A Southern Grace: perfect for the lazy lover of alliteration

April 23, 2010

perfect for the lazy lover of alliteration

Yum

If you look back through my post titles, the first thing you'll probably note is that they're absolutely useless if you're trying to figure out the recipe being featured (I know this from frustrating personal experience). The second thing you might notice is that I adore alliteration.


Post titles, recipe names, my random comments describing the posts and recipes of others--I like to make use of this totally titillating tool as often as possible. That said, when I learned that today was National Cherry Cheesecake Day (thanks, Louise!), I instantly became giddy. Yes, although I don't really care for cheesecake (or non-homemade cherry pie filling, but does anyone?)(no offense if you do--more power to ya), I know some people who are pretty fond of the creamy treat, so I whipped one up.


Don't you just love the look of bold red on creamy white? I do. Except when it's red ink all over my calculus homework back in high school. My beloved teacher (a major Civil War buff) always said our papers looked like the Battle of Antietam. Doh.

My goodness, the sacrifices I make for the sake of alliteration. But it's a deserving device, wouldn't you say?

Cheery Cherry Cheesecake
(based on this recipe)
Crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake:
2 pounds (four 8-ounce boxes) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups sour cream

1 (15 oz) can cherry pie filling (optional)

Make the crust:
Butter a 9-inch springform pan that has sides that are at least 2 3/4 inches high.
Stir the crumbs, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour over the melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist. Turn the ingredients into the buttered springform pan and use your fingers to pat an even layer of crumbs along the bottom of the pan and about halfway up the sides. Put the pan in the fridge while you preheat the oven.

Center a rack in the oven, preheat the oven to 350°F and place the springform on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool on a rack while you make the cheesecake. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

Make the cheesecake:
Beat the cream cheese at medium speed until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the sugar and salt and continue to beat another 4 minutes or so, until the cream cheese is light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs one by one, beating for a full minute after each addition. Slowly beat in the sour cream. Scrape the batter into the springform pan. Put the springform pan on a roasting pan, place it in the oven, and pour enough boiling water into the roaster to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, at which point the top will be browned (and perhaps cracked) and may have risen just a little above the rim of the pan. Turn off the oven and prop the oven door open. Allow the cheesecake to sit in the water bath for another hour.
After 1 hour, carefully pull the setup out of the oven and lift the springform pan out of the roaster. Let the cheesecake come to room temperature on a cooling rack.
When the cake is cool, cover the top lightly and chill the cake for at least 4 hours, although overnight would be better.
Before slicing and serving, pour cherry pie filling or whatever fruit topping floats your boat over the cake.

88 comments:

Lisa-Marie said...

Grace, this is my idea of heaven. thick cheescakey goodness and cherries, YUM!

I love alliteration too, and onomatopoeia. I love most language devices actually!

Unknown said...

1) I don't know how you don't just LOVE cheesecake, it's nearly perfect!!! And this looks so yummy! And yes, the vibrant red looks perfect against that creamy white.

Julia said...

I'd say it's an alliteration and a tongue twister.

And if you don't want your cheesecake, I'm happy to eat it for you. Feel free to send it my way ;)

Peter M said...

This is gorgeous. One of my fave desserts and I thank you for resisting taking a bite of until after taking the photo!

shaz said...

Whoa baby, that is one sensationally shiny, seriously sexy slice. The cherry sauce looks amazing. And I'll have a side of alliteration with that thanks :)

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

No-Bake Cherry Cheesecake from a box was probabaly the first cheesecake my mom ever made me. I have a soft spot in my heart. Happy Cherry Chhesecake Day:D

Lucie said...

Ha! A cheery cheesecake it is! I tend to get quite carried away with alliteration as well--I used to write whole alliterated sentences just for fun when I was little. Yes, I am a little strange...or should I say somewhat surprisingly strange?

Barbara said...

Cherry cheesecake is high up on my list of faves! And I like the canned cherry pie filling...not for a pie, but for this! (What can I say? I admit it!)
Deeeeelightful photo of a deeeelicious dessert!

oneordinaryday said...

I get a kick out of alliteration too. haha Are we nerdy?

cookies and cups said...

hahaha!! i do the same thing...minus the alliteration. I often wonder if it bugs people that I don't name my recipe in the title...I'm guessing yes?

I'm a cheesecake AND a canned cherry filling lovah, so it's all good for me ;)

Angie said...

I love cheesecake, but it doesn't like me at all, yours looks amazing!

♥peachkins♥ said...

I absolutely love cheesecake and I love your blog♥


blowing peachkisses
The Peach Kitchen
peach and things

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

Hehe you lnow I never noticed that about your titles, I always thought that they invited me to read further I suppose! And are you serious about a National Cherry Cheesecake day? :P

TKW said...

I like your oddball titles :)

That's a beauty of a cheesecake!

vanillasugarblog said...

cherries & cheesecake are like in the 10 ten of the most perfect food combos. this looks so good because there is sufficient crust (I hate when there isn't)

kat said...

I'm with you on the cherry pie filling thing, not a favorite of mine either but I love a good cheesecake

Lisa | Authentic Suburban Gourmet said...

