The Joy of Cheesecake

I have carried my original hardcover copy of this book with me through twenty-some years of moves covering three continents. I have given numerous copies as gifts and recommended it to everyone who ever wanted to know how to get the recipe for that scrumptious cheesecake I brought to the party. This book is thorough, easy to understand, gives wonderful tips on what you need to know to make great cheesecakes, and has the best recipes I've ever found for fabulous, out-of-the-ordinary cheesecakes that make people sit up and cheer. The recipes are all clearly written, easy to follow, and guaranteed to turn out something wonderful...and with all the other information in the book, it's easy to experiment without worrying if you're heading for disaster. You absolutely can't go wrong with this book.

I own ten or twelve cheesecake cookbooks; but this one, the first one I ever purchased, is far and away my favorite. You will learn all you need to know about baking these wondrous desserts from reading this book. There is a section on equipment, a section on crusts, then the cheesecakes that are baked and those that are only chilled. There is also a section on cheesecakes from different lands.I have baked at least a half dozen of these recipes several times over the years and have baked one or two of them dozens of times. My favorite, which I have done a little adjusting to to make it my own, is the New Zealand cheesecake. You can take that basic recipe and do anything you want to to it.You may find a cheesecake cookbook with more and prettier photographs but you will not find one with better, basic foolproof recipes.

I have baked cheesecakes for over 30 years, and regard this book as the best. I haven't found a bad recipe in it yet, just good, really good and oh my! I love the way you can mix and match different crusts and toppings. I like the information in the beginning of the book, and I can't live without at least one piece a year of the "Is it Cheesecake or Is it Fudge?" cake!!

My great-uncle gave me his old hardcover version of this cookbook and after making just 2 cheesecakes with it (the no-bake daiquiri and the orange-brandy), it replaced "The Joy of Cooking" as my primary dessert cookbook.The book is extremely helpful in it's layout. Rather than include a crust recipe along with every cheesecake recipe in the book, this cookbook lists one recommended crust recipe and the page it can be found on with each cheesecake recipe, but you can also mix and match to suit your tastes (I personally preferred an Oreo-crumb crust to the vanilla-wafer crust the book suggested for its dark chocolate cheesecake). There are also sections for toppings and glazes, and there is also a section on no-bake cheesecakes, and even a few recipes for cakes that aren't "real" cheesecakes, but contain cream cheese nonetheless.Most of the recipes in this cookbook are more complicated than the 3-step cheesecake recipes you find on the back of cream cheese boxes in the supermarket, but the difference in quality is unbelievable. I made the pumpkin cheesecake for an office Thanksgiving party, and it was such a hit that 3 co-workers paid me $25 apiece to make one for each of them for the holidays! There is a type of cheesecake in this book for every taste out there, from apple to chocolate to walnut. The only thing missing is recipes for savory cheesecakes, which I've seen in some food catalogs, but that's such a minor quip it doesn't dectract from the usefulness of this book. All in all, if you have ever tried cheesecake and loved it or even remotely liked it, you'll find something in this cookbook to satisfy you.

I've owned this book for nearly 20 years and it's become ragged from all of the use it's gotten over the years. If you think cheesecake is tricky or hard to make, read this book. I've learned all of the tricks to making beautiful and delicious cheesecakes of many varieties. Every holiday I'm asked to contribute dessert to the dinner - - of course, they're asking for cheesecake. Try it - - it couldn't be easier.