Cheesecake Toppings - 12 Delicious choices
Have you ever met a cheesecake you didn’t like? Well, true, there are some that would say, yes. My first experiences with cheesecakes were ones of the plain vanilla flavor in a graham cracker crust, with a thin layer of sour cream on top. No topping required. And that was fine with me - a delicious, sweet and creamy concoction juxtaposed with a bit of tang and notes of vanilla made me a devotee. There was one day when nothing but one large cheesecake was eaten by yours truly. I’ve never done that since but wow, was I content that day!
Now many years later, an entire repertoire of cheesecakes are included in my files, everyone of them a worthy variation. Creativity has few limits when it comes to cheesecakes. That applies to what goes on top as well. The simple cheesecake palette lends itself to the inspirations of the inspired!
Cherry pie filling as a topping was an early venture from the purity of a plain cheesecake. But doubtless, today most home cooks have tried this, that or the other as cheesecake toppings - perhaps in the quest to convince the naysayers that yes, they have met a cheesecake they like!
Below are 12 toppings that take the cheesecake from rustic to whimsical to elegant!
Cheesecake with Caramel Toffee Topping
An Autumny topping for apple, pumpkin or vanilla cheesecakes that dress them up with a crunchy yet creamy topping garnished with salted caramel and toffee - an Autumn Perfecta!
Caramel Toffee Cheesecake Topping
2 egg whites large, at room temperature
2/3 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
pinch of salt
8 ounces unsalted butter at room temperature cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
-In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar until foamy. Slowly add in 3 tablespoons of sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form.
-While the egg whites are whipping, place the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water into a medium pot and place over medium-low heat. Stir until sugar melts and becomes clear.
-Increase heat to medium-high heat and boil water/sugar mixture until temperature reaches the soft ball stage of 238 degrees. Do not stir after mixture begins to boil. (Cover with a lid the last 2 - 3 minutes of boiling to help melt down any sugar crystals that may have formed on the sides of the pot.)
-Remove from heat and drizzle the sugar syrup into the egg white mixture in the mixer in a thin stream while you run the mixer on medium-high speed until the meringue cools down to almost room temperature. (This may take up to 20 - 25 minutes.)
-Add the room temperature butter into the running mixer, a small chunk at a time. Continue beating buttercream on medium-high speed until the butter is combined and mixture has reached a silky consistency (10 - 15 minutes.) Add the salt and vanilla and pulse into the mixture.
SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE:
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel salt or kosher salt
-Over medium heat, combine butter, sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, and light Karo syrup in a heavy, non-stick medium-sized pot. Stirring constantly, cook until mixture comes to a boil.
-Continue cooking over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, to just shy of the softball stage, 232 degrees. Remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon vanilla and salt. Let cool to room temperature. Sauce may be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for several weeks. Let come to room temperature before using for this recipe.
To Complete Topping:
-Place the buttercream into a pastry bag with a fluted tip. Pipe the buttercream on top of the cooled cheesecake in a decorative pattern, covering the top. Drizzle the cooled caramel sauce over the top of the buttercream then sprinkle with toffee bits. Chill until ready to serve.
PERSNICKETY NOTES:
**Store-bought caramel sauces such as Mrs. Richardson or Stonewall Kitchen brands are good substitutes for homemade sauce, if you prefer.
Simply Berries Cheesecake Topping
It's that simple - berries! A plain vanilla, chocolate, or lemon cheesecake becomes a work of art as you create a decorative pattern from sliced and whole berries, with the top of the cheesecake as your palette.
Simply Berries Cheesecake Topping
2 - 3 cups of fresh berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, pitted cherries, kiwi, etc.)
-Wash, trim and slice berries as desired. Pat the washed berries dry and arrange as inspiration inspires on top of the cooled cheesecake. If desired, you can drizzle cooled simple syrup over the tops of the berries to add a bit more sweetness and shine to the fruit.
