Smilla's Cheesecake Page

this is a collection of hard cheesecakes harvested from various thrift-store-bought cookbooks, and internet sources. Cheesecakes were one of my first experiences in the world of cooking, and to my great surprise, they were quite easy to make. as i perfected my skill at making cheesecakes, i began experimenting. i haven't tried all the recipes below, but i'm not afraid to tackle an unfamiliar flavor combination, and you shouldn't be afraid either. i hope you enjoy these delicious concoctions. here we go...

hmm... well, there's two ways you can make a crust... actually, 4... actually, 6. you can make a crumb crust or a dough crust. you can pre-bake your crumb crust, or not. and you can press the crust on just the bottom of the pan, or on the bottom and sides. all these recipes are for 9 inch springforms. when i first started, the recipe called for 2 cups of crumbs, but that was a bit thick for me, so i usually use 1.5 cups. if you want a thick crust, knock yourself out. if you want to pre-bake your crust (it'll be crisper than a non-pre-baked one), press it into the pan and toss it in an oven that's been pre-heated to 350 degrees for ten minutes. i mean, let it bake for 10 minutes. and actually, whenever you pre-heat an oven, it should be for at least 10 minutes. just a little side note... anyway, here are the crust recipes. have fun!

Classic Crust

• 1.5 cups crumbs; vanilla/chocolate wafers, finely chopped nuts, graham crackers, cookie crumbs, gingersnaps(yuck!), zweiback, cornflakes, cinnamon toast crunch, or anything else your sick mind can think of
• 4 tablespoons butter (NOT margarine, that's for wimps), melted
• 2 tablespoons sugar (which in my opinion isn't necessary, but hey...)

butter the pan first. always butter the pan! blend all the ingredients well (the finer the crumbs, the easier the blending), and press into a 9" pan. f you pre-bake the crust, let it cool before pouring the cheesecake mixture in. if you don't pre-bake, be sure to chill crustfor a couple of hours.

Coconut Macaroon Crust

• 1.5 cups finely crushed crisp coconut macaroon cookies
• 4 tablespoons butter

mix the crumbs and the butter well and press into bottom and 1 inch up sides of your 9" pan. bake at 325 F for 15 minutes and cool.

Lindy's Dough Crust

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 0.25 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 0.25 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 stick butter
• ice water

preheat oven to 400 F. combine flour sugar, zest, and vanilla. make a well in center and add egg yolk and butter. work together with hands and add 1 or 2 tablespoons water to bind dough. wrap in waxed paper and chill for at least one hour. afterwards, roll a third of the dough out to an eighth of an inch thickness and place in bottom of pan. trim the edges and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. after it has cooledroll out the remaining dough and press onto sides of pan. trim the dough so that it only comes 3/4ths of the way up the sides.

Oreo Crust

• 1 pkg of Oreo cookies or generic equivalent, divided
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

drop cookies into a food processor and process until you have 1.5 finely ground cups' worth. mix with butter and press into botton of pan, to a satisfactory thickness. see how easy that was?

Almond Crust

• 0.5 cups butter (1 stick, or 8 tablespoons)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 0.5 cups almonds
• 0.25 cups sugar

add sifted flour, almonds, and sugar to melted butter. stir over medium heat in a skillet for 3-4 minutes until mix is crumbly and golden brown. reserve a quarter of the mix for a neat topping. press the rest onto bottom and sides of pan. cool completely.

Vegan Crust

• 5 cups finely ground granola
• 0.25 pounds soy margarine(ewww! :/ )

Basic Cheesecake

if you can do this, you can do any cheesecake!

• 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs, separated or not; i don't know the difference
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

as in any baking situation, all ingredients should be room temperature. cream the cheese with the sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla until smooth. beat the egg whites until stiff, and fold gently into mixture. pour into crust and bake in pre-heated oven for 45-60 minutes. you know it's done when you stick a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean. to keep it from baking too fast, cover with foil. if using the almond crust, sprinkle the almod mix you reserved around the top of the cake. let your creation cool for awhile, and then stick it in the refridgerator until you're ready to serve it. mmmm, doesn't that taste good?

New York Cheese Cake

• 3 packages cream cheese
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 21-ounce can cherry pie filling

this time, press the crust onto only the bottom of the pan, NOT the sides. mix the cheese, flour, vanilla, and sugar until smooth. add the eggs one at a time, and fold in sour cream. pour over crust. bake at 350 F for one hour until center is set. cool, then chill. when ready to serve, top with pie filling, and enjoy!

Cookies & Cream Cheesecake

did you know that "cheesecake" is actually supposed to be two words, "cheese-cake" or "cheese cake"?

