Looking for a delicious dessert to make for a special occasion? Well look no further because this Decorated Daisy Cheesecake is the dessert to make! This bright and colorful cheesecake will have everyone impressed by your cooking skills.
I am in love with this Decorated Daisy Cheesecake. Not only is it made with a tweaked version of my absolute favorite cheesecake recipe from Tyler Florence, but it also is made using a clever decorating technique.
I colored some of the cheesecake batter and piped a pretty daisy with a smiley face center onto a plain cheesecake before baking it.Everyone who saw this cheesecake in person was amazed and asked how I got the design on top.
It always makes me feel proud when I create something unique that people really respond to positively.
Now, I’ve seen colorful swirled cheesecakes and polka dot cheesecakes done before and have personally created hand-painted cheesecakes for Hungry Happenings, but this technique of adding a colorful image to the top of a cheesecake is, as far as I’m aware, unique.
I strive to create really unusual edible crafts, which is getting harder and harder to do now that making artistic food has become so popular with bloggers. I hope that my readers are excited by my projects and recreate them at home.Why else would I share such detailed step-by-step tutorials?
I love to see pictures from my readers of what they made using my ideas and I joyfully share their pictures in my Readers’ Gallery.
Inspiring people to get creative in the kitchen is why I chose blogging as a career.
Yes, I said career. I’ve been an entrepreneur most of my life and I’m always looking for opportunities to make money doing what I love. I don’t blog just for the fun of it. I know some people do, but for me this is work.Depending on the time of the year I spend 40-70 hours a week creating unique edible crafts for Hungry Happenings, Tablespoon.com, Wilton, and Kids Activities Blogs, in addition to taking pictures, editing them, writing posts, responding to comments, answering e-mails, learning html coding, updating the look of my blog, and promoting my projects through social media and food aggregate sites.
This isn’t a hobby for me. I’m doing all of this work to make a living.
If you aren’t a blogger you may not realize that I make money when people visit my blog and see or click on the ads on my page or when people buy products using the affiliate links at the bottom of my posts.
So what happens when people start finding my tutorials all over the internet on other blogs and websites and they no longer have a reason to visit my blog? I lose income for work that I created.
In the last year the number of people who have stolen my work and posted entire tutorials on their websites has exploded.
Many bloggers recreate my projects and give me proper credit, which I totally appreciate, but others take complete credit for the idea and show their version of my tutorial with almost identical step-by-step images.
Someone even published a cookbook with several of my tutorials.
Another person has stolen my identity on Instagram. I haven’t even dealt with that yet.
This Valentine’s Day the most popular foodie on You Tube showed her million plus fans how to make my Conversation Heart Cheesecakes and said “I got this idea from the Internet.”
Another blogger made the same cheesecakes for the television show, Home & Family on the Hallmark Channel, once again with a mention of the internet, not me.
That project, which alone has brought over 400,000 people to my blog, was now everywhere. No one needed to come to Hungry Happenings to see the tutorial anymore.
I began to feel used.Why wasn’t I on that television show sharing my project with the audience? Why didn’t they mention me or Hungry Happenings when they shared my project with their viewers? Is Hungry Happenings that much harder to say than “the internet?”
I know we as bloggers, cooks, bakers, and artists are all inspired by each other. We build on what’s already been done.
I work as a freelance recipe developer and am given assignments and asked to recreate edible crafts using the sponsor’s product. When I do this, I either give full credit to the content originator, if I know who that is, or I try to add a really unique twist to the project so that I can call it my own.
Recently I was asked to make Stiletto Cupcakes for Tablespoon.com. I’m pretty sure just about everyone who reads this blog has seen these done before by lots of different bloggers.
I challenged myself to make my high heel shoe cupcakes different than any other by making them 100% edible. The soles of the shoes are made out of candy melts not paper wrappers.
So, yes, I have on occasion, recreated something that was not my original idea. I have also been influenced by the work of other’s, but I have never made an exact replica of someone else’s work and taken full credit for it.
Up until recently, blogging was an incredible joy. I really do love what I get to do every day. I am excited to get out of bed each morning and get into my kitchen. If I didn’t love it so much, I would have given up months ago.
