As an avid baker, I tried experimenting with different desserts, including cakes, cookies, and the best dessert, cheesecake. Four years ago, I would come home from school hoping that my mom had bought all the ingredients needed to make a cheesecake, and I would listen to Red Hot Chili Peppers songs in the kitchen. The first cheesecake I made wasn’t perfect, and is why I set myself the purpose to make the perfect cheesecake. I would post on my close friends Instagram stories, the process of making it, and of course a taste test. The next day at school I would take a piece to share with my friends, as I knew I had honest friends who would give an unbiased opinion on what to change to make it better. Throughout these four years I have changed the recipe many times, adding more cream cheese or more cookies to make a thicker crust until I realized my mistake wasn’t in the ingredients, but rather in the time I left it in the oven. Once I changed this, all of my friends and family agreed that it was so much better. Four years can be seen as a long time to make a perfect cheesecake, but I believe cooking is a way to express ourselves, relax and have a good time. There’s no rush in having the perfect recipe overnight and every time I bake, even if it’s the same ingredients it has a different story. From sharing what I baked on Instagram to later bake for my extended family I can only hope baking brings friends and family together just like I experience it.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cup grounded Lotus cookies
- ½ cup melted butter
Filling
- 600 grams cream cheese
- 397 grams sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Topping
- ½ cup frozen blackberries
- ½ cup frozen blueberries
- ½ frozen raspberries
- 3 tablespoons sugar
Directions:
Crust
- Mix the grounded Lotus cookies with the melted butter
- In a mold, place the cookie base and flat it tightly
Filling
- In a medium bowl, smooth the cream cheese with the help of a blender
- When the cream cheese is soft, add the condensed milk, vanilla extract, eggs and beat for 2 minutes
- Empty the mixture over the cookie base, and bring it into a preheated oven at 350ºF for 30 minutes
- Let cool in a refrigerator for at least 4 hours
Topping
- Once the cheesecake is cooled in a small pot, place the blackberries, blueberries and raspberries along with the 3 tablespoons of sugar.
- Mix with a spatula on low heat for 10 minutes or until the fruit starts melting.
- Pour and cover the entire cheesecake with the mixture.
Cover photo courtesy of Olive
Gusto Journal 