I made this for thanksgiving yesterday, it was wonderful. I rotate pumpkin cheesecakes in the fall and this was one of the best! It cooled the glaze and then spread it on top of the cheesecake about 2 hrs. before serving. The baking time was fine for me, though I may add more maple to the cheesecake next time around.

Reviewed On: Nov. 23, 2007

This is a long variation but WELL worth it if you have the patience, and amazing rich: My favorite cake in the world is called Vesuvius cake, it's basically a brownie crust, a chocolate ganache layer, a cheesecake layer topped with another thin ganache layer, then topped with chocolate mousse and a dark chocolate fudge "ball" at the end. It sounds complicated but it really isn't. I used this recipe as a base to recreate it. I start with the brownie "crust" and then add the first ganache layer. For the ganache I bring 2 cups heavy cream to a boil and added 18 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips, stir together till smooth. Let it melt and bring to room temp then spread about 1/3 of it (I like ganche) on the brownie. You can add the caramel mix from this recipe or not. Top with cheesecake mix as instructed in recipe and bake in waterbath. While the cake is baking, whip up a chocolate mousse (boxed ones are fine I feel) and refrigerate. One cheesecake is cooled, top with another layer of ganache, you can heat it over a double-boiler to liquify again, but don't heat too much. Cool ganache and top with a thick mousse layer. I then whip up remaining ganache into a frosting and pipe in large dollops around the cheesecake. Topped off with melted white and dark chocolate drizzle and butterscotch chips and it's amazing!

Reviewed On: Jul. 5, 2007

I love this recipe. Whenever I make it I throw together a fast icing of confectioner's sugar, milk, and vanilla (about one cup sugar, 2 tbls milk and 1 tsp vanilla, add more or less to taste and depending on how much you want to make). It's a thin, sweet icing that goes well with the bread. Next time I'm going to make the pieces a little larger and try stuffing some with cream cheese, butterscotch chips, and chocolate chips, I think it will add a nice surprise when you bite in.

Reviewed On: Jun. 20, 2007