July 7, 2014

A birthday party perfect 1950s Borden's Cheesecake recipe


As a child, I would classify myself as having been a fairly adventurous eater. I was rarely picky (sure, like most folks, there were a few foods I really despised, but overall I was quite the little gastronome), usually jumped at the chance to try new dishes, and adored it when my mom "guinea pigged" us with a recipe she'd never made before. And yet, in spite of loving the ingredients in it separately, I wasn't terribly fond of cheesecake when I was little.

I think that part of the reason was that most of the ones that I'd tried were, to be brutally honest, rather subpar. Too dry, too watery, too acidic, too cloying, or just too dull. It was, interestingly enough, a cheesecake made by a Portuguese friend of the family that stared ricotta, not cream cheese, tried somewhere around the age of thirteen that began to sway my taste buds for the first time.

Jump ahead another two or three years once, especially I began baking my own, and this rich, decadent, completely scrumptious dessert had been elevated to the highest echelons of my dessert repertoire and very quickly became one of the most frequently consumed sweet treats on my birthday.

With that particular event rounding the bend again in just three days time, it seemed only fitting to launch this celebratory week with off with a marvelous looking 1950s recipe for Borden's Party Cheesecake (isn't that name wonderfully fitting for a birthday fete dessert?).



{One of, if not "the", mid-twentieth century's best known dairy brands, Borden’s, delivered this classic, elegant, party perfect cheesecake recipe to readers back in 1951 and it remains as appealing today as it did sixty-three years ago. Image source.}



Unlike many cheesecake recipes over the decades, this one does not call for crushed graham crackers or chocolate cookies as the base, instead it suggests one use zwieback, a form of rusk that originated in Germany, spreading to North America via the Mennonite community. While it zwieback can sometimes be found in specialty food shops and well stocked grocery stores in larger cities, most of the time your best bet is to order it online (Amazon, for example, stocks Brandt Der Markenzwieback and Jacobsen's Original Zwieback Snack Toast).

By all means, feel free to use graham crackers, your favourite suitable cookie, or even crushed pretzels here if you prefer. Being a GF myself, for years now I've most commonly used Kinnikinnick Gluten Free Graham Style Crumbs when making cheesecakes myself (they're very tasty and really work well for this purpose).

Despite it's name, this isn't a wildly fancy or over-the-top cheesecake as it stands now by any means, so if you want to jazz it up with your favourite fruit, chocolate, Nutella, caramel, or butterscotch sauce drizzled over top, by all means have at 'er! You could also swirl some fresh fruit, peanut butter, or cocoa power in the batter before baking, if desired. Top it with fruit, chocolate shavings, nuts, chocolate truffles, candied flowers, sprinkles, or mint leaves - and of course, if this is a birthday cake, at least a few candles for the gal or guy of honour to blow out and make a special wish on.

As with most years, I'm still debating what I'm going to make for my birthday dessert right up until the last minute, but as always, a cheesecake (a fresh raspberry and strawberry version of which is what I whipped up for my 29th last year) is definitely in the running. At the moment, it's a bit of a three way tie between a cheesecake, raspberry trifle, and bacon + salted caramel brownies (which, if you've never had, are mind blowingly delicious and can even be made with chicken, turkey or vegetarian bacon).

Given that this is my 30th birthday, a rather big milestone, maybe I should just go to town and make all three! One for each decade of my life that I've lived so far. Hmmm, tempting as that thought is, I'll probably just stick to one and enjoy a generous helping of it as I ring in the next exciting chapter in my life. One which, I hope with all my heart, will be every bit as a sweet as this lovely vintage cheesecake recipe is.

36 comments:

  1. I love cheesecake, my favourite though will always be a philadelphia simple cheesecake. Mmmm...not ,are that for a while actually!

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  2. If you make all three you're sure to get a serious tommy ache. :)

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    1. That is a very real risk for sure! :) No worries, I think it will just be one dessert - and maybe a little ice cream or froyo - for me this year (there's always Tony's birthday less than a month later to indulge in a second variety).

      ♥ Jessica

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  3. I'm not usually the biggest fan of cheesecake either, and I actively dislike things that are cheesecake flavored. Ew. I did, however, make a goat cheese cheesecake with blueberry compote last year, and the flavor was absolutely amazing. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I'll really have to dig up the recipe and make it again.
    But anyway, happy birthday! I hope that you have an amazing 30th year, that life treats you well, and that you get to enjoy many fantastic vintage treasures. You definitely deserve it.

