- Katerine Chung Chen
LIFE TASTES BETER WITH A SLICE OF CHEESECAKE
It's time to skip the meal and go directly to dessert because today is National Cheesecake Day. Who wouldn’t like a slice of soft and creamy cheesecake? I would love one now. Cheesecake, a typical sweet dessert made of mainly soft fresh cream cheese, egg, and sugar. You could make your cheesecake by either baking them or simply putting a store-bought one in the fridge. And of course there are thousand of flavors to choose from, the common ones are strawberry, plain, lime/ lemon, raspberry, pumpkin, and chocolate. You could also mix two or more flavor and come up with your own.
Did you know that the first cheesecake was created about 100 years ago? James Kraft created this delicious creation in 1912. By 1928, Kraft started using the Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Ever since then, that’s the most common cheese being used for cheesecake now. Today, July 30th is the day for cheesecake lovers, because many cheesecake restaurants are offering free slices of cake and some other half price. The Cheesecake Factory is offering any slice of cheesecake for half price for any customer who walks in. Also The Chicago cheesecake company─Eli’s Cheesecake─ will be offering a free slice of cheesecake for any customer that is dining inside.
For National Cheesecake day, we suggest you go out and take advantages of all those deals. Also, you could try baking Caramel Macchiato Cheesecake. Here is a recipe from Allrecipes.com:
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
½ cup of melted butter
1 cup of white sugar
3 package of 8 oz. of cream soft cheese
3 eggs
1 container of 8 oz. of sour cream
¼ cup of brewed espresso or strong coffee
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
Pressurized whipped cream
Caramel ice cream topping
STEPS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly coat a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 2 tablespoons of sugar until well combined. Press into the bottom of the prepared springform pan, and 1 inch up the sides. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, then remove to cool on a wire rack.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Beat the softened cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually add 1 cup of sugar, beating until blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in sour cream, espresso and vanilla. Pour batter into the baked and cooled crust.
Bake cheesecake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 5 minutes; then turn the oven off, partially open the door and allow the cheesecake to rest for 15 minutes more. Remove from the oven, and run a knife around the edges. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack to room temperature, then cover the springform pan with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours.
To serve, cut the cheesecake into wedges and garnish each slice with whipped cream and caramel sauce.
Photo: https://www.pexels.com/photo/slice-of-pie-on-plate-beside-fork-162688/