May 26 is World Red Head Day. But around here, every day is Red Head Day since 50% of us sport a fiery mane. Our odds are looking pretty good, since less than 2% of the world’s population has crimson-colored locks. Hmm…maybe I need to rethink my Mega-Millions numbers… I digress!
If you’re in the Netherlands, Redhead Days is a real thing. Fifteen years ago, Bart Rouwenhorst, a photographer with blond hair, put out a newspaper ad looking for 15 red heads to photo. More than 150 showed up. So rather than send them packing, Bart packed his camera reel full of fresh, flaming faces. Now Redhead Days is an annual Dutch gathering at the end of August. How cool is that?!
Obviously the Hubby and Son A are my favorite red heads. (I have to say that. It’s written in my contract under section 3, sub-paragraph 1a. Ha!) But some of my other favorite red things are actually places. More specifically, the red rocks of Southern Utah. In an earlier post when the world was a little more locked down, I shared my copycat recipe for The Pines’ blueberry banana cream pie, along with some kudos for local businesses in the Bryce Canyon area. Now that things are opening up, I’m going to take you back to Bryce Canyon National Park…to a little, out-of-the-way location called Mossy Cave.
The Mossy Cave Trail begins at a bend in U.S. Highway 12 heading down to Tropic on “The Dump” (as locals lovingly call it). Mossy Cave is situated away from the major vantage points in Bryce Canyon National Park, so it’s not as congested and subsequently has fewer visitors on average. It’s considered a “easy” hike and is less than a mile round-trip. You’ll wander your way along a flowing creek and up the side of the Water Canyon valley. The crimson, coral and salmon colored hoodoos here are as equally impressive as other more iconic locations in Bryce Canyon. At the end of the hike is a refreshing reprieve in an actual moss-covered grotto. In the July heat, stepping under this overhang is a delight! If you hike up in the winter, you’ll find icicles.
The majority of Bryce Canyon is sculpted by Mother Nature’s wind, water, and ice erosion, resulting in impressive hoodoos and surreal formations. Mossy Cave’s Water Canyon, however, was partially sculpted by man. Mormon pioneers in the 1890’s carved an irrigation ditch into the existing canyon to channel water to the neighboring communities of Tropic, Cannonville, and Henrieville. Erosion in Water Canyon isn’t as significant as other locations in the Park, but we think it’s just as pretty!
Mossy Cave is truly one of our favorite little go-to’s in Bryce Canyon for both it’s beauty and quieter atmosphere. Son A might have inadvertently visited in camouflage on this last visit!
World Red Head Day comes right after The Hubby’s birthday. And The Hubby’s favorite birthday treat is cheesecake. If given the choice, cheesecake takes his cake every single time. And if he had another choice, he’d spend his birthday on a tropical island somewhere. Since this year is funky with the ‘Rona going on, The Hubby will have to settle for Key Lime Cheesecake with Coconut Graham Crust. I think he’ll survive!
I’ve baked many cheesecakes over the years. Some using hot water baths, but about 95% without. To be honest, sliding a pan of hot water in and out of the oven, trying to keep the water from sloshing into the cheesecake, just isn’t my thing. I know some readers will argue hot water baths are crucial to preventing cracks in the final product. As long as you don’t over bake this recipe, your cake won’t crack under the pressure of not using a hot water bath.
What I like even more about this recipe is it’s Cheesecake Basics 101: a simple graham cracker/butter crust, cream cheese, sugar, eggs, salt and extracts/flavorings of your choice. I used Amoretti‘s Key Lime extract. Amoretti has a wide range of funky and fresh flavors to choose from, which actually smell and taste like the real thing!
After making dozens of cheesecakes with this recipe, there are a few tricks I’ve learned to achieving the perfect creamy cake.
- Room Temperature! To achieve creamy smoothness, it’s essential your cream cheese and eggs are at room temperature before blending. No one likes a lumpy cheesecake.
- Be Gentle With the Eggs! Eggs are added one-at-a-time to the cream cheese mixture. Blend each egg into the batter until just incorporated. Be sure to scrape your bowl and beater(s) after each egg. Once all eggs are added, give your batter another quick mix to catch any last minute lumps.