That cheesecake looks amazing! One of the best desserts on earth.

Sarah said...

What a beautiful cheesecake!

Pam said...

I love a good cheesecake, especially if it has fruit on top. Great photos Grace.

Anonymous said...

Perfect with the cherry topping!

Hungry Dog said...

How bright and cheery! Nice job.

Nutmeg Nanny said...

Calculus....yuck! :) Cheesecake makes me happy though :) As long as it's not thick. I like a nice creamy cheesecake.

Gloria Baker said...

Grace I love cheesecake and this look absolutely heavenly and pretty!! Love your reipes, xx gloria

Mel said...

Way to take one for the team and make a treat you don't really desire. I'm proud of you. And your cheesecake looks utterly amazing. (I would be more than willing to eat your share...)

Amy I. said...

Haha I love your witty wordplay :) I'm mildly obsessed with these ridiculously random national food holidays... apparently yesterday was National Jelly Bean day? I never find out until the day of, though, so it's always too late to celebrate with a blog post. I need to research ahead a bit and find a completely random food holiday to celebrate soon. Oh, and your altruistic cheesecake? YUM.

pierre said...

the photo of the slice of the cherry cheescake makes me mouthwatering !! thanks Pierre de Paris

Kathleen said...

I adore your titles! This cheesecake sounds fab! I love that you use lots of cream cheese.

Albany Jane said...

Hooray cheesecake! I'm not really with the whole fruit-stuff with other stuff (though I'm getting better), but I can really appreciate how those colors POP!

lisa is cooking said...

The cherry topping on the white cheesecake is a vision to behold! Wish I could have worked an alliteration into that. ;)

Marjie said...

I love plain ordinary cheesecake, but won't touch it with toppings. Go figure. Yours looks great with the cherry topping.

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Soooo good! Your cheesecake looks extremely yummy...

I just made one for my good friend and her family. They were asking for it since weeks...

Cheers,

Rosa

Trissa said...

That cherry cheesecake is staring at me and asking me why I don't know what alliteration is!

The Blonde Duck said...

If you think about it, a cheesecake is a creamy custard pie...

Lisa said...

I'm not a huge cheesecake fan, but I will have a slice if persuaded. =)

This looks insanely good, though. I could definitely be persuaded to have a slice of this. It's beautiful!

Delicious Dishings said...

I love alliteration too... and I love your post titles. I started trying to make mine the names of my recipes now because I recently went through that same frustration when I was trying to create my recipe index (who am I kidding? I'm still in the midst of creating it!). But I think creative post titles draw people in. The cheesecake looks spectacular. Cheesecake isn't top on my dessert list, but I do enjoy it from time to time.

tasteofbeirut said...

That small slice of cheesecake (just the right size) with that cherry sauce crowning it is my idea of a very pleasurable moment spent savoring every bite!

Unknown said...

this is very similar to my cheesecake recipe...LOVE IT!! but you know what? I'd rather eat it plain that pour that cherry stuff all over it. Seriously...that's what i do

Lyndas recipe box said...

Oh my Grace, cheesecake is a great weekness of mine, and here I'm going to bed with this addictive treat on my mind! Love it!

CC11 said...

I am an alliteration addict (that's an easy one I threw in for ya), most of my days are spent looking in a thesaurus to find an adjective with the same letter - but time well spent I say :)
And I hear ya - red on white is divine except when its used to point out your mistakes... blue pen would be much more tolerable

Anonymous said...

Alliteration makes me secretly happy! It's like my inner dork coming out to play! :)

I am part of the LOVE CHEESECAKE club.

Deana Sidney said...

No sacrifice at all when a recipe like this is involved... wow!

Carol said...

Grace, that is one beautiful cheesecake and I sure would LOVE a slice. Cheesecake is one of my absolute favorites.

Livin Local said...

The cheery cheery cheesecake chortled "cheeeeeeeeeese" for chef Grace's charming post.

foodhoe said...

the profile shot with the graham cracker crust and translucent red rivulets of cherry sauce are torturing me!

Silver Strands said...

enjoyed the recipe ... enjoyed the alliterations more :)

Denalee

Chef Aimee said...

A cheesecake just isn't a cheesecake without sweet cherries on top! I love that you love alliteration so much! Cheers!

sweetlife said...

I always love your titles, and cheesecake..I have never I mean never met a cheesecake that I didn't like great pics

sweetlife

pam said...

Well, I simply adore alliteration, as I do this cheesecake.

Sook said...

Oh that looks so beautiful!!!

Unknown said...

I have never had a cherry cheesecake, I think it's such a classic that when I do go for cheesecake eating i tend to go for the different flaovrs, but I'm willing to try it you make it look so scrumptious.

Anonymous said...

this looks divine.
cheery it is!

Xiao Yen Recipes said...

What a tease! Gosh so bad for dieters like me who is trying to cut down on sugar. I guess one slice of cheesecake wouldn't hurt...

Amy @ cookbookmaniac said...

I love a red dessert and I really like cheesecake with a biscuit base. This seems like something that I would really enjoy. I love how the cherry sauce is oozing over the cheesecake. It makes me want it more.