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  4. Afterall, you only have one birthday a year, so celebrate with the most wonderful cheesecake you can imagine and enjoy every morsel! I've never met a cheesecake I didn't love. May your birthday be perfectly wonderful for this has been a special year for you in many good ways and I'm sure the best is yet to come!

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  5. If I were going to bake you a cheesecake (which I totally would if you lived nearby) I'd add a few drops of rosewater, and some candied rose petals on top of the baked cake. For some reason rose and cheese go together so well. I haven't bought zwieback since my child stopped teething (many years ago). It must have been a thrifty way to use up stale bread or something, as I find it a regular ingredient in old cook books-I can't imagine anyone (over the age of two) eating it, but that could just be me.

    Speaking of, "is it just me?" does the Borden cow creep you out? Seriously, stuff of childhood nightmares *shudder*. I dunno, some people can't handle clowns...

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    1. That sounds incredibly tasty. I adore most edible flowers, with roses being my favourite hands down (I could all but live off Turkish Delight if doing so was even remotely healthy :)), so that would be a huge hit with me. In fact, I think I'll try to get some rosewater and candied petals (or make them myself) and follow your beautiful suggestion for next year (or sooner than that - I could see this being a fabulous Easter dessert).

      She (the Borden cow) doesn't creep me out, but I can certainly see why she could cause that response in some people (her eyes are a bit wild and crazy at times!).

      Thanks for the great comment, dear lady!
      ♥ Jessica

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  6. I love cheese cake and my favorite one is lemon variety! I "suspect" that you are preparing your birthday, so ... next Monday I will sing to you (virtually) Happy Birthday, dear Jessica.

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  7. Tasting a piece of fresh made baked cheesecake in a tiny family run deli in New York changed my thoughts on cheesecake forever, before that I could take or leave the ones my Mum made (with cream cheese and lemon jelly!) It was a slice of heaven indeed.

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    1. It sounds like it!!! I've had NY style cheesecakes, and made some of them myself, too, but I bet nothing compares quite like the real deal eaten from a plate in the Big Apple itself.

      Thank you very much for your great comment, dear gal!
      ♥ Jessica

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  8. Cheesecake is so tasty my favorite is plain and once I made a delicious brownie mosaic cheesecake from smitten kitchen but it was a LOT of work This cake is delicous

    retro rover

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    1. That sounds so, so scrumptious!!! I once made a cheesecake with cut up cubes of homemade brownies in it (and caramel sauce drizzled over top) that was pretty fabulous, too.

      ♥ Jessica

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    1. Thank you very much, sweet dear. Just three more days to go - I can hardly wait! :)

      ♥ Jessica

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  10. Two more days 'till you're 30, Jess.. a huge milestone!

    I'm quite positive about aproaching 30, it's good time in life: all the "growing up" done, all the "establishing onself in the world" is set on it's course, no more "horrible 20s hairstyles" moments... :) I'd say: that calls for a celebration.
    One cake would do for a smaller party. Or maybe (here's the thing in our country): celebrate like some folks do in the southern part of my country. They have a 3-day celebration on a huge event (wedding, birth of a child..). Why not: 3 days for 30th birthday, with 3 cakes, one for each day?
    Make them small(er) then usual.. and it'll put this event to even a higher level.. :)

    Oh, how I love July (bot of our birthdays) are in July... <3

    Hug (and a birthday's best two days in advance!)
    Marija

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    1. Yum!!! Now that is a fantastic idea!!! Hand on my heart, I was just saying to Tony yesterday that I wish there was the birthday equivalent of Boxing Day, as it would be so fun to keep the celebration going for more than 24 hours. Ultimately, as adults we can do just that, if so please and your comment really helped drive home that point for me, sweet dear. Three days for 30 years, a day for each decade, makes a lot of sense to me and sounds like a very enjoyable and fun filled plan - not to mention a delicious one, too! :)

      Tons of hugs & thanks for your wonderful birthday wishes, my fellow July birthday gal!
      ♥ Jessica

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  11. I could just eat a cheesecake now! All your suggestions sound yummy. I am intrigued by the salted caramel and bacon brownies, they sound really interesting!

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    1. They are ridiculously tasty! Seriously, if someone said that I could only eat one dessert a year, I would honestly pick my GF/EF version of that some years - they're that good!!! :)

      ♥ Jessica

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    2. If we lived nearer I would suggest sharing some as a joint birthday celebration!

