Keylime Cheesecake Recipe
Key lime cheesecake is a traditional dessert in the southern United States. Its bold lime flavor is very distinct and one you will not soon forget as it rests tartly on your tongue. This Key Lime Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce recipe is from my grandma.
She is an absolutely incredible cook and I have learned so much from her. I remember when my grandma made this cheesecake for my brother’s high school graduation. It was such a big hit and everyone loved it. My brother was actually sad when he learned that there were no leftovers.
If you like the tartness of limes, the creaminess of cheesecakes and the sweetness of strawberries, then this Key Lime Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce recipe is perfect for you.
Yield: 12 servings [singlepic=38,320,240,,right]
Ingredients:
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1 1/2 cup sugar, divided
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3- 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
- 3 large eggs
- 1- 8 oz. pkg. sour cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lime rind, finely grated
- 1/2 cup Key Lime juice
Directions:
1) Stir together the first three ingredients. Firmly press the mix onto bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a greased 9 inch spring-form pan. Bake at 350° for eight minutes; cool.
2) Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add 1 1/4 cups sugar, beating until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in sour cream, rind, and juice. Pour batter into crust.
3) Bake at 325° for one hour and five minutes; turned oven off. Partially open oven door; let stand in oven 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and immediately run a knife around edge of pan, releasing the sides.
4) Cool completely in pan on a wire rack; cover and chill eight hours. Garnish if desired and serve with strawberry sauce.
Strawberry Sauce-
- 1 1/4 cups fresh strawberries
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime rind
1) Process all ingredients in a food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Drizzle bits of the strawberry sauce over your cooled cake. Serve and enjoy.
As you can imagine, this recipe is a great way to enjoy an original key lime cheesecake with strawberry sauce anytime you would like; eat up! The combination of flavors is truly divine and one that your taste buds will not soon forget.
German Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe
German chocolate cheesecake is a new twist on the old favorite, German chocolate cake.
This cheesecake has a rich chocolate crust and a smooth chocolate filling. The top has a traditional coconut mixture with the added crunch of pecans.
For those chocoholics in the family, this German chocolate cheesecake is only a few steps away from being in your very own kitchen. It is a cheesecake like no other. It is truly unforgettable.
This German chocolate cheesecake recipe is one that, undoubtedly, will quickly become a new favorite in your very own kitchen.
Yield: 9-inch cheesecake [singlepic=70,320,240,,right]
Ingredients:
- 1 cup chocolate wafers, finely crushed
- 1 cup sugar, divided
- 3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
- 3- 8oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1- 4 oz. pkg. German Sweet Chocolate, melted
- 2 ½ tsp. vanilla, divided
- 4 large eggs, divided
- 1/3 cup canned evaporated milk
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350°F if using a silver 9-inch spring-form pan or to 325°F if using a dark nonstick 9-inch spring-form pan. Mix chocolate wafer crumbs, 2 tbsp. sugar and butter; press firmly onto bottom of pan. This is your crust. Bake 10 minutes.
2) With electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar and the flour in large bowl, until well blended. Add chocolate and 2 tsp. of the vanilla; mix well.
3) Add 3 of the eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over crust.
4) Bake 45 to 50 min. or until center is almost set. Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight to allow the cake to completely cool and set up.
5) Combine milk, remaining sugar, 1/4 cup butter, remaining egg and remaining 1/2 tsp. vanilla in small saucepan; cook on medium-low heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in coconut and pecans. Cool. Spread over cheesecake just before serving. Remember to store any leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.
The cheesecake is a delicious way to satisfy that sweet tooth of yours and it can also be a fun addition to a large gathering or a party. It is definitely a recipe that your guests will not soon forget. This German Chocolate Cheesecake is bound to knock their socks off and probably will knock your own socks off too!
Cheesecake Brownie Recipe
This cream cheese brownie recipe is a unique twist on two old fashioned favorites; the brownie and the cheesecake. Quite possibly two of my most favorite foods on the planet!
To most people a cream cheese brownie is a regular chocolate brownie with a surprise swirl of cream cheese found in every bite! The cream cheese, as expected, is very similar to the taste of cheesecake so it’s like you have two desserts in one! Really, what could be better.
