Heavenly Cake Bakers: Blizzard Cranberry Crown

Photo by Matt Korahais.

Can you guess what a girl like me does in a post-Christmas blizzard? If you guessed 'bakes herself silly,' you'd be on the right track. The last few days have been a lot of wind, a lot of snow, and a lot of time in the kitchen (and on the couch). Among the things baked was the Cranberry Crown Cheesecake, above. I get a lot of pleasure out of making ladyfingers, and the ones above were no exception, but I am not sure I'm on board with using them to line a cheesecake--it feels like the bottom ones always get awfully soggy.

Here's where I confess: this isn't Rose's Cranberry Crown cheesecake at all, it just looks like it. Blizzard ingredient imperatives forced me to make several substitutions, so while the ladyfingers are as advertised, and the cranberry crown is intact, the cheesecake itself, meant to be composed of cream cheese and sour cream, is actually made of ricotta and buttermilk. Although this made for a wetter mixture (probably a factor in the sogginess of the bottom), the result tasted good. Some of the bottom ladyfingers did float up, giving it an odd 'pond filled with floating logs' appearance, but we're just calling that a creative take on the buche de Noel. I only made a six-inch cake (1/3 of the recipe) but there's plenty left, as Matt and I are over sweets and craving savory. Anyone want some?