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    3. That would be awesome!!! If only we did, and could. One never knows though, there is always the chance that one of might be in the other's neck of the woods come a future July. England is one of the countries I most want to visit and explore (it's on my proverbial bucket list), so it could happen - or at the very least, a meetup some other lovely time of the year. Fingers crossed that it does!

      Big hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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    4. Gosh that would be marvellous! Hopefully one day!

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  12. That's a really good looking cheesecake! I almost always have cheesecake for my birthday, but those bacon and salted caramel brownies sound just awesome! I love desserts that mix sweet and savory and those sound so nifty.

    Happy birthday!

    Cheers,
    Jenny

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    1. Same here!!! I describe myself as more of a salty tooth than a sweet one, which is certainly the case, but I think my very favourite is the combo of both. Get it right and it's like nirvana on your tongue! :)

      Thank you for the lovely birthday wishes, honey!
      ♥ Jessica

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  13. I love how vintage cakes were often decorated with other food and cute items. Most of my really good secret recipes are from vintage books but I find they can be quite hit or miss. I love the comment about adding a bit of rose water I may be trying that out!

    I hope you share a picture of the lovely cake you make for yourself! Happy yearly b-day:)

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    1. Oooh, me too - big time!!! My mom and both my grandmas often made desserts that were decorated with other edible goodies and/or prepared in shaped (teddy bear, heart, etc) pans, so seeing cakes like this bring back fond childhood memories for me.

      Thank you for the lovely wishes, honey!

      ♥ Jessica

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  14. Thank you so much for sharing, this sounds SO delicious! Happiest of birthdays to you!
    xo Hannah

    http://thebraidedbandit.blogspot.com
    http://thebraidedbandit.etsy.com

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  15. Ive really never considered cheesecake as a birthday cake! I have a huge love of cheesecake sometimes I get cravings and just have to have it. Honestly though I bake ALOT and cheesecake is still one of those things that stumps me, I feel like I can never get it to turn out right.
    Justine
    http://theredlipchronicles.blogspot.com

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    1. Are you per chance looking for a roommate? :D You're a cheesecake loving gal after my own heart, Justine. I'm sorry to hear though that they don't always turn out quite as you'd hoped. What do you feel is their shortcoming in particular? Perhaps I could offer some suggestions to help on that front.

      ♥ Jessica

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  16. Ooh I'll have to try that recipe - my partner goes mad for cheesecake! xx

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  17. Can't wait to try this! I was always afraid to try cheesecake when I was a kid. My dad loved them, but the thought of a "cheese cake" just weirded me out. Also, it seemed slimy. And given my pickiness associated with my weird hatred for various textures in my food, I never tried it. Until... lo and behold! When I was older I tried my first cheesecake. And now I confess I'm rather a cheesecake fiend!

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    1. We're fiends in unison then, my dear, because I too have quite the weakness for this seriously rich, creamy, descendant dessert. It's too bad we don't live close by to one another. We could take turns having monthly cheesecake gab fests at each other's house. :)

      ♥ Jessica

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  18. Oh wow I love finding old recipes! Thank you for the recipe, it looks great! XxxX
    http://thesecondhandrose.blogspot.co.uk

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  19. oh goodness gracious! cheesecake is my ultimate weakness and my how i've been craving it as of late. maybe i can talk my sister into making a crust-less cheesecake for me. mmmm!!

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    1. It's one of mine on the dessert front, too, especially if cherries, chocolate or caramel is involved. Were you able to find GF graham crackers (whole or crumbs) in your area? I'd be happy to send you some from Canada, if you can't, my lovely friend. They work just as good, IMO, as the glutenous version and equally tasty, too. :)

      ♥ Jessica

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  20. Making all three of them sounds like the perfect solution my dear Jessica !
    Cheesecake happens to be one of my favourite desires (if not THE one) however I have made it only 3 or 4 times.
    I hope you enjoyed your birthday :)

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    1. Thank you very much, dear Lorena, I truly did! It was one of the most enjoyable, fun filled birthdays of my adult life and centered around a day of thrifting/antiquing with my mom then family with dinner at an Italian restaurant in Kelowna (that has some GF options so I could eat there), then a lovely drive home with the reflection of this month's super moon glistening on Okanagan Lake. I really couldn't have asked for a better way to kick off my 30s.

      Big hugs & many thanks for each and every one of your terrific blog comments yesterday,
      ♥ Jessica

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