Happy 2011 Cheesecake!

- January 01, 2011

It all started when our Mom decided to give us a Pampered Chef Christmas! I picked out a spring form cheese cake pan, a frosting gun, and biscuit cutters. Next, we remembered that it was our good friend Tyler's birthday and he asked for a cheesecake for his special treat! So, it all worked out perfectly on a special new years eve party at Dwaynes...we got to see Shelley, Tyler, Ashley, Rebecca, Justin, and some more friends to celebrate! Shelley and I agree that this was the most fun we've ever had at a new years party...decorations, good laughs, food, fireworks, and fellowship. I bet you'll never guess which cheesecake recipe I used..yup, ol' my Mom's bakery one. By the way, you can always click on the recipe to make it larger!

It all starts with the crust! All you need is a stick of butter, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, and some flour. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 min. I prefer this crust of many...except an Oreo crust! It tastes similar to a sugar cookie or The Chop House's cheesecake crust.

spread me out on a well greased or non stick pan. If not, you can always use a 9x13 but double the crust.
Here are some examples of some cheesecake squares. Add a little cupcake liner to make them look special, colored frosting, chocolate circles from Hobby Lobby etc

Here's another idea that I love to do: you can color some white chocolate or use any kind of melted chocolate to make a design on waxed paper. Let it cool or pop it in the freezer and you've got a custom made design for your treats! If you don't want to use wax paper you can just draw it directly on the dessert too! This also works well on chocolate covered strawberries!

you must multitask. warm up your cream cheese so that it's not cold at all

add one egg at a time and make sure you don't accidentally drop the whole egg into the mixer... ahah i confess.

get all the egg shells out...

here's the scoop. If you've made cheesecake before or eaten an ugly one..you know about the annoying cracks!!! the trick is to beat this baby on the counter while singing a song in rhythm to get all the bubbles out. be sure not to whip this mixture to help reduce the air as well. fun fun fun

the cheesecake is done when the center rises. even if it's still jiggly..it's done when you see the middle poof. This is technically a custard, not a cake, so it doesn't need to over bake. only an hour at 400. If you have a darker pan such as the one you see then it works best at 375

please let me sit in the fridge over night.. or 4-6 hours

load your frosting gun, zip lock bag, etc and get creative!

tyler requested a strawberry cheesecake so i grabbed some smuckers fudge, microwave, added a little oil so that it's easier to work with, shake, rattle, and roll. add chocolate chips, and maybe a decorative border.