Graham Cracker Crust Cheesecake
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Cheesecake is huge in my family; graham cracker crust cheesecake is slightly lower on the list. My parents are from New Jersey; most of my family is still on the East Coast. They know cheesecake. This is the easiest cheesecake my family has.
There’s no fancy story with this one, just the years of tweaking to find a recipe with a crust that didn’t turn to a gross brick when it set. To my memory, I mixed together a bunch of recipes that I found and baked them in different combinations until I found one that worked.
May I say, it is quite good, for a crusted cheesecake. I might be biased on this topic (and every other topic). The dad-man by far has the strongest opinions about cheesecake compared to anyone else I know. An it has garnered rave reviews such as: “Damn it kid. You’re trying to make me fat.” As he’s going for another slice.
I do mention toppings in the recipe, and the examples are numerous. Here are some of my personal favorites:
- Macerated berries
- Caramel drizzle
- Fresh strawberries
- Chocolate Fudge
If you’re taking this cake to a party, I highly recommend a cake saver with a sturdy lid. I’m always terrified that it’s just going to slide off the seat.
While graham cracker crust cheesecake may not be a favorite in my house, it has been a crowd favorite at many gatherings. Pro crust or not, this cheesecake is definitely one to add to your recipe box no matter your baking abilities. Happy baking!
Graham Cracker Crust Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 2 pkg cream cheese 8 oz each
- 1/2 c sugar
- 1/2 t vanilla
- 6 oz graham crackers
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Layer graham crackers into the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
- Blend cream cheese, sugar, vanilla. Add eggs one at a time. Pour into the crust.
- Bake for 40 minutes; let cool for 2-3 hours. Add toppings and serve.
Notes
Old-Fashioned Strawberry Cake
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Cake is a pivotal part of any birthday celebration! However, I am not the type to use a box of strawberry cake mix (I don’t like the flavor). Even if it’s not my birthday I’m baking for, and let’s be honest it rarely is, I like to make people cakes that they will actually like… without the strange flavored extract powders.
This recipe came from a need for a strawberry cake for someone who claimed not to like fresh strawberries. Yeah, it didn’t make sense to me either. But a family member wanted to take it in for a co-worker, so that’s what they got. So, naturally, I took to the internet to research and all I came back with was many older recipes for white cake with strawberries on top.
Instead of doing that, I made a puree and used it as the food coloring and part of the liquid for the cake. With the birthday co-worker not liking fresh strawberries a fruit topping was out of the question. But you know what they did like? Chocolate jimmies. So, it got filled with buttercream frosting and chocolate jimmies.
This old-fashioned strawberry cake is perfect for any occasion! It takes the cake over a box mix or store-bought cake as far as flavor goes. So, make this cake for your next special occasion; or any day of the week to celebrate you. Happy Baking!
Old-Fashioned Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- 2 whole eggs room temperature
- 1 egg white room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2-1/2 pounds fresh strawberries
Frosting
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
- 1 brick cream cheese 8-ounce, softened
- 9 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 4 tablespoons strawberry puree
Instructions
- Make the strawberry puree: Rinse the strawberries, remove the stems and roughly chop them. Puree the strawberries in a food processor until smooth. Once pureed, there should be about 2-1/2 cups of liquid. Transfer the strawberry puree into a small saucepan. Turn the heat on the stovetop to low and allow the puree to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes until reduced. Transfer the reduction to a bowl and chill it in the fridge until completely cool.
- Prep the cake pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray or butter. Cut out a circular piece of parchment paper to place in the bottom of each pan to prevent sticking.
- Make the strawberry cake batter: In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk until smooth and set aside.
- Cream the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. (This is how to cream butter and sugar.) Mix in the two whole eggs and one egg white, along with the vanilla extract.
- Mix in 1/3 of the flour mixture, then add half of the milk. Add in another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the remaining milk and then the remaining flour mixture. Stir in 1 cup of strawberry puree, leaving the remaining puree for the frosting.
- Mix in red gel food coloring, if a stronger pink color is desired.
- Bake the cakes: Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans. Bake the cakes for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Once baked, remove the cakes from the oven. Allow the cakes to cool for 20 minutes before removing them from the cake pans. Set aside on a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make the strawberry frosting: Cream the softened butter and cream cheese until well combined and fluffy. Mix in 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar, along with 2 tablespoons of milk. Continue to mix in the powdered sugar, alternating with the strawberry puree. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. With all of the powdered sugar added and the frosting coming together, turn the speed up on the mixture to whip until fluffy.
- Assemble your strawberry cake: Place one cooled cake round on a cake stand or plate. Spread frosting over the cake round and then place the second cake round on top. Frost the rest of the cake with the strawberry frosting, covering the sides and top. Garnish with fresh strawberries, if desired.
Sheet Pan Fry Nachos
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Sheet-pan French fry nachos are the cheater’s way to a potato skin. It is a quick and easy snack or side dish for any potluck occasion, though I’ve noticed that it works best for things like sports parties or casual game nights.
This is a more recent addition to my culinary rounds. I did not grow up eating these, at least not in this context. I ate a lot of chili cheese tots. Potatoes and cheese has always been my favorite food combo.
You can top these with pretty much anything your heart desires; I prefer the traditional toppings of potato skins. They tend to go with what I serve at game nights.
Fry nachos have endless topping combinations! While don’t recommend letting everyone top their own, you can definitely for that. I totally understand that the bacon cheese route is not for everyone, so, here are some of my favorite alternative combinations:
Chilli-Cheese: Chilli dog sauce, shredded cheese, diced onion, jarred jalapeno rings
Sonoran Fries: refried beans, shredded cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream
Cheesesteak Fries: steak-ems, provolone, sauteed onions and peppers
BBQ Pork: Pulled pork, shredded cheddar, cheese sauce, coleslaw, BBQ sauce
Street Corn: Roasted corn, chili powder, crema, and parmesan cheese
Whether you’re enjoying these fry nachos as your next game day side dish or serving it with your weeknight sloppy joes, I hope you enjoy. Happy cooking.
Sheet Pan Fry Nachos
Ingredients
- 1 pkg Frozen fries 22 oz
- 2 T Seasoning salt
- 2 c cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 pkg Thin cut bacon
- 3 Green onions
Instructions
- Cut bacon into half inch pieces and fry until crisp; drain on paper towel and set aside. Season french fries with seasoning salt or just plain salt. Bake fries as directed on the package.
- Once fries are cooked, top with shredded cheddar cheese, bacon and green onions. Return to the oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melty and bubbling.
- Serve hot with ranch dip, sour cream or spider web dip.
