Okay, so obviously the cheesecake pictured to the left is not mine. I did, however, promise some recipes a few days ago (was it over a week? Oops, sorry!) and to be totally honest, life stepped in, smacked me around a little, and knocked making these things right out of my head. So I apologize.
I am going to at least post the recipe for the cheesecake, as well as some form of recipe for raspberry sauce made from scratch, so you can give this a whirl and make it yourself! :) So I hope you all enjoy! I will personally be giving the cheesecake a shot myself in the next week or so, definitely! After I do, I'll report on my own, personal thoughts on it. Oh! And after the recipe, keep reading for some awesome deal-type information, too! Y'know, stuff to help you MAKE said cheesecake!
"Perfect Cheesecake" (credit to Simply Recipes website for this!)
Cook time: 3 hours, Yield: 16 servings
Ingredients
Filling
Topping
In a 9" springform pan, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter, mix well and press down to bottom of pan to make crust. Prepare outside of pan by placing it on an 18x18" sheet of foil and curling edges of foil up around the pan, making sure it does not tear or create any holes. Do this twice. Crimp top edges of sheets around the top of the pan.
Preheat oven to 350º, with rack in lower third of oven. After preheating, place pan with crust in the oven, careful not to tear the foil, for 10 minutes. Remove and reduce temp to 325º.
Cut cream cheese into chunks and place in the bowl. Mix on medium speed for 4 minutes until smooth, soft, and creamy. Add sugar, beat for 4 more minutes, then add salt and vanilla, and beat after each addition. Add eggs one at a time, beating for one minute after each. Add sour cream until incorporated, then the heavy cream and beat until incorporated.
Place foil-wrapped springform pan in a large, high-sided roasting pan. Prepare 2quarts boiling water. Pour filling into springform pan over crust, smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Place roasting pan with springform pan in it into the oven, on the lower rack. Carefully pour the hot water into the roasting pan, until water reaches halfway up the side of the springform pan. Cook at 325º for 90 minutes.
Turn off the heat of the oven, and crack open the door about 1 inch. Allow cheesecake to cool in the oven, as the oven cools, for another hour. This helps prevent cracking. Remove, cover the top with foil without touching the cheesecake, and refridgerate for a minimum of 4 hours, or preferably overnight.
Sour cream topping: Place sour cream in a medium sized bowl, stir in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Chill until ready to serve, then spread on the cake.
Homemade raspberry sauce:
Take 12oz of raspberries and place in a sauce pan with 1/4-1/2c granulated sugar. Heat on medium heat, stirring constantly, and mashing the berries as they cook. The berries will release their juices, and the mixture will liquefy. I personally like to add a little vanilla, however this is up to you. Approximately 1/2-1tsp is what I use. Continually stir the mixture until it reaches desired consistency: for thicker sauce, cook longer, for thinner, cook for only a minute or two after boiling. Use as a topping for cheesecake! This can also be placed in a container and kept refrigerated for a couple of days after making it.
I am going to at least post the recipe for the cheesecake, as well as some form of recipe for raspberry sauce made from scratch, so you can give this a whirl and make it yourself! :) So I hope you all enjoy! I will personally be giving the cheesecake a shot myself in the next week or so, definitely! After I do, I'll report on my own, personal thoughts on it. Oh! And after the recipe, keep reading for some awesome deal-type information, too! Y'know, stuff to help you MAKE said cheesecake!
"Perfect Cheesecake" (credit to Simply Recipes website for this!)
Cook time: 3 hours, Yield: 16 servings
Ingredients
- Crust
- 2c graham cracker crumbs
- 2tbsp sugar
- 5tbsp salted butter
Filling
- 2lbs cream cheese, room temp
- 1 1/3c granulated sugar
- pinch of salt
- 2tsp vanilla
- 4 large eggs
- 2/3c sour cream
- 2/3c heavy cream (whipping cream)
Topping
- 2c sour cream
- 1/3c powdered sugar
- 1tsp vanilla
In a 9" springform pan, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter, mix well and press down to bottom of pan to make crust. Prepare outside of pan by placing it on an 18x18" sheet of foil and curling edges of foil up around the pan, making sure it does not tear or create any holes. Do this twice. Crimp top edges of sheets around the top of the pan.
