A question.

[e_juliana]

I am a cheesecake purist. Give me ricotta, cream cheese, sour cream, eggs, butter, sugar, and not much else. A dash of lemon zest is not amiss, nor is a splash of vanilla. The crust can be from Ritz crackers or graham, as long as it holds nicely. Give me this, and I am as happy as a clam. Actually, give me the ingredients two days ahead, and I'll happily bake them for you.

However, this is not enough for many people. They like margarita cheesecakes, or cheesecakes with strawberries on top, drenched in strawberry syrup. Chocolate cheesecakes, or berry, or orange, etc.

I understand this. Variety is good. I may not like the varieties, but people do.

However, I continue to be puzzled by the topping idea. The various berry syrups, for example. Or, in this case, the apricot jam and peanut brittle topping that is for the peanut butter cheesecake that I have been asked to bake. It just sounds like too much. Too Much Richness in one cake.


So, pray tell, what do you like in and on your cheesecake, and why?

Comments

[veejane.livejournal.com]

Well, #1, I tend to prefer New York style, with no crust at all. Crust can be mangled in the hands of the foolish.

I'm not averse to a bit of syrup on my cheesecake, merely because cheesecake tends not to be super-sweet. It's a nice contrast. It can be way too much, however. There is a trend in frou-frou bakeries these days towards the fruit cheesecake tart, i.e. spongy cake topped with a layer of cheesecake topped with a layer of fruit, sometimes held in place by (only slightly sweet) gelatin. That's pretty good, although those bakers never met a giant piece of fruit they couldn't plop down, without regard to how one cuts such a monstrosity.

I will, however, fight to the death for the honor of "cheesecake" brownies, which are the heroin of baked treats. I don't much like chocolate cheesecake, and don't have a strong opinion about chocolate on top of cheesecake, but cheesecake on top of chocolate? Marvy.

[dxmachina.livejournal.com]

Agreed, cheesecake brownies are the absolute best. Crack in bar form. Actually, I agree with pretty much everything Vee said, so... What Vee said.

[envoy.livejournal.com]

I like garters on my cheesecake.

[larisa57.livejournal.com]

I like the classic "New York" cheese cake (no ricotta -- I put the "New York" in quotes there because that's what I've always heard it called, even though the Italian cheesecake with ricotta is just as common there, as far as I can tell). As for toppings, I'll take it plain, or with just about any kind of berry, but not the syrupy stuff. The syrup is too sweet, and in my mind, cheesecake should be a little tangy. I'd say absolutely no to peanut butter, but I don't like peanut butter in any desserts.

[stephl.livejournal.com]

Like Hil, I prefer the ricotta-free "New York" style, with a graham cracker crust. Berries of any sort on top are very yummy, but that's where I draw the line. Berries or nothing.

[lysana.livejournal.com]

If it's a plain cheesecake, I sometimes like fresh berries or whipped cream, if not both. It adds to the texture and taste variety in my mouth. Syrup on a cheesecake doesn't do much for me.

I like lots of different flavors of cheesecake. Swapping raspberry liqueur for vanilla extract in a recipe that calls for same makes for a very nice, subtle flavor twist. I don't say no to chocolate most days. And then there's the insanity known as The Cheesecake Factory. I had a banana cream pie cheesecake there once in a major splurge. Insanely good.

[alterjess.livejournal.com]

Like you, I am a purist. I like cheesecake on my cheesecake. If at all possible, it should be an Italian-style cheesecake, rather than a New York-style cheesecake, because the Italians tend to have a lighter crumb and less sweetness. Fruit toppings must STAY AWAY.

The one variation I enjoy is a pumpkin cheesecake at Thanksgiving. Much nicer than pumpkin pie, and not at all too sweet.

[spidra.livejournal.com]

I like New York style. I also like strawberry or other berry cheesecakes (made from fresh ingredients, natch, no jam). But my fave is chocolate raspberry cheesecake with Nabisco Famous wafer crust. Why? The raspberry compliments the chocolate perfectly. And because I made it up when I was a teen and I thought I'd invented it.

[sophiap.livejournal.com]

New York style, please. If there is to be topping, the only thing that will work is fresh berries (rasp or straw) that have had just a little bit of time to juice in a wee bit of sugar. Even then, I would prefer the berries be served on the side rather than on top.

cheesecake ....

[redwright.livejournal.com]

I would rather eat gravel. Cheesecake - gag - It sticks to the roof od your mouth.

[debg.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. Well. On the rare occasions I do eat cheesecake, I prefer a traditional graham cracker crust, a filling that is either cream cheese or mascarpone (I like ricotta in cannoli, not in cheesecake, for some reason), and, if my sweet tooth is in attendance that day, a simply syrup made with vanilla bean.

No glaze fruit topping things for me, thank you, ma'am.