There are plenty of people who say that make the best (blank). Very few can back it up. Sure, opinions are subjective and everyone’s is “correct”, but when someone can PROVE that they do something better than anyone else you know – that’s special.
I’ve never been a big fan of cheesecake. It’s ok, but I really have to have a craving for it. But I have heard such good things about a woman, right here in Cedar Rapids, that makes REAL New York-style cheesecakes! (New York–style cheesecake uses a cream cheese base, also incorporating heavy cream or sour cream. The typical New York cheesecake is rich and has a dense, smooth, and creamy consistency. … It is mixed with vanilla extract and sugar and replaced in the oven, essentially making the cheesecake twice-baked.)
Dawn “The Cheesecake Lady” Murray is a self-taught cheesecake entrepreneur who runs her business and bakery on her own. Her wares can be ordered thru her Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/outofthebluecheesecakeco
BUT – Right now, you can get 50% off by going to the Deals tab on https://nrgcp.halfoffdeal.com/ by buying a gift certificate for OUT OF THE BLUE CHEESECAKE CO. until they are gone! Also take a look at some of the other deals you can take advantage of from your friends and neighbors with local businesses.
My wife LOVES cheesecake, but she prefers plain, NY Style so she can drizzle her Hershey’s chocolate syrup over it. I’m more adventurous and like to try new things or flavors I know I already love. I ordered two-halves; NY Style and Kahlua Me In (clever title). I used the 50% off deal I got from our deals page and then upped it a little to pay the extra.
The first thing I noticed when I picked it up was Dawn. A quiet sweetheart with beautiful, genuine eyes. She wore her mask for safety so that was all I could see to communicate, other than speaking. Her eyes say she’s for real and can be trusted. That was my first inkling that this would be a good experience. Second, this was no storefront in a strip mall. She was making these incredible and widely talked about treats in her home! We all know how much better home-baked good are! That’s why so many are sold at farmer’s markets and expo centers. Real ingredients with no chemical or added preservatives. A sign of quality, time and love of baking.
The baking smell that came from inside her home was intoxicating and informed me she was actively at it. Probably had 3 more baking as we talked.
Now, you ask “Is she legit? Does she really make the real NY Style cheesecake and are they authentic?” Uh, yeah! The proof is in the pudding…er, cheesecake.
The box of both halves weighed about 3-4 pounds, I’m guessing. A sign of a good and dense NY cheesecake? I’d say so! They looked beautiful! It’s obvious the baker took the time to be sure that it didn’t just taste great, but it presented well, too!
My wife and I had it after our supper last night. We were bummed that we couldn’t have it right after we ate, as were full and didn’t want to explode, so we begrudgingly held off having a piece. I thought about 30 minutes was plenty so I went at it!
I sliced a piece of my Kahlua Me In and the knife slide through like cold butter. Not easily, but enough pressure was put on the knife to get through the dense texture… It was at that point, my mouth began to water (Doing it now, as I type!). The bottom crust was a sweetened butter, chocolate graham cracker or maybe crushed Oreo, I believe. I may be wrong but it’s moist and crunchy, not dry.
I ate mine in the kitchen upstairs while my wife was downstairs, folding laundry in the bedroom. I’m so glad I was alone with my cheesecake. The rolling of my eyes into the back of my head and the heavy sigh of pleasure was just for me to enjoy. Alone.
The Kahlua wasn’t overpowering. It was just enough that you caught the flavor, yet it didn’t hide the star of the show – the sweet cheesecake. Creamy and sweet, it nearly melts in your mouth. The mixing of the flavors was delicious but then a surprise – a smokey-like baked flavor that you don’t see coming! Like the tastes of just slightly overbaked cookies that had JUST come out of the oven, That oven-baked goodness that is undeniable yet hard to describe. You just know it.
That’s all I remember…. Next thing I knew, my plate was empty and I was sucking on my fork.
I went to my man-cave for a bit before deciding to go to bed. In the bedroom, I found my wife with a pile of folded clothes on the bed, a plate with her slice of cheesecake and eyes wide open, as if someone just told her she’d won the Powerball.
“OH. MY. GOD!” she whispers with the fork still in her mouth…. She likes it with Hershey’s chocolate sauce drizzled over it. By the response, I felt a little embarrassed and asked if she would rather be alone with her slice.
She said, “No, but I may ask for a divorce and marry this cheesecake.” I felt she may not have been kidding…
If you LOVE a GOOD cheesecake and haven’t had one of The Cheesecake Lady’s homemade with love, cakes, you’re missing a very pleasurable part of life that we never knew existed. If you aren’t a big cheesecake fan, but are depressed and would like a moment of bliss, consider one the many different (and cleverly named) cakes Dawn offers. Life looks brighter after having eaten one.