Preheat oven to 350º, with rack in lower third of oven. After preheating, place pan with crust in the oven, careful not to tear the foil, for 10 minutes. Remove and reduce temp to 325º.
Cut cream cheese into chunks and place in the bowl. Mix on medium speed for 4 minutes until smooth, soft, and creamy. Add sugar, beat for 4 more minutes, then add salt and vanilla, and beat after each addition. Add eggs one at a time, beating for one minute after each. Add sour cream until incorporated, then the heavy cream and beat until incorporated.
Place foil-wrapped springform pan in a large, high-sided roasting pan. Prepare 2quarts boiling water. Pour filling into springform pan over crust, smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Place roasting pan with springform pan in it into the oven, on the lower rack. Carefully pour the hot water into the roasting pan, until water reaches halfway up the side of the springform pan. Cook at 325º for 90 minutes.
Turn off the heat of the oven, and crack open the door about 1 inch. Allow cheesecake to cool in the oven, as the oven cools, for another hour. This helps prevent cracking. Remove, cover the top with foil without touching the cheesecake, and refridgerate for a minimum of 4 hours, or preferably overnight.
Sour cream topping: Place sour cream in a medium sized bowl, stir in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Chill until ready to serve, then spread on the cake.
Homemade raspberry sauce:
Take 12oz of raspberries and place in a sauce pan with 1/4-1/2c granulated sugar. Heat on medium heat, stirring constantly, and mashing the berries as they cook. The berries will release their juices, and the mixture will liquefy. I personally like to add a little vanilla, however this is up to you. Approximately 1/2-1tsp is what I use. Continually stir the mixture until it reaches desired consistency: for thicker sauce, cook longer, for thinner, cook for only a minute or two after boiling. Use as a topping for cheesecake! This can also be placed in a container and kept refrigerated for a couple of days after making it.
While my recipe is similar to theirs, I prefer a thicker, richer syrup, especially if I'm making it myself. :)
Now, for the aforementioned deal!
If you ever get emails from Bradslist.com, you've likely already heard of this one. There is a really great sale going for a Kitchenaid Mixer, the 4.5q model, through Kohl's. Until the 22nd, I believe, Kohl's has this on sale for $229. For cardholders, they also have a code, SAVEBIG30, that takes 30% off and free shipping. If you're not a cardholder, you can use SNOW20 for 20% off and free shipping. There's a small ($3.25) surcharge and tax added to it, but there's also a $30 mail-in rebate, and they're currently doing a Kohl's Cash promotion, and at the price, they'll give you $30 in Kohl's Cash to be used on a future purchase. So essentially, you could get one for $124 or less (IF you count the $30 in Kohl's Cash as a discount!) by grabbing it through the current deal. Seriously. Go get one. Why are you waiting? These are, like, the most awesome mixers known to man, and nearly every person who loves to bake or cook wants one! They do EVERYTHING! So go get it already! Oh! And it comes in the white, silver, and black, so it will go with any kitchen decor. Although, it's Kitchenaid, so it goes with anything anyway. So gooooo geeeeet iiiiiit!! :)
Now, for the aforementioned deal!
If you ever get emails from Bradslist.com, you've likely already heard of this one. There is a really great sale going for a Kitchenaid Mixer, the 4.5q model, through Kohl's. Until the 22nd, I believe, Kohl's has this on sale for $229. For cardholders, they also have a code, SAVEBIG30, that takes 30% off and free shipping. If you're not a cardholder, you can use SNOW20 for 20% off and free shipping. There's a small ($3.25) surcharge and tax added to it, but there's also a $30 mail-in rebate, and they're currently doing a Kohl's Cash promotion, and at the price, they'll give you $30 in Kohl's Cash to be used on a future purchase. So essentially, you could get one for $124 or less (IF you count the $30 in Kohl's Cash as a discount!) by grabbing it through the current deal. Seriously. Go get one. Why are you waiting? These are, like, the most awesome mixers known to man, and nearly every person who loves to bake or cook wants one! They do EVERYTHING! So go get it already! Oh! And it comes in the white, silver, and black, so it will go with any kitchen decor. Although, it's Kitchenaid, so it goes with anything anyway. So gooooo geeeeet iiiiiit!! :)