Someone, somewhere, at some point decided that we needed a super sweet holiday dedicated to cheesecake and that the holiday — National Cheesecake Day — should fall on July 30th. Of course, be it that I’m always one to observe meaningful holidays, particularly ones that involve great desserts, I am adding this one to my personal list of favorites.

As an Italian, part Neapolitan and part German actually, I grew up with two types of cheesecake: the Käsekuchen and the Pastiera (traditionally made for Easter, but also at Christmas in some Neapolitan homes). Each uses different flavors and types of cheese, and both are a little labor intensive but not too difficult to make.

Of course, because I am an equal opportunity dessert eater, I love good ol’ cheesecake made right here in the USA too and I don’t care if it’s plain, chocolate or with strawberries on top!

So, this Saturday, walk over to your favorite cake shop and get yourself a slice of cheesecake. I’ll be at Veniero‘s drooling over my personal slice of heaven — the Italian ricotta Cheesecake.

Top image courtesy of Veniero’s Pastry

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 27th, 2011 at 1:37 pm and is filed under Food.