Quick Cheesecake With Lemon Topping

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

 

 

Rain, gloom, and a bit of a chill. For it being the first week of June, it's not feeling like summer is on the horizon. Maybe it's the Canadian wildfires that are seeping down putting an overcast, foggy look to the sky, or maybe it's Mother Nature off her meds again. Who knows? But I can tell you I am ready for some sunshine already. My weather app tells me that we won't be seeing it peek through the clouds and haze for at least another week, so I decided to add a little sunshine yellow into our home this week the best way that I knew how. And that was by whipping up a Quick Cheesecake With Lemon Topping dessert. This Golden Blossom Honey recipe is just what we needed to brighten up some otherwise gray days around here.

 

Cheesecake is one of my all-time favorite desserts, and while I normally go for strawberry or caramel as a topping, I couldn't resist swapping those sweet flavors for a more tangy and sour flavor this week. While I think cheesecake is actually pretty easy to make at home yourself, this recipe really was one of the quicker ones I've ever made myself. I don't think I've ever used honey as a binding agent in cheesecake crust before, but I must say that I absolutely loved how it held the crumbs together but still kept the crust soft and chewy. It's definitely how I'll be making all of my crusts going forward. The cheesecake itself baked up beautifully and didn't crack on the top, which was surprising since I usually get a little cracking if I don't use a water bath while baking them. Here it would have been fine though since the lemon pie filling would have covered any imperfections, but if you opt to make this recipe without any topping, yours should hold together just fine without any splits or cracks as well. The only thing that I had to change was cook time, baking it for 50 minutes. I then turn the oven off, but leave the door closed for another 15 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator for several hours to fully set. If you don't like lemon, no worries. The cheesecake itself it an amazing base recipe that you could put pretty much any topping of your choosing on and it would still be perfection. For me though, I'm going to stick with the lemon a little bit longer and hope that encourages the sunshine to swoop in and stop letting this beauty be the star of the show. A girl can always hope, right?

 

Ingredients

Crust:

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

3 Tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

Filling:

3/4 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 (16 ounce) can lemon pie filling

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

 

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey, and be sure to Pin It on Pinterest! 

   

What's your favorite topping for cheesecake? 

Quick Cheesecake With Lemon Topping

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

 

I could sit here and tell you that this week's Golden Blossom Honey recipe share was inspired by spring. Or the upcoming Easter holiday. Or because one doesn't need an excuse for cheesecake. But then I'd be lying. Y'all ever look at my Instagram stories and wonder how I've managed to get through 42 years of life? Because I do. Last weekend if it could have went wrong, it did. The hotel lost my reservation. Portillos lost my online food order, then refused to give me my food even though I showed them on their app that I had already paid, a 10 minute drive for new food took me on a 2 hour detour so new dinner was cold by the time we finally got to eat. And to top it off, my daughter woke up Saturday night with a stomach bug and vomited all over the hotel. By the time I got home Sunday night, I was ready to sit in the tub and drown myself in moonshine to try and forget the entire weekend even happened. It didn't work. So, after that whole mess, I decided I deserved cheesecake. Not because it was a special day or we had some fancy gathering with people to impress. Oh, no. I wanted a cheesecake that was ALL FOR ME. And that's how I ended up making and eating damn near an entire Cheesecake with Lemon Topping this week. 

 

 

I ended up going with lemon because yellow is such a happy color and I for sure needed a little happy in my life. Plus, I've never made a lemon cheesecake before and thought it would be a nice change of pace. The recipe does say quick cheesecake, and for the most part it is a quick recipe. Except you will need to allow more than 30 minutes than the recipe calls for cook time. I pulled mine out at the 60 minute mark and thought that was perfect, though ovens do vary from one to the next, so keep an eye on yours every 10 minutes or so after the initial 30 minute bake time. I appreciated that the topping was a simple pie filling, so if I want to use the cheesecake recipe as a base next time, I can swap out canned lemon for any other pie filling and still end up with an amazing cheesecake. For those of you having a fantastic week and don't need to drown your sorrows in sweet treats, this recipe really would be great to save for Easter dinner this year. We are also heading into graduation and wedding season, so there will be plenty of opportunities for you to impress with this cheesecake. Just stock up on different pie fillings and you've got a simple recipe to serve time and time again. Or just stick with lemon because lemon is freaking delicious.  

Ingredients

Crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 Tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
Filling:
3/4 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 (16 ounce) can lemon pie filling

 

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

 

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey, and be sure to Pin It on Pinterest!  