Simple Syrup: Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar with 1 cup water in a medium saucepan. Stir in sugar until it almost dissolves. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat without stirring, then turn down to medium-low heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely before using. Drizzle the cooled simple syrup sparingly, over the berries arranged on the top of the cheesecake.
chocolate Truffle Cheesecake Topping
Lighten up your cheesecake with this fluffy, truffle chocolate topping. Perfect for chocolate or vanilla cheesecakes. Or add a touch of mint for an Andes Mint vibe!
Chocolate Truffle Topping:
1 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa,
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons sour cream
-Mix cream , sugar and cocoa in mixing bowl with wire whip until sugar is incorporated. Chill with beater in the cream for 2 hours. Remove from fridge and whip in mixer until almost stiff. Add vanilla and salt. Continue to beat until very siff, just short of butter consistency. Stir in sour cream and spread or pipe topping on cool pie. Garnish cheesecake with chocolate curls and mint sprigs. Chill well before serving, at least 2 hours.
PERSNICKETY NOTES:
**For a Chocolate Mint Cheesecake version, add 1 teaspoon mint or peppermint extract to the the cream when you stir in the sour cream.
**For my complete Chocolate Mint Truffle Cheesecake recipe go to: https://www.persnicketypanhandler.com/blog/chocolate-mint-truffle-cheesecake?rq=Chocolate%20Mint%20Cheesecake
**For directions on how to make chocolate curls, refer to the instructions below on this post
Lemon Creme Cheesecake Topping
Clouds of cream tinted with lemon curd is an easy yet elegant topping for lemon, raspberry, and vanilla cheesecakes. Simplify by using store-purchased lemon curd.
Lemon Creme Topping
For Lemon Curd:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 large eggs at room temperature
1/4 cup butter at room temperature
-In a small saucepan, combine sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and eggs. Add the butter and cook over medium-low heat, stirring continuously with a whisk, until the first bubble appears on the surface of the mixture and the curd is thick enough to hold marks of the whisk, about 6 - 8 minutes.
-Transfer the hot lemon curd to a bowl or jar and cover the surface with plastic wrap. (or if you don’t like the lemon zest in the curd, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer to get rid of the zest.) Refrigerate until cold. (This recipe will make more than needed for the Lemon Creme topping. Store the remainder in an airtight container and chill for other uses for up to 2 weeks.)
For the Lemon Creme:
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup lemon curd
2 cups fresh raspberries, cut in half, lengthwise for garnish, if desired
extra whole raspberries for garnish
-Briefly mix cream and powdered sugar in mixing bowl. Place in refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes. Remove from fridge and begin to whip. Continue until semi-stiff peaks form. Add 1/2 cup cooled lemon curd and blend into the whipped cream with a whisk until smooth, stirring as little as possible. Chill until ready to use.
To Complete Topping:
Spread lemon creme on top of cooled cheesecake creating elegant swirls and curls. Garnish and decorate the top with whole raspberries and thin lemon slices if desired.
Chocolate Nutella ButterCream Cheesecake Topping
Nutella Cream with Ferre Roche Hazelnut Chocolates is a stunning topper for a chocolate or vanilla cheesecake, or any flavor that goes well with Nutella. Banana?
Chocolate Nutella Buttercream
1/2 stick of softened butter (4 tablespoons)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetend cocoa
pinch of salt
2/3 cup Nutella Hazelnut spread
1 - 2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream
-Place powdered sugar, cocoa and salt in a mixing bowl. Add butter and beat on medium-high speed until the butter and sugar are smooth and creamy. Add 2/3 cups Nutella, vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon milk. Mix on medium speed, adding more milk if necessary to create a smooth, creamy spreadable frosting.
-Frost the cooled cheesecake top then smooth it out as much as possible with a spatula or long knife. Whip the cream until it starts to thicken. Add 1/4 cup Nutella and a pinch of salt and continue mixing until thickened. Pipe whipped cream onto top of cake in 8 - 10 mounds around the edge of the cheesecake. Place an unwrapped truffle on top of each mound.
