J. M. Rosen Cheesecake

Cheesecake.  A fairly common dessert, one that is generally pretty good, no matter the source.  One that has some unique styles, e.g. lighter Italian style with ricotta, decadent dense New York style, fluffy bouncy Japanese style, and more recently deeply caramelized Basque.  It can have a sour cream tang, a fruity topping, incorporate Asian flavors like matcha, or be seasonal with pumpkin.  A pretty diverse dessert, when you think of it.  I've definitely had my share of cheesecake over the years (you can read about them all here), and, although I don't do much cooking nor baking myself, cheesecake is actually something I learned to bake as a teenager, using my mom's no fail recipe (that uses a box of vanilla cake mix, part for the crust, part for the cheesecake itself).

Since it is so common, and so generally average, it takes a lot to impress me with a cheesecake.  Particularly a mass produced cheesecake.  But J.M. Rosen cheesecake did just that.

"Unlike any other desserts you will ever experience. While others say that about their own desserts, we don't. It's our customers who say those words and flock to our wholesale bakery to knock on the door and hope someone will answer to grant their wish for a whole cheesecake to take home. This is our inspiration and continued success. We've been a wholesale bakery for years, now anyone can order online. It's our pleasure to share these fantastic desserts known to Californian's for 35 years. Surprise your family with a new tradition this year, something special, order the best desserts available online."

J.M Rosen is a wholesale cheesecake distributor, based in Northern California.  So, sadly, you can't just walk in to one of their stores to order one, but, you will find them around the area, as they distribute to many restaurants (such as Joyride Pizza, where I had it).  J.M. Rosen is probably most known for their classic New York Cheesecake, a hefty, rich creation, but they also make a "Chocolate Fantasy" version with a layer of regular cheesecake, chocolate mousse, AND chocolate cake, all in a chocolate shell, a Neapolitan cheesecake with a layer of regular cheesecake, plus layer of strawberry mousse, and a chocolate cake layer (yes, just like the ice cream), and a mocha cappuccino variety (plus seasonal eggnog, cranberry, and pumpkin).  They also make a epic looking many layered carrot cake, and a chocolate fudge cake.

I've only tried two of their products, but I'd gladly try more.

Classic NY Cheesecake.

"The best "New York Style Cheesecake'' outside of NYC! Made by master baker J. M. Rosen right here in Northern CA. The same cake Frank Sinatra would order when he toured SF. Luscious, velvety textured cheesecake filling makes this the perfect meal time finish, celebration treat -- or anytime snack." -- Joyride Pizza

"Our "New York Style Cheesecake" is the best cheesecake recipe you can buy. This is the infamous New York Cheesecake with the original Shortbread crust New Yorkers flock to when they visit California. It's our Cheesecake. It's that good! This New York Cheesecake is filled with pounds of the most luscious, thick, dense, velvety textured cheesecake filling you have ever tried. It's dense texture is divine cheesecake lust so we've been told. The dramatic impact of the the robust size, thickness, and original flavor of this New York Cheesecake does not compare to any on the market. NO KIDDING. You don't need a topping but there's always variety in life. Once you try it, you decide how and when you like it, we mean LOVE IT. Honestly, Frank Sinatra ordered (this exact cheesecake from exact baker and company) when he would come to California!" -- J.M. Rosen

I started with the simple, basic, classic NY cheesecake.

Ok, so, this cheesecake gets some accolades.  This I knew.  And I've had very good cheesecake before.  I expected this to be good, but perhaps not quite as magical as everyone seems to think it is.

But, wow, this is very, very, very good cheesecake!  I was blown away by just how smooth and creamy and luxurious it was.  Shockingly smooth.  Shockingly creamy.  Absolutely incredible.  "Velvety" as they say.  The flavor was fairly, well, classic NY cheesecake, certainly cream cheese flavored, and sweet, and sorta vanilla (they use quality Nielson Massey vanilla), and just, well, simple and delicious.  There isn't much more I can say.  

The crust was also notable, not a dry, crumbly, cardboard like graham crust that I so loathe, but rather, a shortbread crust, sweet, just the right thickness, easy to cut through with a spoon but didn't break apart too easily.  The crust extended up the entire backside.

This is certainly one of the best classic cheesecakes I've ever had.  And yes, it is a hefty creation: the 6'' cheesecake weights 3-4 lbs (6-8 slices), and the 9" is 6-8 lbs, 16 slices, so, definitely not a light and fluffy and airy style, for sure.

****+ and I'd gladly get it again and again.

I got a slice for $9 at Joyride Pizza, you can purchase a full 6" cheesecake from J.M. Rosen directly for $79.95, or 9" for $119.95.

Snicker's Cheesecake.

"Guittard Chocolate shell, caramel, perfect shortbread crust, nuts and Snickers Bar chunks... this cake makes your mouth smile and your heart sing. Amazing quality, flavor, and mouthfeel. You'll definitely want to order more than one slice!" -- Joyride Pizza

"What do you get when you cross a Snickers Bar with our Secret Recipe Cheesecake Filling, Guittard Chocolate Shell, Caramel, Famous Shortbread Crust, Nuts and Chunks of a Snickers Candy Bar? Your looking at it! It tastes better than it looks. Certainly, enough to change anyone's mood from "bad" to "great". Bet you can't have just one piece. Try it now! When you wake up looking like Marilyn Monroe you know, it's authentic snickers and you ate too much cheesecake last night! Order while it's hot!" -- J.M. Rosen.

Next, I moved on to the Snicker's cheesecake.  

Here we had the same shortcake crust, along the bottom and the full backside.  Again, far superior to standard graham cracker crusts, sturdy but not too hard, sweet, not too crumbly.  A nice base.

The cheesecake itself was sweeter, I believe it was actually caramel cheesecake.  Still incredibly creamy, insanely smooth, but definitely sweeter, and richer, from the caramel flavor.  On top was a reasonably thick layer of nice quality dark chocolate ganache (Guittard), and little bits of chopped Snickers for a bit of crunch and additional caramel and peanut elements.  There was a thin inner layer as well with some chocolate, nuts, and maybe Snickers.  It definitely was true to the candy bar nature, even though these elements looked fairly minimal at first glance.

This was a slight letdown from the classic NY, but, if you are a Snicker's fan in general, you might really enjoy it.  And don't get me wrong: it was a good cheesecake, I just thought the extra embellishments detracted from the cheesecake goodness.  ***+.

I got a slice for $11 at Joyride Pizza, you can purchase the 6" for $89.95, or 9" for $109.95 from J.M Rosen.