Cheesecake - HELP!!!

Df wants a chocolate/peanut butter or new york style cheese cake. I've run all over town and can't find either kind. The new york ones i've found all have strawberries on them. Which doesn't work because df is allergic.

How hard is it to bake a cheesecake? I've never tried to bake one before. I'm an ok cook- I've make cookies and cakes from scratch before...

Cheesecakes are easy to bake.  Buy the graham cracker crumbs in the baking aisle for the crust and away you go.

Basically, it's cream cheese, eggs, sugar and a bit of vanilla.  Add whatever flavor you want then bake.  You will need a springform pan though, but you can find those anywhere.  Target, Wal Mart, etc.

My mom has a great one that you make using a regular cake mix - Tim loved it when I made it for him and so did his family. hang on, I'll get the recipe for you...


1 pkg. Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
2 tbsp. melted butter or oil
2 pkg. (16 oz total) cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
3 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. vanilla
1 can cherry pie filling

Reserve 1 cup dry cake mix. In large bowl combine remaining cake mix, 1 egg and butter (mixture will be crumbly). Press mixture into bottom and on 3/4 up sides of pan (9 x 13 greased). In same bowl blend cream cheese and sugar, add 3 eggs and the reserved cake mix. Beat one minute at medium speed. At low speed slowly add milk and flavoring, mix until smooth. Pour into crust. Bake at 300 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes until firm. When cool top with pie filling. Chill before serving.

I'm glad to hear it's not too hard. I think I'm going to give it a try. I think just about anything with chocolate and pb tastes good! My future inlaws are all going to be eating it too, so I'm nervous.

I make my crust out of digestive crumbs, butter, and a bit of sugar...

For the filling it's just cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, eggs, lemon juice. Easy peasy.

For chocolate, just mix in some cocoa powder, and I bet you could even throw in some peanut butter.

ETA: When I do a chocolate cheesecake I take out the lemon juice and replace with vanilla.

There's a seriously good peanut butter cheesecake/pie on pioneer woman which was such a hit at thanksgiving It uses oreos for the crust rather than graham crackers.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/06/another-pie/

There are a lot of tips online. Make sure you bake it in advance, as it needs to rest for several hours before you put it in the fridge, and then it needs to chill in the fridge for several hours or at least overnight. It doesn't appear that anything about assembling the cheesecake is hard, it's just keeping it from cracking that is the tricky bit. From what I understand, some tips to help keep it from cracking include placing the springform pan in a water bath - basically, wrapping the springform tin tightly with foil and then placing it in a larger pan with enough water that it's about halfway up the tin. Then, when the cheesecake is done (it should have a slight wobble in the centre still) you use a knife to loosen the sides (as it shrinks when it cools, if you don't loosen the sides, it may crack on the top), but keep it in the oven with the oven door open as you turn off the heat and let it sit there until it cools (which takes a few hours) and then cover and put it in the fridge until it chills. Then you can top it with anything you like just before you serve it. This recipe seems to be pretty popular:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chantals-new-york-cheesecake/Detail.aspx

Good luck! I'm planning to give it a go myself for New Years Eve.  

<edited for a 4am I should still be in bed blonde moment>
ImissEngland - I meant to say IF I can do it you can do it THEN Jewlz you try to make it too!
If its a hit let me know so I kknow what to ask you to bake for me hahahaha

Take pics too! Pics with recipes helps so much!

Ohh pioneer woman I love that page - Thanks cheesebiscuit

In my family we have a firm tradition of claiming a cheesecake with a few cracks "tastes better anyway".   They are super easy; my family favourite is an orange-flavoured one.

Yum, I think I'm going to have to bake a cheese cake soon!

There's a seriously good peanut butter cheesecake/pie on pioneer woman which was such a hit at thanksgiving It uses oreos for the crust rather than graham crackers.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/06/another-pie/

This one!

My mom has a great one that you make using a regular cake mix - Tim loved it when I made it for him and so did his family. hang on, I'll get the recipe for you...

1 pkg. Duncan Hines yellow cake mix

Does this turn out cakey? I mean the texture of it is it more like a cheese cake filling (smooth) or a cake (Moist/sponge)?

Does this turn out cakey? I mean the texture of it is it more like a cheese cake filling (smooth) or a cake (Moist/sponge)?

The one I made you didn't even know it had been a cake mix.

In my family we have a firm tradition of claiming a cheesecake with a few cracks "tastes better anyway".   They are super easy; my family favourite is an orange-flavoured one.

Hehe! The first time I made a cheesecake on my own I called one of my aunts to ask how I could tell ti was done. My aunt told me, "when it cracks".

Good to know Becca, only thing is I haven't seen any yellow cake mix on the shelf at Tesco. We usually shop at Tesco and they do carry chocolate and carrot cake mix but no vanilla or yellow.  I guess I'll have to go explore asda or waitrose or something and try and find it. I may bake one for new years!

Good to know Becca, only thing is I haven't seen any yellow cake mix on the shelf at Tesco. We usually shop at Tesco and they do carry chocolate and carrot cake mix but no vanilla or yellow.   I guess I'll have to go explore asda or waitrose or something and try and find it. I may bake one for new years!

I bought two victoria sponge mixes last year, and it turned out pretty well.  The reason I used two was after reserving the 1 cup, I didn't have much left for the crust!

I think I also might have used one of the large cream cheese and one of the small just to mkae sure it had enough cheese!

I decided to order one. I'm too chicken to try it with my inlaws coming in town.  But I think I'll make one new years weekend. (When it's just me and df)

But I found a bakery in town that will make any flavor of cheese cake and they deliver it!