In order to supplement the loss of income due to the decline in my traffic recently, I have begun to do more sponsored posts. Several people have accused me of selling out, and I’m sorry they see it that way. I see it as a way to help pay for the expenses I incur to make the projects that my reader has access to for free and as another source of income and I plan to continue to write them.
If you’ve actually read all of this, thank you for listening. I try to keep the mood here on Hungry Happenings positive and fun, but really felt the need to share my true feelings.
With every job there is the good, the bad, and the ugly. When this blogging world becomes too ugly, I will bow out, but for now my enthusiasm for making fun food is tremendous so I will continue to share my passion with the world.
My ideas continue to flow and this blog is the main outlet for that creativity. Speaking of which, I made a cheesecake for you today, so let’s get on to the recipe.
Decorated Daisy Cheesecake (serves 8)
recipe adapted from Tyler Florence’s Ultimate Cheesecake recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (15 squares)
pinch of cinnamon
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted
24 ounces (3 blocks) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste
food coloring – pink, yellow, black
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Supplies:9 inch springform pan or PushPan*
roasting pan or round pan that is large enough to hold the springform pan
*For years I’ve baked my cheesecakes in springform pans in a water bath. I always line my springform pan with a few layers of tin foil, but the water always seems to leak in to the cheesecake.
I just discovered the PushPan by Kuhn Rikon. The outer ring does not clip opened and closed, instead the bottom plate pushes in and out of the ring. It has a silicone gasket around the bottom which not only holds it in place, but miraculously keeps the water out. Another great feature it the plate is flat, no lip means its easier to remove the cheesecake.
I will never use another pan to bake a cheesecake in a water bath ever again.
Just so you know this is not a sponsored post. I just have fallen in love with this pan and wanted you to know about it.
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, and melted butter, stirring until it looks like sand. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until fragrant and the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool completely.
You will need a water bath to bake your cheesecake.
You can either bring a large pot of water to a boil and pour it in the pan after you add the cheesecake, or you can fill your pan now with enough hot water so that it will come 1/2 way up the sides of your springform pan. Place that in the hot oven until ready to bake the cheesecake.
I like using a roasting pan with a flat rack inside. When the cheesecake has been baked, I can lift the entire rack out of the pan.
Beat 3 block of cream cheese on medium speed until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl and the beater as needed. You really need to make sure there are no lumps in the cheesecake and now is the time to get rid of them.
Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat until creamy. Add sour cream and vanilla and beat until combined.
Pour 1/4 cup of the cheesecake batter into a small bowl and color it pink. Color 2 tablespoons of batter yellow. Pour 3 tablespoons batter into a bowl, stir in the cocoa powder and some black food coloring until you get a deep dark color.
If you prefer to use natural colors, you can add about a tablespoon of raspberry puree for the pink, a 1/2 to 1 egg yolk for the yellow, and just use cocoa powder to make the dark brown. The colors wont be as vibrant, but they will be pretty, none the less.
Pour the plain cheesecake batter into the PushPan or a springform pan.
Pour the colored cheesecake batter into squeeze bottles or zip top bags.
Pipe the outline of the daisy using the dark batter.
I colored way too much batter (I’ve adjusted the amounts for you.) I didn’t want to waste it, so I kept piping over the design. That is why my cut cheesecake slices show the design so far down into the cake.
Pipe the yellow batter into the center circle and add the pink into the petals.
Pipe on a smiley face.
Carefully carry your cheesecake to the oven and set it in your roasting pan. If needed, fill roasting pan with boiling water being careful to not spill any water into your cheesecake.
Bake your cheesecake in a water bath for 45-50 minutes.
The top will still jiggle, but look shiny and set.
Remove from water bath, set on a cooling rack and cool at room temperature for an hour.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Remove from pan and serve.
Whew, that was a very long post, wasn’t it?
Items used to create this project that are available on Amazon.com (commission earned for sales)
More Cheesecakes
from Hungry Happenings
Naturally Colored Conversation Heart Cheesecakes
Cheesecake Leaves and Pumpkins
Black and White Cheesecake Clock
Red, White and Blue No-bake Cheesecakes
Your mom deserves the world and she has earned lots and lots of treats. So check out some more Mother’s Day Recipes and let her relax in a pool of desserts.
