Cheesecake of the Year Winner Christina O'Brien and a Canadian Living Giveaway!
Her Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake with Pumpkin Seed Brittle and Cinnamon Nutmeg Cream won the Cheesecake of the Year contest. Now get to know the woman behind the winning recipe, and how she felt when she found out the big news!
When I baked my first cheesecake: I can't recall how old I was exactly, but I do remember the first time I baked a cheesecake. Growing up, my grandfather would always bake a classic New York–style cheesecake with cherry topping; we always looked forward to visiting and getting a big slice of that delicious cheesecake. Sometime when I was around 10, he thought I was ready to carry on the tradition and we baked that classic cheesecake together.
Number of winning cheesecake: 8633rd -- because that's how many cheesecakes I've gone through to get to this winning recipe. ;)
Why baking is a passion of mine: I love how much of a science it is. It's very exciting waiting on bated breath to see if your cake rises properly or if your crême brulée sets just so. I always bring dessert to any occasion I am invited to and I love experimenting with new flavour combinations any chance I get.
Why I like photography: As a mother with two young sons, I wanted to capture their growth as much as possible. I got my first DSLR camera when my son was around 6 months old and have been trying to improve my photography skills ever since. One of my dream jobs would to be a food stylist, so if I have an excuse to pretend that I am, I get really into it!
The story behind my cheesecake: When I saw the Real Women of Philadelphia contest, I asked my family to name their favourite cheesecake I had ever made; every one of them said my pumpkin cheesecake. It's a recipe I've been playing with for many years to get it just right. But I knew a plain ol' pumpkin cheesecake wasn't good enough to win a grand prize, even if my family loved it.
Fall is my favourite season. Every year I anxiously await the return of a popular coffee shop's Pumpkin Spiced Latte. Advertisements had just started for these delicious lattes when I was brainstorming ideas for my contest entry. It made perfect sense to me -- Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake. I really wanted to have a few additional flavours and textures to help my entry stand out.
Anyone who knows me knows I love my whipped cream. I thought a simple cinnamon and nutmeg cream would be perfect to bring out the spice in the cheesecake. I sat back and thought, well, it just isn't decadent enough... it needs more sugar! In comes the brittle to save the day. The brittle was a great addition and I took the idea from a cheesecake I had made years ago that included pistachio brittle. I tried a couple of different techniques before I settled on the brittle recipe included in my entry. I have to admit, most of the pieces of brittle didn't make it anywhere near the cheesecake; they were just too tasty on their own.
Three words to describe how my cheesecake tastes: Warm, cozy autumn.
Who my taste testers were: My family was the first to test out the cheesecakes. I brought an entire cheesecake to work (it was barely enough for the 20+ staff I work with) and gave my cousin some to bring back to his roommates at university. As far as I know, it was well received all around!
What you can expect from me next: I am a sucker for baking, so probably a dessert recipe. My husband has an immense sweet tooth, which helps in two ways: It inspires me to bake/experiment more and it prevents me from gaining weight because he eats most of what I make. It's really the perfect marriage.
For today’s giveaway, we want to know your cheesecake story. (Thanks to member Lily Erlic for inspiring today’s question with her cheesecake Forum topic!)
What was your most memorable cheesecake?
Whether you made it yourself, or sampled someone else’s, everyone has a cheesecake story! Answer the question in the comments section below by 6 pm ET today and 2 of you will be randomly selected to win a one (1) year subscription each to Canadian Living Magazine!*
*Some restrictions apply. Click HERE for Official Rules for today’s Canadian Living Magazine giveaway!
This giveaway is now closed. We will randomly select 2 of you and send you a Private Message by tomorrow at noon. We'll report back soon and let you all know who won!
UPDATE: Congratulations to the winners of this giveaway, Kelly Kleinjan and marysawyer!
60 comments
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This is definitely my # 1 cheesecake, I've made it so many times, taken it to parties, etc. its always a hit. you can't go wrong. Thanks for sharing your recipe. -
Hi Christina!
I must tell you that I made your recipe for Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake for New Years and it is absolutely decadent!! The flavours complimented each other so well!!! This recipe is certainly a keeper and will be placed in my baking binder for sure so I may entice friends to try it too.
Thank you for sharing and again, congrats on the win!!! :) -
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Toutes mes plus sincères félicitations pour votre Grand Prix !
Je vais essayer votre recette très prochainement mais je suis certaine qu'il sera vraiment délicieux ! <3 <3 <3 -
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Your cheesecake looks absolutely delicious,looking forward to trying your recipe.Congrats on your win.