• 3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese
• 15 Oreo or Oreo-like cookies, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 eggs

cream the cheese with the vanilla and sugar until smooth. add eggs one at a time. then stir in 1.5 cups of chopped cookies. bake at 350 F until done. sprinkle top with remaining chopped cookies. cool. chill. serve. enjoy.

S'Mores Cheesecake

• 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese (of course)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 6 1.55-oz. bars milk chocolate candy, coarsely chopped
• 0.5 cup miniature marshmallows

cream the cheese, sugar, vanilla and eggs. stir in half the chopped candy. pour into the crust. spinkle with remaining candy, chopped graham crackers, and miniature marshmallows to your taste. bake at 350 F until done. cool. chill. serve.

Tofu Cheesecake for Vegans

• 1 cup soymilk
• 20 ounces tofu
• 0.5 cups dry fructose
• 0.5 cups refined soy oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder

Topping

• 0.75 cups apple juice concentrate
• 3 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 6 cups fresh strawberries

blend all filling ingredients together (in a blender, if you're lazy), and pour into pie crust. bake at 350 F for 20 minutes. then mix 1/2 cup of juice concentrate with arrowroot. simmer strawberries with the remaining 1/4 cup. add the arrowroot mixture and simmer for 15 more minutes. pour over cheesecake and cool before slicing. yum!

Cappuccino Cheesecake

• 3 8-oz packages cream cheese (what were you expecting?)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules (i prefer Folgers)
• 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup boiling water

i recommend using a crust made of finely chopped nuts with 2 tablespoons sugar added for this. combine the cream cheese, sugar, and flour. add eggs one at a time and blend in sour cream. then, dissolve the coffee granules and cinnamon in water. cool, and gradually add to cream cheese mix. pour over the crust. bake at 450 F for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 250 F and bake for an hour. cool, chill, enjoy.

Trade Winds Cheesecake

this is absolute heaven! or so i've heard. try substituting grand marnier or orange zest for the orange peel. and use the coconut macaroon crust.

• 3 8-oz. packages cream cheese OR neufchatel
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons orange liqueur, orange zest, grated orange peel, grand marnier, whatever
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 lb. firm, ripe mango

Orange Sauce

• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2/3 cups + 3 tablespoons orange juice

start by beating the cheese and sugar, and adding the eggs one at a time. add sour cream, liqeuer, and vanilla, mix until completely blended, and pour over the crust. bake at 325 F for 40 to 50 minutes. you know it's done by either the toothpick test or when the center jiggles slightly when shaken. cool it completely. prepare the orange sauce by mixing all the ingredients in a saucepan over high heat until the mixture boils. cool it to lukewarm, and then pour 1/3 of it over the cooled cheesecake. peel and cut the mango into 4 or 5 inch slices and arrange over cheesecake. pour the remaining sauce over the mango to about 1/4 of an inch of the side. cover the cake and chill overnight or until the sauce is set (30 minutes). slice and serve.

Lindy's Cheesecake

once upon a time there was a famous restaurant called "Lindy's".apparently, the cheesecake they served was beyond anything imaginable, because it is mentioned in just about every dessert cookbook that features cheesecakes. as all the versions are pretty much alike, here's one from my favorite cookbook.

• 5 (NOT 3!) 8-oz. packages of cream cheese
• 1.75 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 5 eggs
• 2 egg yolks (which makes 7 eggs total)
• 1.5 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1.5 teaspoons orange zest
• 0.5 teaspoons vanilla
• 0.25 cups heavy cream

Strawberry Glaze

• 1 quart strawberries, washed, hulled, and drained (duh!)
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 0.25 cups water
• 0.75 cups sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon butter

pre-heat oven to 550 F. blend the cheese, sugar, and flour until smooth. add the eggs and two yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition. add the lemon, orange, and vanilla flavoring and the heavy cream. when completely blended, pour into crust. bake at 550 F for 10 to 12 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 200 F and bake for an hour. cool the cake. for the strawberry glaze (which can be used on any cheesecake), crush 1 cup of the strawberries and put in a saucepan. dissolve the cornstarch in water and add to the strawberries along with sugar and salt. boil gently for 2 minutes, stirring all the while. remove from heat, quickly stir in butter, and cool. arrange the remaining strawberries over top of cake, and pour sauce over them. now you have Lindy's Cheesecake... or at least someone's interpretation of it!

Coffee Rum Cheesecake

• 4 (NOT 3 or 5!) 8-oz. packages cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons espresso
• 2 tablespoons light rum
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoom unflavored gelatin (wait'll you see what this does to the cake!)
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 1 cup heavy cream
• whipped cream for optional garnish

blend the cheese, sugar, coffee, rum, and zest until creamy. dissolve the gelatin in hot water and bland into cheese mix. beat the cream until stiff and gently fold into cheese mix. blend well and pour slowly into crust. [note: try using a 9" chocolate pie shell for this]. bake at 350 F for an hour, let cool, and chill overnight. before serving, top with whipped cream.