-Sprinkle with shaved chocolate, if desired.
Pavlova Cheesecake Topping
Pavlova is a dessert of heavenly clouds of cream with fresh berries piled on top of a meringue shell. The cream/berry mixture is just as indulgently delicious crowning a berry, fruit or vanilla cheesecake.
Pavolova Cream and Berry Topping for Cheesecake
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
1/3 cup powdered or granulated sugar
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fresh Berries - a mixture of sliced strawberries, whole raspberries, blueberries and blackberries to equal ab 1 1/2 - 2 cups
-Pour cream into a mixing bowl and beat on high speed until soft peaks have formed. Add sugar and continue to beat just until peaks stand on their own and hold their shape. Stir in yogurt and vanilla extract.
-Spread the whipped cream over the top of the cheesecake in big extravagant swoops. Mix the berries together and spoon over the cream. Chill until ready to serve.
White Chocolate Buttercream Cheesecake Topping
Delicate and light Swiss buttercream with white chocolate, adorns strawberry, raspberry, vanilla or chocolate cheesecakes beautifully. The arranged jewel-like strawberries and shaved white chocolate on top crown it all to create an elegant dessert.
White Chocolate Swiss Buttercream:
3/4 cup sugar
3 egg whites, at room temperature
2 sticks butter (1 cup) cut into tablespoons, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces good quality white chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
-Place sugar and egg whites in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture registers 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
-Transfer hot mixture to an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium-high speed until fluffy and cooled, about 10 minutes. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.
-Reduce speed to medium-low; add butter by the tablespoon, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and white chocolate. If not using immediately, refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Bring to room temperature before using; beat on low speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.
-Frost the sides and top of the cheesecake, swirling the frosting as you go with decorative strokes. Garnish with white chocolate curls or shavings and fresh strawberries, sliced and arranged. Chill then remove from refrigerator about 15 minutes before serving to allow frosting to soften.
Strawberry/Raspberry Puree Cheesecake Topping
Traditional berry or fruit toppings are always popular for any kind of cheesecake. You can easily make your own with this simple and versatile recipe for raspberries, strawberries or blueberries. If will also work with blackberries but you may want to increase the amount of sugar used. Huckleberries would also make a delicious puree.
Strawberry/Raspberry Puree
2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, strawberries or blueberries 1/4 - 1/3 cup white granulated sugar (depending on your preferred level of sweetness) 1/4 cup water 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch 1 teaspoons lemon juice
-Place sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan, whisk in water. Add the berries to the saucepan then slowly heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Increase heat to medium and allow mixture to come to a low boil, until berries break up and mixture thickens - about 5 minutes after the first boil. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and let cool completely. Chill until ready to use. Serve alongside individual servings of cheesecake.
Lemon Curd cheesecake topping
A topping that screams lemon in such a buttery curd mixture that no one will argue with it. Great poured and spread over the top of lemon cheesecakes, naturally, but also, raspberry, strawberry, blueberry and vanilla cheesecakes as well. The mounds of whipped cream around the edges soften some of the pucker- up flavor. Garnish with strips of candied lemon peel to really make the point!
FOR LEMON CURD
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 large eggs at room temperature
1/4 cup butter at room temperature
-In a small saucepan, combine sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and eggs. Add the butter and cook over medium-low heat, stirring continuously with a whisk, until the first bubble appears on the surface of the mixture and the curd is thick enough to hold marks of the whisk, about 6 - 8 minutes.
-Transfer the hot lemon curd to a bowl or jar and cover the surface with plastic wrap. (or if you don’t like the lemon zest in the curd, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer to get rid of the zest.) Refrigerate until cold. The curd can be made ahead and kept chilled for up to 2 weeks.
