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.