Do you buy or make your own cheese cake?

Amarante

Sun, May 17 2015, 5:25 pm

The quintessential New York style Cheesecake - This one has a cookie dough crust. Baking the bottom layer for a short time before adding the rest ensures that the bottom layer will not be soggy.

Bake in a water bath for best results - wrap the exterior of the springform pan in tin foil.

Lindy's Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For The Crust:
1 cup flour, sifted
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup butter, softened

For the Cheesecake:

5 packages (8 ounce size) cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:
In medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, lemon peel and vanilla. Make well in center; add egg yolk and butter. Mix with fingertips until dough cleans side of bowl. Form into a ball and wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for one hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease the bottom and side of a 9-inch springform pan.

*Remove the side from the pan. Roll one third of dough on bottom of springform pan; trim edge of dough. Bake 8 – 10 minutes, or until golden.

Meanwhile, divide dough into 3 parts. Roll each part into a 2 1/2″ strip, 10″ long. Put together springform pan, with the baked crust on the bottom. Fit dough strips to side of pan, joining ends to line inside completely. Trim dough so it comes only 3/4 of the way up side of pan. Refrigerate until ready to fill.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Make Filling: In a large bowl of electric mixer, combine cheese, sugar, flour, lemon and orange peel, and vanilla. Beat at high speed, just to blend. Beat in eggs and egg yolks, one at a time. Add cream, beating just until well combined. Pour mixture into springform pan. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 250 degrees F and bake 1 hour longer.

Let cheesecake cool on wire rack. Glaze top with strawberries. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. To serve, loosen pastry from side of pan with spatula. Remove side of springform pan. Cut cheesecake into wedges.
Notes:
Yield: serves 8-12 (or more) depending on size of slices

Last edited by Amarante on Sun, May 17 2015, 6:03 pm; edited 1 time in total

Raisin

Sun, May 17 2015, 5:29 pm

I make them. Besides, they don't really sell our favourite type - the one that is no bake cheese filling and cookies layered and made into a triangle.

morah

Sun, May 17 2015, 5:37 pm

I make it. As others said, its not that difficult. What scares people is getting the texture right. And that doesn't take that much effort or patchke-ing. Bake in a water bath at a low temp to ensure even baking and let set in the fridge. Works every time.

MagentaYenta

Sun, May 17 2015, 5:52 pm

OOTBubby wrote:

It's not cheap to make either, especially if you use really good ingredients (okay, I'm out of town so the stuff, especially cheese is more expensive here). On several occasions I've made 3 cheesecakes for a dessert buffet and spent almost $200 each time.

What does one put into a cheese cake that makes it cost $66?

sneakermom

Sun, May 17 2015, 6:04 pm

I cheat by buying the ready made pie crust. The rest is so easy. Mix and bake.

I happen to go for farmer cheese based cheesecake as opposed to cream cheese.

But that's just my personal preference.

Beyla

Sun, May 17 2015, 6:07 pm

Well I don't like cheesecake but my family does so... I tried to make it today and it's a disaster... So we will buy it.

imasoftov

Sun, May 17 2015, 6:51 pm

We make all our own cakes. I don't have any idea how much any sort of cake costs, unless it's a single serving at a coffee shop where everything costs 5 shekels.

Sadie

Sun, May 17 2015, 7:00 pm

I've never made a cheesecake in my life; my husband made one a few weeks ago and it was amazing. So he's responsible for making it for chag. I have no idea how much the ingredients cost, I just know I couldn't pass the refrigerator for days without taking a square.

Simple1

Sun, May 17 2015, 7:34 pm

Some recipes are really easy and really good. Cream cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla in a pie crust. I agree it's not so cheap to make.

I did once buy a cheap cheese cake and didn't like it. I guess the good ones are very expensive.

Laiya

Sun, May 17 2015, 8:03 pm

Kraft has a NY-style cheesecake recipe online that I make every year, and my kids love. It calls for cherry pie filling on top to hide the imperfect cracks (I never bother with the water bath), but I'm not a fan of cherries so I skip that part.

I also use reduced-fat cream cheese and yogurt instead of sour cream, and no one notices Smile

ra_mom

Sun, May 17 2015, 8:32 pm

OOTBubby wrote:

Not to steal the thread -- but you guys can probably advise well. I'll be in Boro Park Friday before Shavuos on the way to Lakewood for Shabbos & Yom Tov. I'd like to bring a cheesecake-type gift to my hosts there. What do you recommend. Preferably not a whole cheesecake; maybe some kind of sampler or speciality item that is in individual pieces. Any recommendations?

Try Shloime's bakery

rachelbg

Sun, May 17 2015, 9:13 pm

I've only baked it myself once, I thought it would be cheaper than buying something small, and boy was I wrong! I buy cholov yisroel products, and just the cream cheese alone for the recipe was up of $12. I have spoken with friends who will buy a small one instead just to defray the cost. Yom tov is so expensive anyway...
And who need so much cheesecake? (It's good, but generally pretty unhealthy.)

kakky

Mon, May 18 2015, 4:17 am

I only have a milchig toaster oven, no real oven so we just buy.

Iymnok

Mon, May 18 2015, 4:27 am

kakky wrote:

I only have a milchig toaster oven, no real oven so we just buy.

I've done it in a toaster oven, it came out fine. You may have to rotate it halfway through though.

Ruchel

Mon, May 18 2015, 10:58 am

Buy some, sometimes make, hope to receive loool

browser

Mon, May 18 2015, 5:54 pm

I've bought, made my own, made my own using homemade cheese : )
depending on what I was up to at the time!

saw50st8

Mon, May 18 2015, 7:27 pm

This year I baked but sometimes I buy. Costco cheesecake is not expensive at all and delicious.

chouli

Tue, May 19 2015, 4:05 am

I always bake myself. Really easy and you can decorate with chocolate or fruits to make it look special.
This year I would like to make in advance, cause of all the shabbos/yontif stress. Can I freeze it? Ever done that?

Chayalle

Tue, May 19 2015, 10:02 am

I make my own cheesecake. My experience has been that those gorgeous, bought cheesecakes often earn their reputation by looks, not taste.

Though if you are in Lakewood, I've been treated to a Viennese Table cheesecake in the past....and it was absolutely divine.

OOTBubby

Tue, May 19 2015, 10:36 am

Chayalle wrote:

Though if you are in Lakewood, I've been treated to a Viennese Table cheesecake in the past....and it was absolutely divine.

I will be in Lakewood and would like to bring my hosts a cheesecake gift (was thinking of bringing from Brooklyn) -- is Viennese Table a restaurant, bakery or what? Where is it located?