The Story Behind the Cake: A Labor of Love for Kailey & Noah
When Kailey and Noah decided to have a dessert reception, they had one request: a classic baked cheesecake. The only catch? I had never made a baked cheesecake in my life! While it may have been easier to buy the dessert, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Since we love preparing food from scratch on our farm, I headed into the kitchen to figure it out. It took a lot of kitchen experimentation to get it right for them. Because I wanted it to be pure and wholesome, I focused entirely on using the finest ingredients—most of which came right from our own land.
I strained our fermented buttermilk in the refrigerator for 24 hours to craft a smooth homemade cream cheese, and Aiden gathered the fresh pastured eggs from our pasture. I chose to use organic turbinado sugar in the filling since I wasn’t sure if most of our guests would like the taste of honey in the cake itself. For a less processed wedding reception treat, I ground the organic turbinado sugar in our coffee grinder to ensure a perfectly smooth texture. The honey and pastured butter were used to naturally sweeten and combine the graham cracker crust, while additional honey was used for the fruit topping.
To keep the wedding week stress-free, we froze them in advance. We did have a little problem at the reception though—it took much longer in the cold room at the hall for the cakes to thaw enough to cut compared to the time it usually took at home! But once they were ready, they were served chilled at the dessert reception alongside honey-sweetened strawberries and wild blueberries, homemade lemon curd, and chopped pecans.
I was quietly nervous about how my very first cheesecakes would be received, but our guests were incredibly gracious with their kind compliments. It was a humbling reminder that when we offer what we have, rely on prayer, and work alongside the community God provides, He takes care of the rest. We hope this simple recipe brings a little bit of that peace and joy to your family’s table, too.
Our Farm-Style Classic Frozen Cheesecake Recipe
Notes from my kitchen: Bring your cream cheese and eggs close to room temperature before you begin. For the wedding reception, I chose to use turbinado sugar (a less processed sugar) ground up in my coffee grinder to create a powdered texture, though I generally use honey. You can use either! This recipe requires no water bath and stays beautifully even with a wonderful texture.
Prep time: 30 mins | Bake time: 2 hours 15 mins | Oven Temp: 200°F (93°C) | Pan Size: 9×13 inch baking pan
Ingredients:
- For the crust:
- 9.6 oz (about 2 ½ cups) graham crackers, blended into crumbs
- 2 oz (¼ cup) pastured butter (salted or unsalted), melted and completely cooled
- 2.5 oz (¼ cup) raw honey
- For the filling:
- 24 oz homemade or organic cream cheese (made from fermented buttermilk, strained in the refrigerator for 24 hours)
- Turbinado sugar (ground fine in a coffee grinder) or raw honey, to taste
- 5 large fresh pastured eggs (room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons homemade vanilla extract
- For the Strawberry Topping (Optional):
- 25 oz frozen strawberries
- 3.5 oz raw honey
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder mixed with 1 tablespoon water (whisked together)
- Note: If substituting blueberries, use 2 tablespoons of arrowroot powder with 2 tablespoons of water instead.
- Other Reception Toppings: Homemade lemon curd, crisp chopped pecans.
Instructions:
- Make the crust: Melt your 2 oz of pastured butter and let it cool completely. Once cooled, combine the 9.6 oz of graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 2.5 oz of honey together. Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking pan.
- Make the filling smooth: Place your 24 oz of room-temperature, refrigerator-strained buttermilk cream cheese into a large bowl. Use a stick blender to blend it until it is perfectly smooth.
- Mix the base: Add your ground turbinado sugar or honey to the smooth cream cheese and mix slightly until combined.
- Add the pastured eggs one at a time: This step is incredibly important! Add your room-temperature pastured eggs one at a time. Mix thoroughly after each egg, making sure the first is completely incorporated before adding the next.
- Finish the filling: Gently mix in the 2 teaspoons of homemade vanilla extract, blending just until it is fully incorporated. Pour the filling over your prepared crust.
- Bake low and slow: Preheat your oven to 200°F (93°C). Place the cheesecake inside and bake for 2 hours and 15 minutes. (If checking with a thermometer, you are looking for an internal temperature of 150°F, though I just let the time guide me and it turned out beautifully!).
- Cool gradually: When the baking time is up, shut the oven off completely. Do not open the oven door. Leave the cheesecake inside the warm, closed oven for exactly 1 hour.
- Chill and freeze: Transfer the pan to the counter and let it sit for a bit to get closer to room temperature. Move it to the refrigerator for a couple of hours to set, then transfer it to the freezer.
- Prepare the fruit topping: While the cheesecake sets, heat 25 oz of frozen strawberries on medium heat with 3.5 oz of honey. Once the berries are slightly melted, pour in your whisked arrowroot and water mixture. Stir constantly until the fruit thickens beautifully. Let cool.
- To serve: Slice the cheesecake while slightly frozen and serve immediately, letting guests top their slices with the warm fruit, homemade lemon curd, and chopped pecans!