 

 

  

Tell me something GOOD that happened to you this week? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No-Bake Blueberry Crumble Cheesecake

Purdue has decided that the college kids will not be permitted to have any breaks until the Thanksgiving holiday, so Mariah decided to drive up last week to spend a day with the family before getting stuck on campus until November. Since we won't be seeing her again for quite some time, I thought I'd make a cheesecake for after dinner since it's one of her favorite desserts. The temps are back on the rise again and I didn't want to have the oven on for over an hour while a traditional cheesecake was baking up. I decided it would be best to stick with a no-bake cheesecake to keep things cool and simple during her stay. I still have quite a few blueberries leftover from our berry picking last month, so I pulled out my copy of No-Bake Treats (affiliate link) to see if there was a good recipe to use them in. There I came across this Blueberry Crumble Cheesecake that sounded too good to pass up.

I usually save crumble toppings for parfaits or crisps, but I was intrigued enough to pop it on top to see how it would all come together. Now, I love cheesecake more than anyone I know, but I have to admit that the crumble topping was the star of the show here. It gives the whole pie an extra hit of sweetness with an added texture element that I never would have thought would pair well with a creamy dessert. Bottom line, it was the shizznit! 

Allison, who is crazy and says she's not a fan of blueberries, ended up gobbling up 2 pieces herself.

This is a perfect recipe to serve for Labor Day or to send summer off on a high note before pumpkin spice and peppermint make their annual comeback real soon.

Yield: Serves 8-10 Author: Original Recipe from No-Bake Treats

No-Bake Blueberry Crumble Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS:

 Crust

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  

Cheesecake

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup powder sugar
• 4 ounces white chocolate chips
  
• 16 ounces full fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
  
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, washed and dried
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Crumb Topping

• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup quick oats
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
  
• 1/2 cup blueberries for garnish (optional)
  

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Lightly grease a 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray. 
2. Grind graham cracker crumbs in a food processor, then mix with brown sugar in a medium sized bowl. Pour in the melted butter and stir until mixture is just moistened. Pour crumb mixture into the prepared springform pan and press onto the bottom and up the sides to form your cake crust.
   
3. Place mixing bowl and whisk attachment into the freezer for 5 - 10 minutes. 
4. Pour the heavy whipping cream into the chilled bowl, then beat with the chilled whisk until bubbles start to form. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar and continue to beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside. 
5. Melt the chocolate over a double broiler or in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each one until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Allow to cool.
6. Beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until it is light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1/2 sugar and the flour, beating until just incorporated. Pour the melted chocolate into the cream cheese mixture and stir until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
7. Combine the blueberries, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a food processor or blender, then blend until it is a liquid consistency. Pour the blueberry juice into the cream cheese batter and beat on low speed until well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl down as needed.
8. Fold the whip cream into the blueberry cream cheese mixture, gently folding until combined. Pour the filling over the crust, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula.
9. Prepare the topping by combining all of the dry topping ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or 2 forks until combined or crumbly. You can use your hands to break apart any clumps. Sprinkle crumb topping over cheesecake, pressing down gently into the batter to help hold it in place.
10. Cover cheesecake and freeze for 4 hours before serving. *The original recipe called for refrigeration, but I find that the cheesecake did not set well in the fridge. It set and held its density best in the freezer.
11. Run a warm butter knife along the edge of the springform pan just before serving to loosen from the sides of the pan. Garnish with blueberries. Serve immediately after removing from freezer. Store remaining cheesecake in an airtight container in the freezer.
    

 

This cheesecake is a refreshing treat to help get through these last few weeks of scorching temps. If you make this cheesecake, be sure to tag me on social media and let me know how it turned out for you!

How have you been using your blueberries up this season?

Salted Caramel Cheesecake for National Cheesecake Day! #NationalCheesecakeDay

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.


Happy National Cheesecake Day! As many of you know, my family is HUGE on cheesecake. We don't do traditional birthday cake here. It always has to be a homemade cheesecake. Mariah's birthday was in early June, and while she went with a chocolatey variety last year (you can find last year's chocolate chip cookie dough recipe here), this year she wanted to combine salty and sweet. So, this mama whipped up a Salted Caramel Cheesecake for her big 20th birthday.

I can't get enough of a sweet & salty combo, but here's my tip. Go light on the sea salt. I wasn't sure if the salt granules would photograph and went a bit too heavy sprinkling them on top. I was able to scrape most of them off though once I was done, so no harm, no foul. Just remember a little salt goes a long way.

I'm usually a fan of making my own caramel sauce, but I was short on time and opted for store bought. You can buy any caramel ice cream topping or sauce from the baking aisle that would work well here, but my favorite, and what I used on this cake, was Sander's Caramel Sauce. It costs a bit more than other toppings, but for me it's so worth the few extra dollars spent.

