Cheesecake comes close to being the perfect dessert. No? Not for you? Well, it does in my book. And as luck would have it, it’s my husband’s favorite. What are the chances?
There are innumerable recipes for this popular cake/pie. I’ve tried quite a few, but I’d be lying if I said I’ve tried them all. I like my cheesecake with a creamy, yet fluffy center. So many recipes produce a firm, rather solid one. That’s okay if you like that sorta thing. But I’ll take melt-in-mouth rather than sit-up-pretty-on-a-plate any day. The crust is just as important to my taste buds. I don’t like it too dry. I like it moist and easy to cut into with a fork. If it’s easy to form into a crust, that’s a big plus.
Recently, I made a cheesecake from one of my husband’s cookbooks, Favorite Recipes of Methodist Women: Desserts, published in MCMLXVII. I loved it! It was the perfect cheesecake in my opinion; exactly what I had been looking for.
Gratefully, I include the recipe here for others to make and enjoy. Hopefully, you’ll be just as thrilled as I am with it.
Ingredients
1 lb. of cream cheese
1 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of flour
4 eggs separated
1 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Beat cream cheese until light. Add sugar and flour; beat. Add egg yolks while beating. Add milk and vanilla; beat together until light and creamy. Pour into 9-inch springform pan lined with crust.
Crust Ingredients
This crust recipe comes from a website entitled REALSIMPLE. I found it to be the best I’ve used to date. I did, however, use less sugar than what they called for.
Mix together 2 cups graham cracker crumbs, ¼ cup butter, and ½ cup sugar.
To finish, pour graham cracker mixture into springform pan and press it evenly up the sides and across the bottom. Add the cream cheese mixture and bake in 325 degree oven for 1 hour. Turn off oven and let it stand for one hour or more. Set cake on rack and cool completely.
I add different flavors of pie fillings on the top. You could also try your hand at making homemade toppings. I do when our various fruits are in season.
If you have a favorite cheesecake recipe, leave it in the comments and I’ll be happy to try it.
Happy Valentine’s Day!