Strawberry cheesecake

Everyone loves cheesecake. I challenge you to find someone who doesn't. Some may politely take a bite out of my sticky toffee pudding and push it aside, explaining it is too sweet, too heavy; or protest through a mouthful of Bahama Mama rum cake that they can only have one bite; or observe the bowl of cherry chocolate trifle from afar; but any time I make cheesecake, the platter is wiped clean.

Maybe it is the smooth creamy vanilla texture that melts on your tongue. Or maybe the ripe fruits glistening atop the cake are too much to resist.

For me, the buttery graham cookie crust is irresistible. In any case, I have tried dozens of cheesecake recipes over the year. In fact, cheesecake was one of my standbys as a child (yes, when I was under 13).

But it was only until I followed the Barefoot Contessa's recipe for raspberry cheesecake that I was able to avoid the unfortunate cracking on top of the cheesecake when you haven't cooled it properly.

I'll be honest: This recipe will take you hours. But it's worth it. And it's not like you're peering into the oven the whole time. So pop in a movie, turn on your timer, and be patient.

Substitutions:
Raspberries weren't in season so I substituted strawberries instead.

Would I make this again?
Without a doubt. In fact, this is not my first time making this cheesecake but perhaps next time I will try the raspberries. If you can, pay close attention to the temperature in your oven with a thermometer, otherwise the graham cookie crust will burn, and the cheesecake will harden too quickly. You're aiming for a smooth creamy texture rather than a dry crust on top.

Grade:
Five stars out of five. As you may know from following my blog, I often dock marks depending on how easy the recipe is. It's not to say this recipe is difficult, but it will require great attention and patience to get the temperatures of the ingredients and the oven correct.