Author: Original Recipe Adapted from Cheesecake Love

Salted Caramel Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS:

For the crust

• 1 package Keebler Sandies Cookies (11.2oz), crushed to fine crumbs (use a food processor or the old pop the cookies in a zip top bag and beat them with a rolling pin method)
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake

• 3 8oz packages full fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup caramel topping (homemade or store bought)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs
• additional caramel sauce
• course sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place a large rimmed cookie sheet on the bottom oven rack and fill it with water. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 9 inch spring form pan with foil and spray it with cooking spray.
2. Make the crust: Mix together the cookie crumbs and melted butter, then press into the bottom of the prepared spring form pan. Set aside.
3. Beat the cream cheese until creamy. Add the brown sugar, sour cream, and caramel sauce, beating until smooth. Stir in the flour until incorporated.
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Do not over beat, but do be sure that the eggs are well incorporated into the batter. Pour the batter into the spring form pan over the the cookie crust.
5. Place to spring form pan on the rack above the water-filled pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until center isn't jiggly.
6. Remove cheesecake from oven and allow to cool for 1 hour on a cooling rack. Place in the refrigerator for an additional 2 to 3 hours until completely chilled before serving. 
7. Before serving, pour desired amount of additional caramel sauce over the top of the cheesecake, then lightly sprinkle with course sea salt.

What better way to celebrate National Cheesecake Day than with this amazingly delicious Salted Caramel Cheesecake!?

If you liked this recipe, be sure to Pin It on Pinterest! 

 

My Amazon Picks:

  

Will you be eating cheesecake today?

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Mariah had her 19th birthday on Saturday. We stopped doing the store bought cakes a few years back, which kind of sucks because with graduation happening this time of year, there's always a deal on sheet cakes at the bakery. On the other hand, we aren't huge fans of cake here and usually end up throwing out quite a bit of the leftovers after a few days, so it's not really a deal if you end up throwing most of it away, is it? The girls now take after their mama when it comes to birthday cake. I have always insisted on having a cheesecake for mine, and now they are doing the same. The only thing is, Jason gets off the hook by buying mine from the store, whereas the girls want a homemade one. Mariah initially wanted me to make her my dulce de leche pie, but since we just had that on Cinco de Mayo, she changed her mind and asked for a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake.

I was a little worried that this cheesecake wasn't going to go over well since we usually stick with plain cheesecake, not a chocolate variety. I even gave her the option to change her mind a few times, but she insisted it would be fine. I'm glad she did, too, because it turned out really good.

I'll admit, this was not my favorite cheesecake to make, simply because the recipe called for the cookie dough portion to be rolled into little balls, then mixed into the batter. It was a bit too tedious for my liking, and my dough balls turned out a little larger than I would have liked which make it a bit hard to bite through. The next time I make this, I will layer the cookie dough on top of the crust instead (and will reflect those changed in the recipe below) to make the process go a lot faster.

This cheesecake is very rich, so a small slice will go a long way in satisfying your sweet tooth!

Author: Original Recipe Adapted from "No Bake Treats"

 

No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS:

Cookie Dough

• 1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Crust

• (1) 13oz package chocolate chip cookies (I used Chips Ahoy)
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted

Filling

• 5oz dark chocolate chips
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream, divided
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• (2) 8oz bricks full fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup hot fudge sauce

Topping

• 1 tub store bought chocolate frosting

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Make the cookie dough: In a medium sized bow, mix the softened butter with the sugar and brown sugar, beating until it's light and fluffy. Add in the salt, flour, and vanilla extract and mix until a soft dough forms. Mix in the mini chocolate chips, then set aside.
2. Make the crust: Spray a 9 inch springform pan with a light layer of cooking spray, then gently wipe over it with a paper towel. Using a blender or food processor, grind the cookies into fine crumbs. In a large bowl, combine the cookie crumbs, brown sugar, and flour. Pour in the melted butter, and stir until the mixture is just moistened. Pour the crust mixture into the bottom of the prepared springform pan, pressing it firmly onto the bottom of the pan and up the sides to create a thick crust.
3. Make the filling: Place the chocolate chips and 2 tbsp of heavy whipping cream in a microwave save bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments until chocolate is melted. Stir mixture until smooth. Set aside. 
4. Place a metal mixing bowl and beaters in the freeze for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from freezer, then pour the remaining 1 cup of heavy whipping cream into the chilled bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the whipping cream with your chilled beaters on medium-high speed until it becomes bubbly. Gradually add in the powdered sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
5. In a medium sized bowl, beat the softened cream cheese on medium speed until it is light and fluffy (2 to 3 minutes). Beat in the granulated sugar until it is well mixed. Pour the dark chocolate mixture into the cream cheese mixture and beat until it's well incorporated. Last, add in the cocoa powder and hot fudge topping, mixing until the batter is completely smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
6. Using a wood spoon or rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream mixture into the cheesecake mixture, turning over and over until well combined. 
7. Press 3/4 of the cookie dough mixture over the prepared crust layer. 
8. Pour the cheesecake batter over the cookie dough layer, then run a spatula over the top to smooth out. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. (I actually placed mine in the freezer because we like a stiff cheesecake)
9. Spread the store bought icing over the top of the cheesecake, or pipe on rosettes on the outer edges of the cheesecake. Sprinkle the remaining cookie dough crumbles over the top. Cut into thin slices. Serve.

