WCCO Viewers' Choice For MN's Best Cheesecake
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. (WCCO) -- It's probably one of the most versatile deserts you'll find. It can be light and airy, or so heavy you need a nap after half a slice.
I'm talking about cheesecake, and you told me that the best in Minnesota can be found at Muddy Paws Cheesecake in St. Louis Park.
With all the options at Muddy Paws, they can make a cheesecake lover out of anybody.
"We have 222 flavors on the menu, but we actually have developed 600 flavors," said Tami Cabrera, the owner.
Almost anything you can dream up, Cabrera can bake.
"We used 2 Gingers Whiskey last year in quite a few cakes," she said. "People really loved that. Or beers, with Surly, the Coffee Bender has so much flavor to it, it goes perfect with the cheesecake product."
It's a new twist on an historic sweet.
"It's one of the oldest desserts," Cabrera. "It's from the ancient Greeks. It was the first dessert ever served to Olympic athletes, when that first started."
That was in 776 B.C. But Cabrera hasn't been at it quite that long.
She grew up in kitchens in Chicago. And after finding that Minnesota was in need of good cheesecake, she started making them herself 21 years ago.
"How I started is I took all of my money and put it on one wedding ad, a full page ad," she said. "It was one of those moments where I went 'poof,' like here we go."
That first year, Cabrera did 17 weddings. Now she averages more than 400 a year.
"People can do tiers, buffets, center pieces," she said.
It all comes out to about 9,000 cheesecakes a year, and it all comes out of an office in a St. Louis Park industrial plaza.
And Muddy Paws doesn't cut corners to get the numbers up.
"It takes about 36 hours for a cheesecake from start to finish," Cabrera said. "From making it to baking it to cooling it to cutting it to cooling it again."
That, plus fresh local ingredients, makes a cheesecake like this the raspberry swirl.
"You can't go wrong with it," Cabrera said.
A traditional cheesecake from Muddy Paws is $32. Specialty cakes cost a little more. You can pick them up in St. Louis Park or order online.
To see a complete list of the 222 flavors on the menu, click here.