MariaD, I've been asked to make a plain cheesecake for neighbor's BD with strawberries

M

marilynfl

Moderator
and I'd like to follow your beautiful fruit pizza idea (linked) of layering them in a pattern. Did you brush anything on top of the finished design?

I'm wondering if they're just expecting canned strawberry pie filling (like canned cherry pie filling was used on cheesecake in the 70s and 80s.). This gang has a sweet tooth that knows no bounds.

None of them bake so the only desserts they eat is what they buy. I've tried asking but all I get is "whatever you want to do." Ya...that didn't work when I was asked to make bread pudding and made a pretty famous one. It got so-so reviews because it WASN'T like his Charleston's mother's bread pudding that had egg white meringue on the top. When I got a copy of her recipe and made it (super, super teeth-aching sweet) it was perfection.

Any thoughts?

https://finerkitchens.com/swap/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=271605

 
No I let the fruit speak in all it’s plain glory, but I seek out the best fruit

I don’t think you can improve on really ripe fruit and don’t like to take away from that with the typical apricot jam or the like.

For that particular pizza I made recently, I went to every farmers market stand in the place and had them slice the strawberries open so that I could see that they were red all the way through. Since I grow my own strawberries, but never enough for something like this comes in at once I’m still picky as all get out. Plus the majority of the strawberry crap for the country has grown within 10 miles of me that I should be able to show up with a ripe strawberry, but many still don’t. I always ask what type of strawberry they’re growing as well.

Think I’m anal much? LOL!

 
Thanks. Turns out I can't use Maria's lovely design...because the recipe I followed LIED!

Liar, liar, springform pan on fire...

well, not exactly. But an emphasis in the article was NO WATER BATH NEEDED...and promised NO CRACKS...and they lied.

First off, I've been making cheesecakes since I was 17, made 10 for my own wedding (in lieu of a cake) and 15 for my niece's wedding. I used to sell the buggers in ABQ! So this wasn't my first cheesecake.

And on the rare and delightful occasion, my cheesecakes would turn out perfectly flat and crack-free. Adding an alcohol definitely helped and so did learning not to add the eggs until the very end to avoid beating air into them.

And I've used water baths, oh yes. But they always tended to leak into my pans...even the damn $40 Kaiser one that promised it wouldn't leak. They lied too. It's a cheesecake conspiracy. Go ask Julian Assange. It's probably in WikiLeaks somewhere.

Or I could have used cake wraps or a turkey roasting bag diaper like I did JUST LAST WEEK! But did I? Nooooo, because this recipe promised I didn't need to do that step.

And what was the result, boys and girls? Well, let me tell you since I've dragged you along this far: the result was a cake that puffed up like a male grouse trying to attract a female and plant his seed...

(where did that come from???)

...but as the cake cooled, its center deflated (I could continue the male analogy, but won't) and deep crevices developed, like the Mariana Trench of Pastries.

So now not only do I have cracks, I have a puffed-up rim and a deflated center.

Which means I won't be placing concentric circles of strawberries around the rim because this cake isn't worthy of the effort. Nor are the strawberries. I tasted one, then added a jar of my home-made strawberry jam, drizzled in some Cointreau & limoncello and am officially calling it a day.

 
Marilyn, Just chalk it up to bad cheesecake karma......your frustrating experience I am

sure will still be greatly appreciated. When I came to the part of the male grouse in your post I was laughing out loud....you are a true story teller.....hope you have a wonderful day....

 
Here's the cake gussied up for the birthday girl. (This shot caused a bit of consternation

for the hostess who has a shag area rug below this table. Everyone was lighting sparklers and some of the...well, sparks, were hitting the carpet so she was doing the Macarena stomping on them while guests were waving their sparklers and shoving them into the cake.)

I was politely asked to NEVER bring sparklers again.
Duly noted.

https://recipeswap.org/fun/wp-content/uploads/swap-photos/cheesecake2.jpg

 
Interesting intrigue over a simple strawberry. PS: Charley, could you copy your ref into the

Link URL field below the Message field. That way it provides a direct link rather than having to cut/paste your text.

Thank you.

 
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