custard, with the burnt sugar topping of course. It is garnished with whipped cream and raspberries.

Peach Cheesecake:
My boss brought me a bunch of peaches from his tree (which were amazing I must say!), amd asked me to make him a cheesecake with them. I used basic cheesecake and shortbread crust again. I made a peach sauce with the peaches (basically you cook up the peaches on the stove with a little sugar, lemon, and cornstarch), then layered it into the cheesecake. First I poured about 1/3 of the cheesecake batter into the crust, then the peaches, then the rest of the batter. I finished it off with a sour cream topping, peach glaze, and thinly sliced peaches. My boss actually dove into this one (for breakfast of all things) before I could get a picture, hence the missing piece.

Other "flavors" of cheesecake I have done include tuxedo (cheesecake, chocolate cheesecake, and chocolate cake layered up and finished up with chocolate dipped strawberries), strawberry, lemon raspberry, and tiramisu. There are hundreds more I would like to try, and I am constantly thinking up new ideas. All I need is a reason to make a cheesecake! Anyone got a good reason?