Irish Cream Cheesecake

liquor makes everything better! use either a vanilla crumb crust or a graham cracker crust with this.

• 3 8-oz. packages cream cheese
• 1.5 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 pint whipping cream
• 5 large eggs, separated
• 2 envelopes gelatin
• 0.5 cups bailey's irish cream

dissolve gelatin in 0.75 cups water in a saucepan. add egg yolks and 1 cup sugar and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens and bubbles. beat cream cheese and cocoa until light and fluffy while gelatin mixture cools. add the irish cream and beat some more. slowly add gelatin mixture and blend well. beat egg whites with 1/2 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. fold into cheese. whip the cream until stiff, and fold into mixture.pour into crust. DO NOT BAKE. refrigerate overnight and enjoy.

Chocolate Cheesecake

one for all you chocolate lovers out there! try adding 1 teaspoon cocoa to a vanilla or graham cracker crust.

• 3 8-oz. packages cream cheese
• 4 separated eggs
• 1 cup + 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 12 oz. semi sweet chocolate(aka: a bag of chocolate chips)
• 1/2 cup espresso or extra strong black coffee
• 1 teaspoon + 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped to stiffness
• shaved bitter chocolate for garnish(for that professional look)

combine egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar and beat until lemony. then melt chocolate with coffee and 1 teaspoon vanilla in top of a double boiler. beat the cheese until smooth, add yolk mix, blend well, then add chocolate mix and blend. beat the egg whites with 1/2 cup sugar until stiff and fold into mixture. pour over crust and bake 1 hour at 350 F. here's something new: turn off oven, open the oven door and let the cake cool in oven for an hour. refrigerate an hour before serving. top with whipped cream, either store bought or homemage. if homemade, mix heavy cream with 6 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. beat until stiff, and top the cake. add chocolate curls. your guests won't believe it's NOT store bought!

Caramel Pecan Cheesecake

my personal fav. use two extra tablepoons butter in the crust.

• 3 8-oz. packages of cream cheese
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• 1.5 teaspoons instant powdered coffee
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

cream the cheese and eggs and sugar. add instant coffee, vanilla, salt, and pecans. stir until everything is very well blended. pour over crust and back at 350 F for 40-45 minutes. cool to room temperature, then chill. when ready to serve, garnish with chopped pecans that have been tossed in butter.

Lemony Cheesecake with Fresh Fruit

this was originally a healthy lowfat recipe, but i made a few... adjustments. hehehe.../blockquote>

• 3 8-pz packages cream cheese
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 4 egg whites
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup lemon juice concentrate
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup UNsifted flour
• 1 cup fresh assorted fruit (get crazy!)

cream the cheese until smooth. add in condensed milk and beat more. add egg whites, egg, lemon and vanilla, and beat some more. stir in flour, and pour over crust. bake until center is set (about an hour). cool, chill, and serve with fresh fruit. this is great in the summertime.

Pina Colada Cheesecake

is your tummy hurting yet?

• 3 8-oz. packages cream cheese
• 1 8.25 oz. can crushed pineapples
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 6 tablespoons canned coconut cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teapsoon grated lemon peel
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut
• 1 8.25 oz. can sliced pineapple for garnish

try using a zweiback crust with this. drain the crushed pineapple. cream cheese with sugar and eggs. stir in coconut cream 1 tablespoon at a time. add vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon peel, mixing well. press excess syrup out of crushed pineapple and add pineapple to cheese mix. after you've stirred it well, pour into crust and bake at 350 F for 35 minutes, or until it's just barely set in center. turn off the oven, open the door, and let it stand for 30 minutes. chill. when ready to serve, sprinkle shredded coconut around edge of cake and arrange sliced pineapple (drained, of course) on top of cake. enjoy!

Credit Where Credit's Due

the pina colada cheesecake was originally called the "pineapple-coconut cheesecake" and was found in "Fast & Fabulous Desserts" by Johna Blinn. the copyright date is in roman numerals and i'm too lazy to convert it, so nan. the lindy's cheesecake, coffee rum cheesecake, chocolate cheesecake and caramel pecan cheesecake came from "Miss Grimble Presents Delicious Desserts", by Sylvia Balser Hirsch, copyright 1983. the almond crust came from the 1988 Pillsbury Best "More Lovin' from the Oven" booklet. it was meant for a key lime pie, but it's just as good on a cheesecake, dammit! other recipes came from various cardboard wrappings and random websites.

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