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Relishments Bakes Results: Cheesecake

Published on July 4, 2019 By Emily. Updated on July 4, 2019

I cannot recall a baking project that has left me with as much of a sense of accomplishment as June’s cheesecake Relishments Bakes project.

cheesecake with cherry topping, side view

Though the challenge was totally open to simpler recipes featuring cheesecake, I wanted to be as traditional as possible. I opted to go with Smitten Kitchen’s New York Cheesecake, which looked delicious and about as standard a cheesecake as one could find.

This is not a health food recipe – it used 8 tablespoons of butter in the crust and 5 (yes, 5, blocks of full-fat cream cheese), 5 eggs and 2 yolks. I didn’t skimp on any ingredients or make any changes because I believe in following recipes the first time you make them, I didn’t want to mess up this cheesecake and I had no intentions of being healthy.

graham cracker crust for cheesecake

I made my graham cracker crumbs in the food processor, making them as fine as possible. When I pushed the crumb mixture into my 9-inch springform pan (I don’t own a nine and a half inch), I was concerned that the crust was too dry and wouldn’t hold together, but since Smitten Kitchen has never steered me wrong, I decided to go with it. I put it in the freezer while I made the filling.

cheesecake baking set up

My biggest concern while making the filling was making sure all of the ingredients were evenly combined. Thankfully, the June weather ensured that my cream cheese was very soft. I followed the directions for adding each egg individually and it looked great, both in the mixing bowl and poured into the pan.

filled but not baked cheesecake

Since I wasn’t sure what kind of non-stick coating was on my springform pan, I decided not to bake the cheesecake at the full temperature of 550 degrees. Instead, I started it at 400. There’s lots of discussion about baking temperatures in the actual recipe and comments, but in my case, the lower temperature totally worked out. After 12 minutes, as instructed, I dropped the temperature of the oven to 200 degrees. After an hour and 10 minutes, the cake seemed mostly firm and it was removed from the oven.

baked but not topped cheesecake

My cheesecake did have a couple of cracks and I know that’s a big issue for a lot of cheesecake bakers, but I wasn’t concerned. Cracked cheesecake still tastes good, and the cherry topping would cover it up.

cherry cheesecake topping

I waited until the next day to make the cherry topping, mostly out of scheduling conflicts. The topping was extremely easy to put together (I used frozen cherries) and though I was concerned that it was too thin, that too worked out in the end especially after refrigeration.

cheesecake with cherry topping

The next day, I removed the springform from around the pan and was thrilled to see how well the crust held together. I didn’t take the cake off the bottom of the pan, for fear that it would crumble. Serving it straight from the pan seemed to work out fine. We poured the topping over the cake and, after I took way too many photos, enjoyed it thoroughly.

slice of cheeesecake

I was really concerned about this Relishments Bakes -it seemed like so much could go wrong. But it was actually less difficult and far more successful than I anticipated. I’m not sure when I’ll be in need of cheesecake again, but I’d definitely revisit Smitten Kitchen’s recipe.

half cheesecake

Stay tuned for the next challenge soon!

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Filed Under: Relishments Bakes Tagged With: dessert, recipe review

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Emily
This week I - drove across the state for 4 days of This week I
- drove across the state for 4 days of 8 am to 4 pm professional development
- was incredibly impressed with the facilities and food at @wyliecenter and @tuppermanor
- wandered my undergrad campus at dusk
- started to wrap my head around @openscied
- spent quality time with @ryntintin12
- enjoyed several of Beverly's breweries and restaurants including @thecastlebeverly, @backbeatbrewing, @lavictoriataco, @oldplantersbrewing
- Enjoyed an evening with one of my closest friends from college
- took deep breaths and watched birds at the ocean 
- visited the mall and Whole Foods primarily to see what life is like for the other half of the state
- rediscovered a love of taking the scenic route, making unplanned detours and checking out small towns along the way
It was a cold and cloudy morning, but we made it t It was a cold and cloudy morning, but we made it to our second annual strawberry picking at @mountainviewfarm413, which included E's first tractor ride (she was very excited). We picked about 9 pounds of strawberries and I'm looking forward to eating them! 🍓
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#igers413_food #strawberries #LocallyGrowjln #PickYourOwn #LanesboroughMA
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires

#NorthAdams #NAmazing
Scenes from this morning in Adams, featuring @shir Scenes from this morning in Adams, featuring @shiredonuts, Poseidon Coffee, the Ashwillticook Rail Trail, St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Adams Free Library and beautiful flowers.
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#AdamsMA #igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires
I don't have clear words to express my feelings ab I don't have clear words to express my feelings about the state of the world lately. As a teacher and a mother, it has been extra difficult this week to be fully present in my roles without thinking about innocent lives that should have had longer on Earth. How what has happened in each of the many mass shootings this year can happen anywhere. If you are feeling sad and frustrated too, you are not alone.

I don't have answers, but I'm trying to take care of myself and my biological and school families. I'm saying "I love you" a lot to my children and my students. I'm closely following and sharing the work of @everytown while contacting my state and federal representatives and the president. I'm going for walks and getting fresh air and trying not to overload on news. I'm sharing good resources in my stories as I see them.
UPDATE: the giveaway is now CLOSED. Congrats @aloh UPDATE: the giveaway is now CLOSED. Congrats @alohr3!

 @thelazygenius' second book, The Lazy Genius Kitchen, is finally here and I'm so excited! I don't purchase many books, but I pre-ordered this last July because I knew it would be right up my alley and then I pre-ordered a second copy because I knew that I'd want to give one away.

Author Kendra Adachi has been one of my favorite voices in recent years. Her principles (shared through her first book, The Lazy Genius Podcast and her Instagram) have helped me focus my priorities and give myself more grace. 

This book is NOT a cookbook (it has just 2 recipes), it is a kitchen guide - to help you "have what you need, use what you have, and enjoy it like never before". It is beautiful (full color!) and thoughtful.

I'm very excited to send this book to one of you.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment below with one of your greatest kitchen struggles. 
I'll draw a winner at 8 pm on Friday, May 6.
This giveaway is not affiliated with Instagram or The Lazy Genius, Kendra Adachi.
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#LazyGenius #KendraAdachi #NameWhatMatters #TheLazyGeniusKitchen #TheLazyGeniusWay #BookGiveaway
This morning we took advantage of @massmoca's Berk This morning we took advantage of @massmoca's Berkshire Teacher and Social Worker Appreciation Day free admission. After enjoying the student Art Invitational exhibit, the 4 of us took in several of the other galleries. Mass MoCA always impresses and it was delightful to be able to be out in the world with my kids.
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #NorthAdams #NAmazing #MassMoCA #ArtMuseum
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #ShopLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #NorthAdams #NAmazing #PlantConnector
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My January and early February menu plans for my @m My January and early February menu plans for my @mightyfoodfarm vegetables are finally up on the blog. See how we're making use of these beautiful items, as well as the items from the other pick up we made in the past month. 
Link in profile.
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare  #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
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