Kathy Walker said...

Oh dear, I missed National Cheesecake Day! I do appreciate getting to celebrate through your post. Your cheesecake looks delicious...cherries...sauce dripping down the sides. Looking for a fork...

Haddock said...

will have a piece of that.

noble pig said...

Do you know I ADORE non-homemade cherry pie filling, I will eat it straight out of the can! Would love it on this.

Alicia Foodycat said...

I saw that and thought "the hell? She doesn't even LIKE cheesecake!". That's a pretty fine example for a dessert you don't much care for.

Lori said...

Agreed, I absolutely adore aliteration. Ahah! (note the wave).

The Teacher Cooks said...

I love your titles and I love cheesecake! Yours looks fantastic! And about that red ink it is hard for teachers not to use it. It stands out! Not that most students pay attention. but you have to try!

Leslie said...

I wish I could say I didnt like cheesecake...but I could probably eat a whole pie myself!

Amanda said...

OhMyWord I had to laugh out loud about the title thing. My main blog, i am mommy, is WRETCHED like that. So when I started my baking blog I said to myself, "Self! No weird titles, just name it and title it!"


Boring. But useful. :)

Blessings!
Amanda

Emily said...

Happy cheesecake day to you! And I know how you feel...
I just prefer other desserts - cakes, pies, cookies.

This looks SO good! She's a beauty!

s said...

the most beautiful cheesecake!!!!!!!!

Kate at Serendipity said...

"Nother nashin' nom! And another great title.

Cara said...

I adore alliteration as well :) Can you tell by my blog title? I also cherish cheesecake!

Half Baked said...

I love cheesecake, cherries, and cheeky chatter...so this is the perfect post for me;P

MaryMoh said...

Cheesecake with red cherry sauce definitely brings cheer here :D That's my favourite!

Lindsey @ pickyeatings said...

I looooove cheesecake, although I don't love cherry cheesecake so much. But I do love your alliterations.

Maris (In Good Taste) said...

Yumm. Love cheesecake. And alliteration :) What can I say, I was an English major in college!

Bob said...

Oh man, that looks wicked good! Cheesecake is one of the best things ever.

Heh, I decided to make my post title very descriptive to avoid just that problem. :)

The Blonde Duck said...

Grace,

As a food-conniseuer and New Yorker, tell me this: What is the difference between Chicago and NY style pizza? Which one do you like better?

Jaime said...

mmm I love me a good cheesecake! just wish they weren't 30+ grams of fat in each slice LOL

Cheri said...

Mouth is drooling. Cherry Cheesecakes have to be on of my favourite because the tartness of the cherries balances out the sweetness of the cheesecake. Yum!

BTW, I love your writing style, so keep it up with the alliteration. ;)

Cocina Savant said...

i'm not a big cheesecake (cream cheese in general) fan, and typically cringe at canned fillings, but I have to admit this looks incredibly tasty.

Juliana said...

Grace, what a nice cheesecake, the contrast of the colors are awesome...so yummie :-)

Anonymous said...

That's one cheery cheesecake. Love the colors. And, if we're being honest, I've *might* like canned cherry pie filling. But don't tell, k? ;)

Erica said...

What a beautiful cheesecake!Love the cherries!!!!I love all your titles :)

La Bella Cooks said...

What a stunning looking cheesecake. I never tired of this classic.

LilSis said...

I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but a great cheesecake with cherries on top are hard for me to resist.

Yours looks scrumptious!

Veggie Belly said...

lol! who doesnt love alliteration!

laura said...

I'm not much for cheesecake either, but this actually looks really good. And as for the alliteration, that is just one more reason everyone loves you, grace! (if I was in least talented at such myself I would have given it a go here - but it's no use - it's just not in me). (:

marla {family fresh cooking} said...

Yes, I love the look of red on white in your divine cheesecake. I don't love that my little daughter got red marker on my white couch this weekend. What'cha gonna do :) xxoo

Ms. Meanie said...

Charming Cherry Cheesecake! Oooh, alliteration IS fun. :)

Carolyn Jung said...

Cherries and cheesecake were made for one another. So glad cherry season is right around the corner here.

Chef Fresco said...

I love your titles :) I do not however, love cheesecake. It's okay, but if I'm going to take in those calories I want it to be from something EXTRA delicious. Making one for others is impressive, don't know if I could bring myself to do that :)

Lisa said...

Without a doubt, cheery! And it is positively pretty! Well worth making just to look at, though I'm not above craving a slice or two of cheesecake on special occasions.

~~louise~~ said...

Oh Grace, you are such a sweetie:) I absolutely do enjoy "bold red on creamy white." I simply Cherish Cheery Cherry Cheesecake! Thanks for sharing...

The only alliteration I can come up with is Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers. I'm sure it has something to do with Pickle Week this Month, LOL:)

Happy Cherry Cobbler Day (today) AND, thanks for the smile...

marla@familyfreshcooking.com said...

I don't care what the name of the post or the recipe is. I love that they are witty. I am just so in awe of your creations & sweet treats. This cheesecake looks awesome!