-Pour and spread cooled lemon curd over the top of the cheesecake. Place sweetened whip cream in a pastry bag and pipe mounds of cream around the edges of the cheesecake. Garnish with strips of candied lemon peel, if desired.
PERSNICKETY NOTES:
**You can definitely use store prepared lemon curd if you would like to make it simpler. Bonne Maman, MacKay and Dickinsons make excellent lemon curds.
**To make candied lemon peel, hold a lemon on it’s end and with a paring knife peel the rind off the lemon in wide strips, as you cut from top to bottom and rotate the lemon around. Scrape the excess white pith off of the peel but don’t worry about removing all of it. Slice each piece into long thin strips, about an 1/8th of an inch wide. Place 2 cups water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and add the rind strips. Let boil for about 10 minutes then drain well.
Place 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 cup water in the same saucepan then bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the strips and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes until strips are soft and translucent. Remove strips from syrup with a slotted spoon and place on a cooling rack sprayed wth non-stick cooking spray and let cool completely. Use to garnish cakes and pies.
Lemon cheesecake with Berries topping
Lemon and Berries are meant to be together, so go with the lemon but do it one better with a beautiful ring of piped sweetened whipped cream and fresh berries snuggled in among the clouds. Mmmm - pure summer bliss!
Ice and Snow Scape Cheesecake Topping
Here's one to celebrate the snow and ice of winter, in this "Frozen" landscape topping. A touch of blue sprinkles give the suggestion of snow to the swirled cream and the candy shards become jagged bits of ice.
Candy ice Shards
2 cups granulated white sugar
3/4 cups of water
2/3 cups light corn syrup
flavoring oil, if desired
-In a medium saucepan combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water and stir together. Insert a candy thermometer and bring to a boil over medium high heat. (Do not stir once the mixture begins to boil) Turn down to medium heat and allow to cook until the thermometer reaches 300 degrees.
-Once at 300 degrees, remove from heat and transfer immediately to a baking pan (lined with parchment paper). Pour and swirl the candy syrup over the paper-lined pan trying to make it as thin as possible.
-Allow it to sit until hardened (about 2 hours on the counter or 30 min in the freezer).
-Once hardened, lift the pan up and drop straight down to crack the glass. Repeat until you have fragments at a desired size.
To Complete topping:
-Whip 1 cup heavy or whipping cream to soft peaks. Add 1/3 cup of sugar, then continue to beat until peaks stand on their own and hold their shape. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Spread and swirl whipped cream on to the top of the cheesecake. Sprinkle with light blue and silver sprinkles. Place candy shards in a ring around the edge at different angles. Chill until ready to serve.
PERSNICKETY NOTES:
**To make candy shards perfectly clear you may want to use Isomalt crystals instead of sugar. Isomalt is a sugar substitute that is edible, made from beet juice. To get more information on how to work with Isolmalt, watch this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwcNboC3UkI
Salted Caramel Streusel Topping
Talk about "Gilding the Lily"! A streusel topping adorns with autumn flavors and warm cinnamon-y, crunchy oatmeal. Drizzled with salted caramel, it is nothing if not sweetly rich and scrumptious! Vanilla, chocolate, pumpkin, brown sugar and apple cheesecakes, are happy to say "Welcome Aboard"!
PREPARE STREUSEL TOPPING:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
-Melt butter in medium saucepan. Stir in flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt until well mixed. Sprinkle on top of the apple filling in the pie crust. (Chopped nuts such as pecans and walnuts may be added as well.
SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE:
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel salt or kosher salt
-Over medium heat, combine butter, sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, and light Karo syrup in a heavy, non-stick medium-sized pot. Stirring constantly, cook until mixture comes to a boil.
-Continue cooking over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, to just shy of the softball stage, 232 degrees. Remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon vanilla and salt. Let cool to room temperature. Sauce may be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for several weeks. Let come to room temperature before using for this recipe.
