You know that scene from A Christmas Story where the father descends into the basement to battle the furnace and a cloud of gray smoke mingled with garbled obscenities seeps through the floor vent? That’s kind of how things go at our house when things go wrong with the plumbing. You’re probably wondering how plumbing and cheesecake are remotely related, allow me to explain. About a year ago we had a bad luck streak with plumbing. Every time we’d fix a problem a new, bigger problem would arise until our bad luck climaxed with the pipes in our basement oozing sewage while we had house guests. A good chunk of money and a bladed auger were finally able to tame the problem. When the plumber left we were all exhausted and traumatized from the plumbing apocalypse. Really the only reason why we were able to carry on at all was because we had some leftover white chocolate macadamia nut cheesecake in the refrigerator from our National Cheesecake Day celebration the day before. National Cheesecake Day is nearly upon us once again (July 30th!) and thankfully there is no indication that there is anything wrong with the plumbing. (Although I do have recurring nightmares about having to replace our entire sewer line. It turns out my nightmares have become boringly realistic now that I’m a bonafide adult.) I’m really hoping that this year we can enjoy cheesecake drama free, but even if that’s not the case we’ve already proven that this recipe is a stress buster. (Stressed is desserts spelled backwards after all.) This cheesecake is my recreation of the Cheesecake Factory’s version. It is definitely a special occasion level cheesecake and should be shared or frozen in slices so you can enjoy it for weeks. I have not dared to calculate the calories per serving in this rich dessert, but trust me your tastebuds will overrule the tiny part of you that cares about things like that. Besides, I’m of the opinion that mediocre desserts are a waste of time and calories. If I’m going to eat something that’s “bad” for me it better taste pretty darn good and this cake more than delivers. White Chocolate Macadamia Nut CheesecakeBlonde Brownie Crust
Cheesecake
Note on slicing cheesecake: Using a good sharp knife that has been dipped in hot water after each slice can really help your slices look nice. I’ve found that freezing the cheesecake for 30-60 minutes can also really help the slices keep their shape. Note on freezing cheesecake: If you aren’t freezing the whole cake cut into individual slices and freeze on a baking sheet just for 30-60 minutes. Wrap each individual slice in parchment paper or wax paper and then store in a tupperware or ziploc in the freezer. Thaw at room temperature. |