- Wiggle and Jiggle! Just before putting the cake into the preheated oven, wiggle, jiggle and carefully tap your pan on the counter to remove air bubbles. This gives your final product a denser texture.
- Don’t Over Bake! It’s tempting to let the cheesecake cook until it’s solid. That’s what we do with regular flour-based cakes right?! Wrong! To test for doneness, gently shake the pan. The center of the cheesecake (about a 2 inch circle) should jiggle slightly. The rest of the cake should look set. And for crack’s sake, don’t use a knife to test for doneness!
Room Temp Ingredients! 
Here are a few variations we’ve enjoyed over the years. Just replace the key lime extract and lime zest with goodies below and follow the recipe from there.
- Vanilla Bean: Use 1 tsp. vanilla and the scraped vanilla bean “caviar” (aka beans) from 2 whole vanilla bean pods.
- Lemon: Add 1 to 1-1/2 tsp. lemon extract or lemon oil with the zest of 1 lemon.
- Raspberry: Use 1 tsp. vanilla and 1/2 cup seedless raspberry preserves. Swirl raspberry preserves into cheesecake batter after it’s poured into the springform pan.
Find your favorite people, red headed or not, and enjoy a slice of cheesecake!
PrintKey Lime Cheesecake with Coconut Graham Crust
Luscious key lime cheesecake in a coconutty-graham cracker crust? Yes, please! With basic ingredients, and no hot water bath in the bake, this Key Lime Cheesecake is as easy as it gets. Make it your own using different extracts or flavorings of your choice.
- Prep Time: 20 Minutes
- Cook Time: 45-55 Minutes
- Total Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes + 2 Hour Chill Time
- Yield: One 9-inch Cheesecake (12 Slices) 1x
Ingredients
For Coconut Graham Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
For Key Lime Cheesecake Filling:
4–8 oz. blocks cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt (kosher or table)
1 tsp. key lime extract*
Zest of 1 lime (about 1 tsp.)
4 large eggs, at room temperature
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.
To prepare Coconut Graham Crust:
Blend graham cracker crumbs, sweetened flaked coconut, and granulated sugar in a bowl. Drizzle melted unsalted butter over mixture and blend until evenly combined. Press graham mixture into the bottom and partially up the sides of the springform pan. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes to set the crust. Let cool on a wire rack while preparing the Cheesecake Filling.
To Prepare Key Lime Cheesecake Filling:
Using a standing mixer, or hand-held mixer, beat cream cheese, granulated sugar, salt extract, and lime zest until smooth. Be sure to scrape the bottom, sides and beaters to eliminate any cream cheese lumps. Add eggs one a time, beating until just incorporated. Again scrape the bottom, sides and beaters to incorporate any remaining cream cheese lumps. Pour filling into the Coconut Graham Crust. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes.
The cheesecake is done when the center of the cake jiggles slightly, but appears set. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes. Place in refrigerator to cool for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight, before serving. If desired, garnish with whipped cream or fresh fruit. Your cheesecake will last up to a week in the refrigerator if kept in a tightly covered container or covered with plastic wrap. Our’s very rarely make it to a week!
Chilled cheesecakes can be frozen for up to 3 months, if tightly wrapped in a layer of plastic wrap covered with aluminum foil.
Notes
*Start with 1 tsp. extract. Before adding the eggs, taste the filling to determine if additional extract is needed for your taste preferences. I usually add extracts in 1/4 tsp. to 1/2 tsp. increments, as some brands are stronger than others. To achieve the taste I wanted in this recipe, I used 4 tsp. of Amaretti Brand Key Lime Extract. Substitute the key lime in this recipe for lemon, vanilla, almond, or other extract of your choosing. Omit the lime zest if you choose to.
It’s perfectly normal for the cheesecake filling to rise up during the bake and brown slightly. The edges will crack. However, as the cake cools, the filling will shrink back down into the pan.
If you want to omit the coconut in the graham crust, reduce the amount of melted unsalted butter to 4 tbsp.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 503
- Sugar: 36.2 g
- Sodium: 395 mg
- Fat: 34.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 21.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 42.8 g
- Fiber: 0.8 g
- Protein: 8.4 g
- Cholesterol: 158 mg
IMNPB
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