Cheesecake to Chase Grumpiness Away

My kids and I were grumpy as if we all got up on the wrong side of the bed that morning. I was getting annoyed easily and my kids were being a bit whiny than usual. Also, the weather was gloomy. I didn’t want our day to be dismal as well. So, I told my son that we will finally make that cheesecake that we’ve been planning to do last time.

I asked him to get my iPad and access the Tasty app. From our search, we have discovered that there are different types of cheesecakes and the one that we can easily make that day is the American Cheesecake. I have learned from our experience in making the No-Bake Cereal Bars that before executing the recipe, it is best to read the comments that follow to get tips from users who have done it before. Armed with other user insights and the ingredients available in our ref, we began making our first ever cheesecake. It got us excited and made our day looked brighter because we were going to bake together and we’re looking forward to eating something delectable later in the day. It will also be a surprise for my husband when he gets home from work.

We weren’t able to find crushed Graham crackers when we went to the grocery last time so we just bought the whole ones. I asked my son’s help in pounding the crackers. We didn’t have the patience to make it finer so I just risked having bits of crackers in the crust and hoped that it will turn alright. It just took a lot of time to mix the melted butter onto it but that’s okay. Soon it was ready for the oven. I set my phone’s timer to an hour as indicated in the recipe but had to pull out the springform pan from the oven when I smelled that the crust seemed ready. I then put it into the oven’s rectangular pan and filled it with water, a tip I got from the comments, to prevent the crust from cracking. While cooling the crust, my kid and I took turns in mixing the cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar. I used a half cup of brown sugar as most users said that the indicated 1/4 cup made their cake bland. We really need to buy a wire whisk and eventually, a hand mixer to get a smoother texture of our batter. We were only mixing with a spoon so I had to use a strainer in order for us to pour a smoother cheesecake-and-eggs mixture onto the crust. By the way, I only used 3 eggs (what we had on hand) instead of the required 4 in the recipe. Here’s how it turned out:

We didn’t have fresh fruits as toppings but we have chocolates from my in-laws. My son happily volunteered to pull apart the Snickers Almond Minis and placed them on top of our freshly baked cheesecake because he got to munch on the chocolates after!

My son couldn’t wait to have a slice of this and said that he wanted to have this for dessert after lunch. But, I told him that it won’t be ready by then because we have to put it in the freezer for 3 hours before we can enjoy it. He was glad to wait.

That first slice was for my big kid and happy kitchen helper who insisted on munching his Snickers toppings before eating his cheesecake. He finished that serving right away. I ate two slices in one sitting! Our version of the American Cheesecake was not that sweet which is a good thing as I am trying to limit our sugar intake. The Snickers Minis added just the right amount of sweetness onto the cheesecake. Our crust, though not of fine crumbs, was not too firm yet not crumbly either. My husband, though, wanted the cream cheese part to be more sweet, moist and creamier next time. Not that bad for our first try! Would definitely make this again. I’m planning to use blueberries as toppings or sprinkle crushed almonds or cashew nuts on top next time.

I’m still learning how to take better photos and I hope to give justice to the food that my son and I lovingly prepare in our humble kitchen.