The only way cheese is dessert is when it’s followed by the word cake.

~ Michele Gorman

This recipe is from my friend, Maria, who I met in Korea. She has been visiting me for the last week and a half, and I’ve talked about how we made gimbap for my family last weekend. It’s been a busy week as I was preparing for a course that I will start next week (more on that in the next In My Kitchen) but we still found time to hang out, see some sights and, of course, have some food moments, which included chips and a batter burger at a take-away and tea and scones at a Dublin institution. The weekend was packed full of fun things as we went on two hikes, one to Howth, which is my favourite place in Dublin, where we saw porpoise and cormorants, and the other to Poolbeg lighthouse. It was my first time going out there and it was quite a walk (6 miles round trip!). The wind howled, pushing and pulling us on our way and, at times, preventing us from getting anywhere but standing literally in the middle of Dublin Bay was a very cool feeling.  

Poolbeg Lighthouse and two different views of Howth

On the Friday night, as we finished up our Howth walk, Maria decided she’d make cheesecake for my family so we picked up the ingredients. While I don’t completely agree with the sentiments shared in the above quote regarding cheese as a dessert, Maria made a deliciously sweet cheesecake for us that appealed not only to our palates but also the the kiddies ones’ too. As she mentions below, you can adjust the sweetness based on your own preferences. She herself prefers a less sweet cheesecake but thought it was best to have a slightly sweeter one for the kids. Also, The Jam was helping her and he may or may not have poured in too much sugar :D. It was perfect with a cup of tea while watching “Not Another Happy Ending” with Karen Gillan who was Amy Pond on “Doctor Who”. It’s a really cute little Scottish movie about a writer who has writer’s block and the reason behind it. You can find it on Netflix.  We had written most of this post, and had taken all the photos, on Friday night and Saturday morning but with the exhaustion that comes from being out in fresh sea air for two days running, and from studying like a mad yoke, I am only getting around to publishing this now and sharing it on Fiesta Friday.  Below is Maria’s story behind this recipe as well as the recipe itself – Happy Cheesecake Fiesta Friday:

I’ve been baking since I was about 9 years old. My sisters and I always wanted to help out my mother in the kitchen, but we were far too young to be messing with knives and the stove, so my mother guided us into baking instead. She started us with boxed cakes and cookies, so we’d just mix everything, while she’d put them in the oven.  As we got older, I really started to enjoy baking and branched out into desserts made from scratch. I happened across a recipe for cheesecake, and the whole family was smitten. Cheesecake became my signature recipe and family favourite. The recipe listed below has been adapted and adjusted over the many years that I’ve been making it. This is a basic recipe, but you can easily add variations in flavor. As a last step, before baking, you can mix fruit, caramel syrup, chocolate, or oreo cookies into the batter.  You can also add all sorts of toppings; fruit, caramel syrup, chocolate, nuts, etc once the cheesecake has cooled. Hope you enjoy!

Easy Baked Cheesecake

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 cup plain/cream flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• 7 tbsp butter

Filling:

• 750g/26 oz of cream cheese
• ½-¾ cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 eggs

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F/175C.
2. Begin with the crust, mixing the flour and sugar, then blend in the butter with your hands.
3. Once you’ve made a dough, press it flat into the bottom of your pan. Make a few holes with a fork and bake for 7 minutes. Don’t let the crust brown, or it will become too hard.
4. Once ready, remove the crust from the oven and set aside.
5. Meanwhile, mix the cream cheese and sugar with a mixer. I usually add enough sugar to taste. Add sugar slowly, if you prefer less sweet cheesecake, add less sugar. Add more if you prefer it more sweet.  Then add the eggs and vanilla. Mix again. Then pour into the pan.
6. Bake for 40 minutes, until the filling has set, and a fork comes out clean.  Let the cheesecake cool, add any toppings if desired, and serve!

I am sharing this on Fiesta Friday #104 which is hosted by the lovely Angie. Her co-hosts for this week are Hilda @ Along the Grapevine and Mila @ Milk and Bun. Check out their blogs and all the lovely, tempting entries on Fiesta Friday!