What's your favorite cheesecake flavor?

No Bake Candy Monster Cheesecake

We celebrated 3/4 of our family birthdays the week of Christmas. Since the girls have gotten older, they are over the pre-made bakery cakes with the cutesy characters decorated on them. Because we are a huge cheesecake loving family, they now request that I make cheesecake for every birthday.

I made a Dulce de Leche Cheesecake for Cinco de Mayo last year that caused a huge fight between the girls. I hardly ever see Mariah mad, but the girl was fuming when she came home from school and realized that Allison ate the last slice. Here's how it went down:

Mariah: What happened to the cheesecake?
Allison: I ate it.
Mariah: I've been wanting that all day. I was going to come home and split it with you!
Allison: I'm so sorry! How about I make you a smoothie? What kind would you like?
Mariah: Cheesecake.

Almost 8 months later, Mariah still hasn't gotten over the incident, so I told Allison to pick a cheesecake recipe from the same cookbook for her birthday this year and make sure that her sister got her fair share of the pie. After much debate, she settled for a Candy Filled Monster Cheesecake.

This cheesecake is a sweet tooth's dream. It has a peanut butter oatmeal crust, a chocolate chip cheese cake center, and topped off with candy coated chocolates. Totally drool worthy!

Mariah is still being stubborn, insisting that the Dulce de Leche cake was better, but she sure didn't hold back when it came to serving sizes. I'm pretty sure she made up for the lost cheesecake slice by dipping into this cake every day until it was gone.

Author: Theresa M

 

No Bake Candy Monster Cheesecake

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

 For the Crust: 

• 8 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups old-fashioned quick oats
• 3/4 cup candy coated chocolates (such as M&M's)
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips  

 For the Filling

      •  1½ cups + 2tbsp heavy whipping cream, divided

      •  3/4 cup powdered sugar

      •  12 ounces cream cheese, softened

      •  1/4 cup granulated sugar

      •  1 tsp vanilla extract

      •  1 cup mini chocolate chips

 
For The Topping

• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp melted semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup candy coated chocolates (such as M&M's)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. For the crust, line the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease the edges of the spring form pan with cooking spray, wiping excess off with a paper towel. 
2. Soften the butter in the microwave for 10 seconds. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the softened butter, sugar and brown sugar. Beat at medium speed until well combined. Add the peanut butter and mix until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Once combined, add the vanilla extract, mixing until the flour is just incorporated. Slowly add the oats, one cup at a time. The dough will thicken, but continue to mix until combined. Fold in the candy coated chocolates and mini chocolate chips with your hands or spatula so you do not crush the candies. Press the cookie dough mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan to form the crust.
3. For the cheesecake: Place a mixing bowl and the whip attachment in the freezer for 10 minutes to chill. Pour 1 and 1/2 cup of the heavy whipping cream into the chilled bowl and beat with the chilled whisk on medium-high speed until the cream starts to turn bubbly. Slowly add in the powder sugar and continue beating on high speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside. 
4. Beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes until it is light and fluffy. Slowly add the sugar into the cream cheese while beating the mixture. Add the remaining 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract. Beat until the filling is smooth and creamy, scraping sides of bowls as needed. Fold the mini chocolate chips into the mixture. Slowly add the prepared whip cream to the mixture, folding over and over with a spatula until well combined. Pour the filling into the prepared crust, smoothing the top with a spatula. Run a flat edge knife around the cheesecake to loosen it from the side of the pan before placing into the refrigerator to. Cover with foil and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours. 
5. For the topping, combine whipping cream and powder sugar as you did before to form a second batch of whipped cream. Remove the cheesecake from the spring form pan and using a star tip, pipe on decorative swirls to the top of the cake. Microwave the semi-sweet chocolate in 30 second increments until melted. Drizzle over the top of the cake and swirls. Finish the cake off by pouring the candy coated chocolate over the top of the cheesecake. 
6. Serve. Store any unused cheesecake in the refrigerator. 

Original Recipe adapted from No-Bake Treats by Julianne Bayer

http://www.theresasmixednuts.com/2018/01/no-bake-candy-monster-cheesecake.html

This monster candy cheesecake will be a hit at any birthday party.  It's colorful, fun, and best of all, delicious!

What's your favorite kind of cake to have on your birthday?