I hope you NEVER EVER EVER quit blogging, you are so sweet and generous with all you do, not to mention the CREATIVITY that comes with every blog post. You are such a talent, the blogging world is lucky to have you!
Speaking of creativity, this cheesecake is sweeeeet…I love how the colors stayed so vibrant, I can just imagine all the ways to decorate cheesecakes now, what fun!
Thanks, Kim. I am so grateful to have found friends like you in the blogging world! It is another thing that keeps me going.
I love your blog and appreciate all of the hard work you put in to make unique desserts. The instant I learned of your blog I was hooked. I hope there is a great change in the way people use others ideas, it is so sad that they have no consideration for how this effects you and your income stream. Keep up the great work and know that there are many of us rooting for you!
Thank you so much for following Hungry Happenings. I'm so happy to have you here!
This is so adorable. Thanks for the tutorial! The possibilities are endless!
Thanks, I think so too. I already have a few more design ideas in my head.
I am so sorry that this is happening to you. I appreciate all you do and LOVE your creations! I know I have used quite a few and always get raves about them. I also tell everyone just where I got them too. Giving someone credit for a job well done is not that hard. It doesn't take away from the fact that you may have been able to recreate something exactly or was creative enough to incorporate them into your own party ideas. Shame on those that do! Love this cheesecake! Of course I love anything cheesecake though! I am going to have to do this AND give you your due credit!
I really am so happy to know that you have made my projects and have gotten rave reviews. That is always so nice ot hear. Thanks for letting people know who inspired you too, I really do appreciate it.
I could eat cheesecake every day. I love it and always find it so much fun to jazz it up a bit. I'd love to see what you do with this idea. Be sure to send me some pictures so I can share them in my reader's gallery.
oh Beth, i read your whole post as always, because YOU are the one who inspired me to push myself when it comes to creating unique food. as soon as i see you in my inbox, i immediately click on it because i am truly "hungry for your happenings" as cheesecakey as that sounds-lol! people can steal away at your ideas and never give you credit just like everyone but they can NEVER steal away your heart. and your heart shines each and every time you create. it's so apparent the love you have in your creations it literally bursts out of the screen. i mean look at this cheesecake! it's nothing less than PERFECT! and c'mon that daisy smile? seriously? i seriously heart you. <3
so never ever give up that love because even if every single one of your ideas are stolen, know that each and everyone of us that visits adores YOU and not the thieves.
it is an ugly world but you make it more beautiful.
I am so happy to hear that you have been inspired by me to create fun food. You are wildly talented and so much fun. I'm sure we would have a blast in the kitchen together. I'm happy that you are following along as I continue this blogging journey.
My creative ideas keep coming, so I'll keep posting. I really do love making food fun. It is such a joyful experience to see a cheesecake smiling up at you as you take pictures.
I sure hope you never quit too! I have you as a favorites on my computer because I often click on you site to see "what neat things Beth has been up to!"
When I first stumbled onto your site, one of the things I noticed (and loved) was that you could tell that many of the creations were genuine and your own. I think its also why I keep coming back too.
As for being accused of selling out…..that's just so rude! Especially from a free site! The truth is that selling ad space or being sponsored for products is such a common thing now, and quite frankly its just unreasonable not to expect people to at least make some money for ALL of the work that they do (especially when others are making even more money by copying your ideas!). Besides, I really LIKE it when you link the tools that you use in your tutorials. Coming from a country where some of the items aren't easy to find in stores, I like being able to easily find them online.
For many of us silent "lurkers", even if we don't say it enough, we do appreciate all the work you put into your site. I would be sad to see you go!
It's so nice to hear that you have Hungry Happenings as one of your favorites. That makes me very happy.
It's refreshing to hear that you as a reader understand the need for me to make money and in doing so have sponsored posts, affiliate links, and ads on my site. I love when bloggers have links to the products they use too. It saves me time having to find the products on my own. I've used affiliate links many times to purchase products to make a recipe. I'm glad it is helpful to you too.
