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National Cheesecake Day - July 30, 2016

National Cheesecake Day is an unofficial holiday which comes annually on July 30th.

The observance, which is part of a surprisingly large tradition of food holidays, has not been officially endorsed by any presidents, and does not have any congressional records to solidify its claim.

No worries. Without official sanction, thousands and maybe millions of people from across the country find good reason to celebrate this decidedly delicious holiday anyway.

And why shouldn't cheesecake have its own holiday? Records of cheesecake date as far back as 770 BC, when the dessert, or something like it at least, was served to Olympic athletes. Today, there are European, Latin American, Asian, and of course, American variations on how the dessert is baked and served.

New York Style or Philadelphia?

TIP: How to keep your cheesecake from cracking. Slow and gentle baking is the secret! Take additional care after baking by turning down the heat to slowly cool your cheesecake in the oven. This is to avoid extreme temperature changes after baking.

In the United States, there are two big contenders for the cheesecake crown, one being New York style cheesecake, which is very heavy and rich and features cream cheese, heavy cream, and many other fattening ingredients.

The other popular cheesecake is Philadelphia style, which is generally considered to be creamier and also lighter than the New York style cheesecake, but certainly does not skimp on the fattening ingredients.

Cheesecake can also be flavored in a huge variety of ways. Chocolate or strawberry remain the popular national favorites followed by (surprise!) pumpkin cheesecake, which is usually enjoyed as a perfect combination of America's favorite winter holiday desserts - pumpkin pie and cheesecake.

How to celebrate National Cheesecake Day

Joining in the fun on National Cheesecake Day is simple. The only requirement is the hearty consumption of cheesecake (do we really need a reason?). Also look for many popular cheesecake chains and restaurants to offer great deals on cheesecake on July 30th in celebration.

While making cheesecake can sometimes be a challenge, there is no reason that the holiday can't be celebrated at home with these easy, delicious cheesecake recipes .

Here's a basic cheescake recipe to get you started... with best wishes for a Happy National Cheesecake Day!

Basic cheesecake recipe

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp. sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
4 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. In a medium bowl, mix graham crumbs, sugar and butter. Press mixture onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.
3. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, slowly mixing until just blended. Pour mixture over crust.
4. Bake 55 minutes or until center is almost set. Let cool in oven, then loosen cheesecake from rim of pan. Cool an additional 3-4 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

also see in Recipes -> Homemade Cheesecake | Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

also see in Cooking -> National Pie Day | Pillsbury Bake Off

More about National Cheesecake Day around the Web:

Happy National Cheesecake Day! - Chow.com celebrates with information on the day including related resources and recipes.

National Cheesecake Day - The Cheesecake Martini - Get mellow with cocktail recipe variations to celebrate the day.