Cheesecake for Everyone!

Next Sunday is the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, celebrating receiving the Torah, but celebrated in large part by eating cheesecake. (OK, I'm simplifying, but this is a baking blog, so I gotta get right to the food.) Cheesecake - and any dairy desserts really - are something I rarely make throughout the year for a variety of reasons. But once a year, I like to go allllllll out. So if you're looking for an epic cheesecake for this year's holiday, look no further. 

First up is this incredibly rich, intense and delicious brownie mosaic cheesecake. Cheesecake is decadent enough, before you throw in chunks of brownies, then top it off with chocolate ganache. Do I really need to go on? No I do not.

Next up I went a little lighter (but not much, this is still cheesecake). I introduced some bright fruit flavors - lime and strawberries - and lightened things up further with the addition of some Greek yogurt, which gave it an amazing fluffy yet still dense texture (just trust me).

My basic cheesecake filling recipe remains fairly standard always (why mess with perfection) and it's the add-ins and flavorings I like to play around with. So one year I figured I'd just throw in all the things I love the most, for a peanut butter cup chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake bar. And throw some chocolate ganache on top (why not).

Last up is the height of simple, quick perfection. Don't make the crust yourself - throw an Oreo cookie into the bottom of a paper muffin liner, top with cream cheese mixture, bake, voila. Fast, delicious and impressive to all those who don't know just how easy it was. Plus, mini cheesecakes are the cutest cheesecakes.

Come back next week when I post a brand-new cheese-filled dessert recipe! You won't regret it.