On National Cherry Cheesecake Day, April 23, we’re celebrating the dessert topped with antioxidant-loaded Cherries. We always knew it was a classic, but did you know Cheesecake dates back to 2,000 B.C.? The Cheese-based delicacy has long been a favorite but has changed in many ways over the years. Today, we most often imagine Cherry Cheesecake with a Graham Cracker or Pastry Crust, filled with Cream Cheese, and topped with nutrient-rich Cherries — with a drizzle of thick Cherry Sauce to top it.
Cherry Cheesecake has been around for thousands of years, even today there’s a huge variation for what qualifies as the iconic dessert. The Crust can be anything from Graham Cracker to Pastry Crust and even Sponge Cake, and the Cheese inside isn’t always Cream Cheese! Some recipes swap Cream Cheese for Cottage Cheese and are baked with no crust at all. The king of Cherry Cheesecake is, of course, the Cherries, which traditionally rest on top and are packed with vitamins and other nutrients. Besides being delicious, Cherries are anti-inflammatory and pack a punch of antioxidants!
The ancient Greeks didn’t add Cherries to their Cheesecake, but served a primitive form of the dessert for thousands of years including their athletes in the first Olympics! If you ever wonder whether or not you can have Cheesecake and still have an athletic figure, it is possible. The first written recipes for Cheesecake appeared a few thousand years after it was first reportedly made.
In 1,000 A.D., Cheesecake reached Europe. Roman armies stormed into Western Europe and the U.K., bringing with them the recipe! Though the dessert was a huge hit and spread rapidly, the next cookbook mention of Cheesecake in these Countries was in the mid-1500s. Cheesecake was then a widespread and well-known dessert and we all know the rest is history.
A new variety of Cheesecake arrived in the late 1870s, with the development of Cheesecake and its promotion to the primary ingredient in the smooth dessert. Less than a decade after its invention, Philadelphia Kraft was making Cream Cheese en masse, and Cheesecake was more accessible than ever. This gave way to the invention of the New York-style Cheesecake that we love today, which is defined by its ingredients Cheese, Cream, Egg, and Sugar.
NATIONAL CHERRY CHEESECAKE DAY ACTIVITIES
- There are so many kinds of Cherry Cheesecake, a testing panel is the only way to know which is the best Cherry Cheesecake take today to invite over friends or family to taste test Cheesecakes you purchase and decide on the best tasting Cherry Cheesecake.
- After you’ve perfected your Cherry Cheesecake recipe that’s made everyone you’ve served it to melt, post the picture on social media with the hashtag #NationalCherryCheesecakeDay!
FACTS ABOUT CHEESECAKE
- There was a 4,703-lb Cheesecake whipped up by Philadelphia Kraft Foods in 2009, this Cheesecake is the all-time heavyweight Cheesecake champion.
- In a surprising twist, Cheesecake isn’t a Cake at all, but a baked Cheese Custard Pie with a crust!
- We’re not sure how they did it, but over the course of seven years of filming, the “Golden Girls” TV show went through over 100 Cheesecakes which is over one full Cheesecake a month for almost a decade!
- Legend has it that the first Olympic games of 776 B.C. supplied their athletes with some form of Cheesecake before their events.
WHY PEOPLE LOVE NATIONAL CHERRY CHEESECAKE DAY
- Cherry Cheesecake has its roots in 2,000 B.C. Greece, yet remains popular today making the Cherry Cheesecake a classic!
- When is the last time you made a Cheesecake from scratch? National Cherry Cheesecake Day is a great excuse to rediscover the joys of baking with family and friends and perfect your own recipe!
No-Bake Cherry Cheesecake
Prep Time: 20 mins Additional Time: 2 hours Total Time: 2 hours 20 mins
Servings: 8 Yield: 1 9-inch cheesecake
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup white sugar
Filling
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 (12.5 ounce) can cherry pie filling (or other filling of your choice)
Directions
- Mix together graham cracker crumbs, margarine, and sugar for crust in a bowl until well incorporated and crumbly. Press mixture into a 9-inch pie plate, going up the sides as much as possible.
- Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla for filling in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and spreadable.
- Beat cream in a chilled glass or metal bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold into cream cheese mixture until smooth
- Pour filling into the prepared crust, and smooth the top with a spatula. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 to 3 hours.
- Spread cherry pie filling over the chilled cheesecake. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