I'll keep sharing new creations as long as I have wonderful readers like you. Thanks for your kind words:)
First – you are not allowed to quit blogging. EVER. Because I will find you and we'll bake together until you agree otherwise (yes, that's a threat!) Second – don't let other's steal your joy! YOU are creating fabulous works of edible art and no matter what those who matter will know! I know it's not fun to deal with internet theft it really can suck the life out of you – I often wonder why I spend my entire week creating things for the "internet". Sigh no fun! Then there's that cheesecake! Holy moly girl that's AWESOME! I've been wanting to play around with decorated cheesecake for awhile now and you have given me the push to try it! But don't worry…if I succeed credit will be given! Love you girl, keep on keeping on!
Thanks so much, Toni. I would love to spend time having fun in the kitchen with you too. We are kindred spirits, that's for sure. I had a pretty rough time emotionally dealing with this over the winter. The gloomy weather did not help my mood, but the joy that I feel when I make something fun, got me through it. To see my traffic numbers and income take a nose dive was hard, but I'm finding ways to compensate so I don't worry about it so much now. I'm heading back into the kitchen today to do something new, which makes my day:)
Thank you for the blog. I think a lot of people are unware of what sharing a recipe without giving proper acknowledgment can affect a blogger. So this blog was very informative. I hope you can sue the book thief.
Love this cheesecake. My crust never gets that even across the top unless I double recipes. I must be spreading it too thick?
I do think that many bloggers are unaware of proper form when it comes to crediting bloggers. Some who are aware, just dodge the issue anyway and that is what is really bothersome. I've left comments for bloggers who've posted by entire tutorial including pictures and they just delete the comments. I was able to get the book removed from Amazon. So that was a great victory!!!
As far as the crust goes, I usually only do a bottom crust, but decided to go up the sides of this cake and I love how it looks and tastes. I did press the crust into the pan well, and thought I ended up with way too much on the top and feared it would break off, but it didn't. It stayed in place nicely and looked really pretty.
First of all you should never ever quit blogging, you're are an amazing person and so talented! I always enjoy reading your posts and checking out your blog just to see what you've been up to. Seriously, your creations are amazing! I hate when people don't give proper credit although I'm not sure if giving credit and taking the full recipe and pictures would be any better since as you said people won't have a reason to come to your blog anymore. I had this happen to me as well and although I'm not making a living out of my blog this is still annoying. I'm glad you got the book removed from Amazon at least !
Now back to this cheesecake, I love it <3! It's so pretty and seems easy to make! Keep up the good work and your awesome ideas coming! Looking forward to the next post :)!
Thanks, Roxy. I know most bloggers have this happen to them at some point and it is just so frustrating. When I found the book, which was totally by coincidence, I was stunned. I couldn't believe anyone could have the nerve to use stolen material. I contacted Amazon and was so happy to see how swiftly they took care of the problem.
I'm glad you like the cheesecake, and yes it was pretty easy to make. I wish I could draw better, then I could create really amazing designs, but a daisy will have to do!
ugh. That is so ugly that those people did that to you. I enjoy your work very much. Please keep it up.
Thanks, Missy, I really appreciate your support.
I am really glad you wrote this post. It is important for people to hear and to know the damage that can be done with "crediting" something as being 'from the Internet.' It blows my mind how many otherwise ethical people I know who think nothing of stealing someone's ideas or not properly crediting sources. I know a lot of it is ignorance, but I've done my best to educate acquaintances who've then told me that it's no big deal. Sigh. Well, it might not be a big deal to you as the thief, but it's a big deal to the person you're stealing from!
I'm happy you feel it was good for me to write this post. It's been on my mind for a few months now, and I finally decided it was time to share it. I couldn't write it any sooner as I was really bummed. My enthusiasm came back recently, so I felt I could tell my story. It can be so frustrating to ask a blogger who has recreated one of my projects and shared almost my exact tutorial, to share with their readers where their idea came from, only to have them delete my comment, write a rude e-mail back, or just completely ignore me. I finally had to just let it go. I can't spend my time policing the internet. I know now that it is going to happen, but I do hope that it stops happening so often.