To Complete Topping:
Crumble streusel evenly, over the top of the cheesecake. Drizzle with salted caramel sauce.
PERSNICKETY NOTES:
**Store-bought caramel sauces such as Mrs. Richardson or Stonewall Kitchen brands are good substitutes for homemade sauce, if you prefer.
Favorite Cheesecake Recipes
VELVET CHEESECAKE (Mom’s Creamy Cheesecake)
1 lb. cream cheese (2- 8 ounce packages) - at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers or vanilla wafers
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-FOR CRUST-
Place crackers or wafers in a food processor and run on medium, until they are finely crushed. Mix with sugar and melted butter. Press firmly into a 9 or 10-inch spring form pan, covering the bottom and about 1/2 inch up the sides. (The cheesecake will be thinner in the 10-inch pan so use the 9-inch pan if you prefer a thicker cheesecake.) Bake crust for 10 minutes in the oven, then remove and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.
-FOR FILLING-
Beat softened cream cheese and sugar together until smooth in an electric mixer on medium speed, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time and beat about 2 minutes longer on high speed, until incorporated - do not overbeat. Add vanilla and lemon juice and mix well. Stir in sour cream with salt, until smooth.
-Pour batter into the cooled graham cracker crust. Bake 25 minutes or until just barely set. (Wiggle the pan - the center should tremble slightly but not appear runny.) If still runny in the center, bake another 5 minutes then check again, until the center is just barely set.
-Remove from oven and let cool completely. Chill for several hours or overnight.
-Garnish with sweetened whipped cream and serve with raspberry or strawberry puree or cherry pie filling. Serves 8.
Lemon Curd Cheesecake - (A denser cheesecake)
(Alternately, you can make the cheesecake without swirling the lemon curd into the batter before baking and use this as the base for any cheesecake recipe but substitute the lemon juice in the recipe with 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.)
(An alternative way to use the lemon curd is to bake the cheesecake without the lemon curd swirled into the batter and then after the cheesecake is baked and cooled, pour and spread the lemon curd on top of the cheesecake.)
2 1/2 cups crushed biscoff or windmill cookies
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 packages (8 ouches each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup sour cream
FOR LEMON CURD (OR USE STORE-PURCHASED LEMON CURD)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 large eggs at room temperature
1/4 cup butter at room temperature
whipped cream mixed with 1/4 cup lemon curd
1 cup fresh raspberries
-Combine cookie crumbs and butter then press onto the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a lightly greased 9-inch springform pan.
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat on low speed just until combined. Add lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Pour the filling into the prepared crust.
-Smooth the top of the filling and spoon 1 cup of lemon curd in 6 - 8 dollops over the top of the filling. Then with a knife or spatula, swirl the curd into the cheesecake batter, 4 - 5 times. You want to be able to see the swirls in the other batter so do not blend curd completely into the filling.
-Place the pan on a baking sheet and place in oven. Bake for 35 - 45 minutes or until the center is almost set. Give the pan a jiggle - the center should still wiggle but will set up to a soft smooth consistency as the cheesecake cools.
-Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen cake and remove the ring. Allow to cool 1 hour longer. Place in the fridge to chill for several hours or overnight.
-About 1 hour before serving decorate the top of the cheesecake with dollops of lemon whipped cream and fresh raspberries. Keep chilled until ready to serve or let sit out 15 minutes before serving.
FOR THE LEMON CURD:
-In a small saucepan, combine sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and eggs. Add the butter and cook over medium-low heat, stirring continuously with a whisk, until the first bubble appears on the surface of the mixture and the curd is thick enough to hold marks of the whisk, about 6 - 8 minutes.
-Transfer the hot lemon curd to a bowl or jar and cover the surface with plastic wrap. (or if you don’t like the lemon zest in the curd, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer to get rid of the zest.) Refrigerate until cold. The curd can be made ahead and kept chilled for up to a week.
