I remember the first time I had cheesecake like it was yesterday. I don’t really remember the cheesecake itself — it was probably some rather bland frozen thing. What I do remember, however, is the experience.

Many people remember hearing the word “cheesecake” for the first time and either not having it compute or having a disturbing mental image of a cake made of cheese. My thought process was a little different.

I could have been no older than 4. I believe we had just finished a delicious supper of beef stroganoff, and my mom said we were going to have cheesecake for desert. I thought to myself, “Cheesecake? What the hell!?”

You see, in my 4-year-old brain, I envisioned cheesecake as a regular sheet cake with Cheez Whiz for frosting. And, somehow, that sounded exceptionally appealing. I was 4 — that is my only excuse.

Needless to say, I was very disappointed when I saw what cheesecake actually was. I was also quite bewildered as to what kind of cheese it was made of. It never occurred to me that cream cheese could be anything other than bagel spread. Now, I know better.

Today, I present you with an easy recipe for tangy, sweet, bake-free cheesecake that is a thousand times better than the mix you can buy in a box.

RECIPE