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And a congratulations to the winners of the Canadian Living giveaway, Kelly Kleinjan and marysawyer! -
Congratulations, Christina! You must have worked very hard, everyone did, I*m sure. But that cheesecake deserves the honour of winner. It will grace our Thanksgiving table.
Many thanks for all your effort!
And Garam Masala Chai ... hmmm that might be next on the list to try!
Best
Kate -
Well, I've only eaten cheesecake a few times, and most of them have been from parties or other events. My most memorable cheesecake moment, however, was definitely from making my Garam Masala Chai cheesecake for the Philly Cheesecake contest :) . I was incredibly anxious to see if my cheesecake would turn out well, since I had only made cheesecake once before (my first? Philly's Dulce de Leche cheesecake!). My family wasn't a particular fan of cheesecake, but I wanted to convince them that by using some Indian flavours, a cheesecake could suit their taste buds. I'm now happy to say that one uncle (who teasingly complained that all I made for everyone was desserts with chocolate) was more fond of cheesecake after he tasted mine :) . Thank you, Philly, for the opportunity and for inspiring me! <3 -
Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments! All of your descriptions really made me feel as if I'd been right there with you. And, surprise, now I want some cheesecake ;) The giveaway is now closed. We will randomly select 2 of you and send you a Private Message by tomorrow at noon. And we'll report back soon and let you all know who won!
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My best cheesecake story is as a child sitting waiting while the cheesecake cooled out of the oven...it seemed to take forever! The first bite was so amazing and than right to the last crumb. It was always worth the wait, thanks dad!!! miss you.
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I have loved cheesecake ever since my Grandma used to make it, but I was so amazed when in at my cousin's wedding they served 20 different cheesecakes at the reception! I was impressed I never imagined there could be such variety (I was 14 years old) I did not bake my first cheese cake for a few years after that but over the years I have been delighted to try many different variations. -
I didn't try cheesecake until I was in college .... and that was with friends when we went to a restaurant and had cheesecake for dessert. It was the classic New York–style cheesecake with cherry topping and it was delicious! Ever since that day, I love cheesecake and look forward to eating it whenever possible!
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My Cheesecake memory is helping my mom make cheesecakes for my sisters wedding. There were over 500 guests so you can imagine how many we had to make. They turned out well and home grown strawberries from the garden topped each slice. We did all the food for the wedding and it was a big hit with the guests. It made all the hard work really worth it to see my little sister so happy on her special day.
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My best cheesecake was the Blackberry Cheesecake I made for this contest. Everyone in the family said they didn't like cheesecake but I wanted to make one so we went out and picked only the most perfect plump juicy blackberries. After the cheesecake was finished and I served it a a family BBQ everyone raved and wanted seconds! They are constantly asking me to make it again now. I really enjoyed the contest and looking at all the incredibly creative entries and I hope you put it on again! -
My best cheesecake I ever made was a pumpkin cheesecake! Irony!! Ha ha ha....anywho. Guess what! I do not like pumpkin. It was Thanksgiving and everybody I know LOVES pumpkin pie. So I decided to do a twist and make a cheesecake instead. It was a huge hit, but unfortunately I do not get to enjoy the flavours myself. So it was bittersweet for me, but my in-laws loved me forever after that. :) -
Haven't made cheesecake in a while, mostly make the no bake kind with standard fruit topping. Recently, my mother gave my son a plain new york style cheesecake on his birthday. He absolutely loves cheesecake, so I am being inspired to make one soon. Possibly cookies and cream style, vanilla bean, or maybe pumpkin like the winner of the contest. Endless possibilities with sweet results ;o)
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mmm. Unfortunately this topic doesn't not allow me to choose just one cheesecake - so I'll do brief descriptions of my top 2.
1) Dad's Pumpkin Cheesecake with buttery, Oreo cookie crust. Enough said. He makes it for Thanksgiving every year.
2) Red Velvet Cheesecake. Smooth, creamy, red velvety goodness *drools*.
*runs off to grocery store* -
I made a skor cheesecake a few years back. It was the first one I ever made that did not crack down the center. I will always remember it because my family LOVED it! They still keep asking me to make it again!
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The best cheesecake I had was the one I had at the Cheesecake Factory in Atlantic City New Jersey. It was called tiramisu cheesecake it was to die for.enjoyed with my family and friends what a great time.
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My most memorable cheesecake is any one that I share with my 3 best girlfriends as usually it's at the end of a fabulous evening!
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