Traditional Cheesecake *Food Friday Share*

It's Friday again! and that means I am sharing a recipe with photos. Cheesecakes are MY FAVORITES dessert!!! There's something about the densed but delicate dessert that gets me really happy and content.

I got this recipe off of The Stocked Kitchen cookbook. I borrowed it from the library and I have to say, it's a great one to have in your recipe library. The premis of the book is that you can make anything in that cookbook if you stock your kitchen/pantry with what the author thinks are the essentials. I love that concept bec. how many times have we (I) gone out to the store to search for a specific seasoning or herb or cut of meat for ONE recipe and never use that item again? In this book, she actually gives you the ingredient lists and it gets used up in two, three or five recipes. Brilliant!

Traditional Cheesecake

Traditional Cheesecake

Serves 8

1 box yellow cake mix

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

4 eggs

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

½ cup sugar

1 ½ cups milk

3 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray.

2. Reserve 1 cup of the cake mix. Combine the remaining cake mix with the vegetable oil and 1 egg with an electric hand mixer. Press into the bottom of the springform pan.

3. Beat together the cream cheese and sugar with the hand mixer. Add the remaining 3 eggs and mix well. Add the reserved cake mix, the milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.

4. Pour over the crust. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the center is set.

5. Cool to room temperature and then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Remove the sides of the springform pan and serve.

My thoughts:

1. The main reason I wanted to try this recipe was because of the yellow cake mix ingredient. It intrigued me. Usually cheesecakes call for 4-5 blocks of cream cheese but with this one, it only asks for 2. I think that makes this dessert affordable.

2. As you can see, I was a little rebellious and opted for a rectangle pan rather than the springform used in the recipe. I don't have a springform pan and was not in any hurry to get me one just so I can use it in this dessert so instead, I used an 11x8" pan. I placed two sheets of parchment paper in the pan (one going vertical and the other horizontal) and left about 1 inch extra on the sides so I can easily pull out the cake after it has baked and cooled. I then peeled the parchement paper away from the cake and voila, perfect sides and no need for an extra purchase of a springform pan!

3. The cake was delish! It was rich and the sweetness was just right for me. Next time, however, I will add some fresh strawberries on top just to give it more color and that fresh berry taste to it.

4. I think this would be great to serve when you have company and/or during special occasion. But with the price of the ingredients cut in half, you might want to make it for your family even on regular, non holiday days. :)

Thanks for stopping by.

Till next time,

Grace