Thank you so much for you support:)
That flower cheesecake looks cute!! 🙂 I understand the whole thing about not wanting to continue your passion especially when the joy is being sucked out, but personally for me, I want to know the original person that creates the final dessert piece. Haha, so I can check out their blog and see how their mind works.
Keep doing what you're doing.
Thanks Linda. I too like to see what makes a blogger tick. I love when I see a picture and I know exactly who made it because their style is apparent. Even when I pin, I try to find the original blog post. I think it's important. I appreciate you commenting and sharing your thoughts:)
Beth, I hope you never stop blogging because you inspire people including myself.I am one of the lucky ones that gets to see your creations up close. I love your creativity. Thanks for all you do.
Thanks Jessie. I have to say that having you and the crew get excited by my creations makes my day, plus you clean my kitchen, that really makes my day!!!!
Beth, you are one of the most brilliant and creative food bloggers I follow. So sorry you, like many of us have to deal with this 🙁 Glad you decided to continue blogging, as you are such an inspiration to us all!
Lindsay @ Lindsay Ann Bakes
That's so nice to hear, Lindsay. I really am so touched by the outpouring of support.
Oh Beth!! I'm so sorry that some people absolute douchbags. I love your blog and check several times a day to see when you will post something new! I've been reading it since forever but only recently started commenting. But let me tell you: your work inspires me! I don't think I would have ever truly found my love for baking if it weren't for this blog. I'm saying this from my heart. Stay strong Beth!! If it helps, know that I'm always here supporting you!
Hi Natalie, I'm so happy to hear that you are excited to see when I post something new. It's so nice to know that people are actually looking forward to what I create next. That is really what compels me to keep blogging.
I am even more thrilled to know that I have inspired you to bake:) I know how important those who have inspired me in my career are to me, and I'm happy to be that for you:)
Thank you very much for sharing your time and talent!
You are welcome and thank for your support:)
Love it. It is so cheery. I would never have thought of doing anything like that with my cheesecakes. Thanks for the inspiration.
Beth..I'm so glad you did not decide to bow out..and I hope you never do! Your food crafts are amazing and while I have experienced many stealing my blog photos and cropping my name out of the picture, as far as I know no one has hijacked my posts. I have often thought of how much time you must spend on your unique and incredibly creative edible crafts. It is absolutely shameful and inexcusable for others not to credit you for all your hard work. Maybe this post will be read by the right people and some things could change for the better. I sure hope so…because we Need Hungry Happenings.
Your cheesecake art is awesome..so many cool possibilities! I love this sweet and cheery daisy dessert. :o)
Thanks, Karen. It was amazing to me that the person who wrote the book didn't even bother to take the watermarks out of my pictures, but on websites I see that all the time. I hate to put my watermarks across the food in my image, as it's distracting, but sometimes I feel like I should, so they have to work harder to remove it. My recipes end up on recipe sites like All Recipes often which when I find I can get them removed, but at this point there are just too many of them out there. It's very frustrating. I hate that it is happening to bloggers every day.
I'm glad you like the cheesecake. I am excited to make another one soon.
beth – another WONDERFUL creative idea – LOVE the cheesecake, it's so fun!
I am saddened to learn what is happening with your ideas and tutorials. you have been such an inspiration and your ideas are SO unique and original. I consider it such a treat that we have access to not only your amazing creations, but the thorough tutorials you provide, FOR FREE!! it's a shame people's selfishness and greed may make that all go away.
please know there are SO MANY of us out here that you have inspired and pushed to try new things because of your terrific creations. I have turned many people on to your blog and ALWAYS credit you when I attempt one of your methods.
THANK YOU for your continued willingness to share…. (ps – LOVED seeing all your baking tools and goodies on display!!)
jodi in atlanta
Thank you for you kind words of encouragement, Jodi. I really appreciate you taking time to comment. I'm so happy to have inspired you to get creative in the kitchen. It's so fun to know that people are making my projects and enjoying the process.
I really appreciate you sharing my blog with others too! That is really nice of you:)
looks like its about time you start making a book or something/patenting ideas you have to prevent others from copying/taking the credit. you could be making money off the ideas and making a name for yourself instead of many other taking credit for your idea.