Dorie's Tall and Creamy Cheesecake

What can I say? I do love me some cheesecake! And this one did not disappoint. This one was made from Dories, BFMHTY...I present to you, Tall and Creamy Cheesecake. And that is exactly what it is! Tall and Creamy! Of course, the strawberries and chocolate drizzle doesn't hurt it either!

Daring Bakers do Cheesecake..

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

I ran out of time to get creative for this challenge, so here it is, a basic cheesecake. I will probably never make this recipe again, as I like my go to cheesecake recipe better, but this one was fine. Thanks Jenny for choosing a simple recipe for this months challenge!

Merry Christmas and a Red Velvet Cheesecake!

I have seen this recipe pop up all over blogland here lately, and it sounded fantastic, and well, it is. It is perfect for this time of year because of the colors, red and white, but it really is worth the time to make it. I made this to take to my inlaws Christmas celebration on Monday night and this is the before picture. The one below is the only one that I could snap before it was finished off.

Merry Christmas from my home to yours!!!

Red Velvet Cheesecake:

1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whole buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
2 (1-ounce) bottles red food coloring
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; press mixture into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.

Beat 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar at medium-low speed with an electric mixer 1 minute. Add eggs and next 6 ingredients, mixing on low speed just until fully combined. Pour batter into prepared crust.

Bake at 325° for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 300°, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until center is firm. Run knife along outer edge of cheesecake. Turn oven off. Let cheesecake stand in oven 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven; cool in pan on a wire rack 30 minutes. Cover and chill 8 hours.

Beat 1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese and 1/4 cup butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth; gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until smooth. Spread evenly over top of cheesecake. Remove sides of springform pan.

Daring Bakers make cheesecake pop!!

This months Daring Baker challenge was chosen by Deborah of Taste and Tell and Elle of Feeding my Enthusiasms. They chose a recipe from the book Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O'Connor. I have this book and it is one of my favorites. I would definitely recommend this as a buy for anyone who is in the market for a new cookbook.

I made these pops for a cookout that we had with some friends and they were a huge hit. I will absolutely make these again and again. It would also be great as a whole cheesecake.

A huge thanks to Deborah and Elle for a great challenge this month. And, as always, go and check out the Daring Bakers, there are over 800 of us now!!