This cream cheese brownie recipe has an amazing balance of richness (from the brownies) and lightness (from the cream cheese filling). It’s an excellent choice for any occasion and my family loves them! My mom calls them simply decadent.
Yield: 16 brownies [singlepic=66,320,240,,right]
Ingredients:
Brownie Base-
- 2/3 cup (3 1/3 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into quarters
- 1 cut (7 ounces) sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
Cream Cheese Filling-
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ cup (1 ¾ ounces) sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg yolk
Directions:
1) For the brownie base: Adjust the oven rack to be in the middle-lower position and heat the oven up to 325 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray, coating it lightly. Also, if non-stick spray isn’t really your thing, you could also use parchment paper to line the pan. It gets the job done just the same, but without the grease.
2) Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl. Set the mixture aside.
3) In a medium heatproof bowl set over a pot of almost-simmering water, melt the chocolates and butter, stirring occasionally until it’s smooth. Remove the melted chocolate mixture from the heat.
4) Mix in the sugar and vanilla and then let it sit and cool slightly. Mix in the eggs (one at a time) mixing thoroughly after each addition.
5) Continue mixing until the mixture is completely smooth and then add the dry ingredients, mixing until just barely incorporated.
6) For the cream cheese mixture: In a small bowl mix the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and egg yolk until blended.
7) Pour half of the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Drop half of the cream cheese filling atop the brownie batter in the pan. Top that with some brownie batter and continue layering until all of the batters are gone.
8) Use the blade of a knife to gently swirl the two mixes together. All you need to do for that is to place the knife in the batter and move it around in an “S” motion. Be sure not to swirl it too much or you’ll get a brownie, where you can’t tell the difference between the cream cheese and the chocolate! If you do this right, it will create a marbled effect in your brownies.
9) Bake your brownies until the edges have slightly puffed up, about 50-60 minutes. When a toothpick is inserted, it should come out with many crumbs adhered to it…then you know the brownies are done!
10) Cool the cream cheese brownies for at least 5 minutes and then place them on a wire cooling rack and wait until they have reached room temperature.
11) Refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or 1 ½ hours in the freezer).
12) Remove from the refrigerator cut, serve, and taste the decadence!
13) Place the leftovers, if there are any, back in the refrigerator!
14) Enjoy!
This cream cheese brownie recipe is a favorite with the kids and the unique combination of “brownie meets cheesecake” will surprise your taste buds!
History of Cheesecake Making
There are not many other things which can compare to cheesecake history. It traveled across countries and had a role in other historical events. Even now-a-days, people continue to try to perfect their favorite cheesecake recipes.
They alter cheese types; usually between cream cheese (most popular), ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, and Neufchatel. They also use different mix-ins to flavor the cake, like chocolate, fresh fruit, or special liquors.
But beyond the changes we make in our cheesecakes today, what about the changes people made in the ancient times; especially ancient Greece. The first appearance of cheesecakes came in 2,000 B.C. when anthropologists found cheesecake molds in ancient Greece. From there cheesecakes moved into the Olympics.
In 776 B.C, on the Isle of Delos, it has been recorded that cheesecakes were served to the first Olympic athletes during competition. As times changed so did the cheesecake. [singlepic=71,320,240,,right]
Soon the fall of ancient Greece came, and the secret of the cheesecake fell into Roman hands. The Romans then took Greece’s recipe for the special cake and gave it a new name…placenta or libum. These forms of cheesecake were usually baked on a pastry base or in a pastry case. The cakes were then used as temple offering to the gods. Slowly the cheesecake was spread across Europe by Romans.
Again, the times would change. Immigration became popular, especially to America, and the traveling of the cheesecake began continuing to create the cheesecake history. The cake followed immigrants into America where it became popular. Americans took the recipes and altered it even more, changing the cheese type from Neufchatel, to cream cheese thanks to Mr. James L. Kraft.
In 1912, Kraft invented cream cheese, which led to the creation of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, the most popular cheese used for making cheesecake today.
So from ancient Greece, to Rome, to America, and beyond; the adventures of the cheesecake are far from over.
Restaurants continue to develop new ways to enjoy the special cake, and who knows where the cheesecake history will go from here.