REVIEW

Alright, let us get all the lame puns out of our system before we begin: we are devout fans of the heavenly cheesecake from New Skete; it’s divine. You’ll find nun better. Eating a slice is a religious experience. Our cheesecake prayers have been answered. (Deep breath.) Had enough? So have we.

A full sampler cake, 16 slices

In 1969, a small group of nuns of the Order of St. Claire in Indiana came to Cambridge, NY and, with help of the Monks of New Skete, founded a monastery. In 1979 they switched affiliation to the Orthodox Church in America. Around that same time, in order to help support the monastery, they began baking cheesecake, using a recipe from Sister Magdalene Oliver.

The sisters also make a variety of cheese spreads based on a combination of cheddar and cream cheeses.

Since that original plain cheesecake was baked they’ve developed many, many flavors: Amaretto and Cream, Apple Walnut, Chocolate, Chocolate Amaretto, Classic New York, Eggnog, Irish Cream, Kahlua, Key Lime, Pumpkin, Raspberry Ripple, Raspberry Chocolate, and White Chocolate. Their newest cheesecake is bacon: the original vanilla filling on a lemon cookie crust, with bacon mixed into the batter!

Here’s what’s available today.

We tend to be cheesecake purists but this is one cheesecake where we recommend trying the flavors, especially if you love chocolate, because the nuns’ chocolate cheesecake is the most intensely chocolatey cheesecake we’ve ever tasted. We also love the exquisite Kahlua cheesecake. You know how some New York-style cakes are so thick and sticky you have to pry them off your fork times with your teeth? These are not like that. The texture is ultra-smooth, like very thick sour cream. And that’s our guess as a key ingredient, because the cake also has some of that sour cream tang.

When the gift shop is closed, serve yourself in the outer room.

Most of their business is mail-order, but you can visit the monastery, and c’mon, that’s way more fun! Even in person your cheesecake will be frozen when you get your hands on it. Don’t worry, it freezes perfectly. We didn’t meet any sisters while we were there Christmas Eve; presumably, they were as preoccupied as Kris Kringle.

They trust you.

There are small and large cakes, two-slice and four-slice sections of cake, and samplers with assorted flavors, which is a great way to find your favorites. The nuns also make cheese spreads, simply made from a mix of cheddar and cream cheeses along with a dose of whatever nuts, fruits, or other additions suit your taste. The cheddar-bacon we sampled was mellow and creamy, reminiscent of those spreads we used to thrill to in the ’60s, the kind that came in those brown crocks, sometimes with purple swirls of port (and yes, the nuns offer a tawny port cheese spread).

The gift shop carries more than cheesecake.

If you show up when the gift shop is closed, you are still in luck, because the outer room stays open 8 a.m. till 8 p.m. seven days a week. There’s a freezer and a price list, and a slot into which you slip your payment. The sisters are trusting souls.

LAF TRAK: 

FOOD: 

BEST THING TO EAT: Chocolate cheesecake