Seldom are cheesecakes made into gifts but those who know will tell you that they make an ideal one. When choosing the ‘perfect gift’, there are guidelines to follow. A gift should be chosen to specifically suit the recipients taste and desire. If you do not know the recipient well enough, you should pick a gift that is of general-type which will not offend or upset anyone. You should also make sure that the gift fits and the possibility of the recipient not liking the gift there it will be passed on to someone else.

Very few people dislike cheesecake. Think about it do you even know of anyone who doesn't like cheesecake and wouldn't consider it the perfect gift? A main criteria for gift-giving occasions is that the gift should be one that is adored and can be shared with others, and this it what makes cheesecake the perfect gift. Even if the recipient is on a low fat, no fat, no sugar or no carbohydrate diet, cheesecakes are the perfect gift because it can be made to suit almost any diet plan by carefully choosing the ingredients. In today's modern culinary world there is almost no limit to the availability and variety of ingredients that go into a cheesecake even to the extent of sugar free cheesecakes.

What more can you ask for when you see how happy the gift recipient is when they receive a freshly made cheesecake. To personalize the cake you can add a few different toppings such as a variety of fruit toppings and sweet toppings to adorn the cheesecake and you would have created the perfect cheesecake gift. The varieties of cheesecakes available nowadays are staggering, from the original New York cheesecake, which is probably the most well known of all the varieties to Japanese cheesecake and Key Lime cheesecake.

Those who has some time to spare can try making their own cheesecake for a gift. Included here is the award winning recipe of Key lime cheesecake, a special cheesecake which is graham-cracker and sour-cream cheesecake with creamy filling topped with thick layer of sour cream and tart Key Lime custard. The recipe maybe seems a bit complicated but the end result will worth the effort.

The recipe makes 10-12 servings. Begin by gathering all the ingredients for the different components of the cake as listed below.

Lime custard
6 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons fresh Key lime juice or regular lime juice
1 teaspoon grated Key lime peel or regular lime peel

Crust
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 12 whole graham crackers)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Filling
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons fresh Key lime juice or regular lime juice
1 tablespoon grated Key lime peel or regular lime peel
1 16-ounce container sour cream
Thin lime slices

When you have all the ingredients ready, you can start preparing each part of the cake by following the instructions that follows.

For lime custard:
Combine all ingredients and beat them together in a heavy small saucepan over medium setting on the stove until the custard starts to thicken. Leave it to boil for 30 seconds. This may take about 8 minutes. Leave it to cool to room temperature and occasionally stir the mixture as it thickens.

For crust:
Warm up the oven to 350°F. Use 3 layers of foil to wrap around outside of 8- to 8 1/2-inch-diameter cake pan with 3-inch-high sides. Butter the pan using pure butter. Stir in the first 3 ingredients to blend in medium bowl. Mix in butter until moistened. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides of prepared pan. Bake the ingredients just long enough for them to set, this takes about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Maintain oven temperature.

For filling:
Put the cream cheese, 2/3 cup sugar, eggs, lime juice, and lime peel in a blender of food processor and blend until smooth.

Custard is then spread on to the crust and even out the top. Next is the filling and make sure it is spooned carefully. Hot water is added to the baking tin until it reaches about 1 inch of the sides of the pan. It should be baked until almost set. However, it should not be puffed and if the pan is shaken gently, the centre should move slightly. His would take approximately around 45 minutes.

In the mean time, stir sour cream and the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl to blend.

Now the final few touches. First carefully spoon sour cream mixture over hot cheesecake; then gently smooth top. Bake until topping sets, which is in about 10 minutes. Cool for another 10minutes.Use a knife to poke around sides of pan to loosen the cake. Cool cheesecake completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight. This cake can be made 2 days ahead but must be kept refrigerated. Release pan sides from cheesecake; transfer to platter. Finally garnish with lime slices and serve.

By: Greg Scott

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Greg Scott has the tough job of tasting and writing about cheesecake for an online cheesecake store. His latest tasting assignment was for gourmet key lime cheesecake.