The second part of Cam’s Birthday meal request was a cheese cake. This is the third annual cheese cake I have baked him for his Birthday (which is the only times I ever make cheese cakes). Cheese cakes can be a little tricky (to have set, but not over brown or heaven forbid crack!) and I think it can take practice, a good recipe, and to know the oven well. It also helps to have seen someone make one before. I was very lucky to watch and learn and then make cheese cakes for my friend and chef Colette Nelson of Ludvigs in Sitka Alaska. This is not Colette’s recipe, you will have to go to Alaska for that, but this is a good traditional baked cheese cake recipe. It makes for a lovely grown-up Birthday cake. I like to top Cam’s cheesecake cake off with a chocolate ganche. The Girls helped lick the spoons and put the candles on….Maya took special note of the quantity of candles on Cam’s cake having just blown out four candles of her own and said “Daddy, look how old you are!”

Recipe to follow….