Fruited Cheesecake Flag Food

FRUITY CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325ºF.
• Line 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Combine wafer crumbs, butter and 3 Tbsp. sugar; press onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 10 min.
• Beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and flour in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Blend in dry pudding mix. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.
• Bake 1 hour or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hours. Use foil handles to transfer cheesecake to tray; discard foil. Spread cheesecake with COOL WHIP. Top with fruit just before serving.

WAVE YOUR FLAG CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Slice 1 cup strawberries; halve remaining strawberries. Set aside. Add boiling water to gelatin mixes in large bowl; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add ice to cold water to measure 2 cups. Add to gelatin; stir until ice is completely melted. Refrigerate 5 min. or until slightly thickened.
• Meanwhile, line bottom of 13x9-inch dish with cake. Add sliced strawberries and 1 cup blueberries to thickened gelatin; stir gently. Spoon over cake. Refrigerate 4 hours or until gelatin is firm.
• Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with whisk until blended. Stir in COOL WHIP; spread over gelatin. Arrange strawberry halves on cream cheese mixture to resemble stripes of flag. Add remaining blueberries for stars.

NO-BAKE CHEESECAKE FLAG CAKE

Steps:

• Combine graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, cocoa powder, and melted butter in a bowl until mixture is thoroughly combined and crumbly.
• Transfer crust mixture to a 9x11-inch baking dish. Press crust into bottom of dish until smooth and even. Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
• Mix cream cheese and mascarpone cheese in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract into mixture.
• Whisk 1/3 cup sugar into whipping cream in a separate metal or glass bowl until the cream is fluffy and forms soft peaks. Add whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and gently whisk until filling is soft, fluffy, and well combined.
• Spoon filling on top of the graham cracker crust, spreading and smoothing the top. Tap the pan gently on a work surface several times to settle the crust and filling. Cover pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 3 hours.
• Starting at the bottom long edge of the cake, arrange strawberry halves in a horizontal line with the pointed bottoms of the strawberry halves pointing to the right. Start a second stripe of strawberry halves at the top right of the cake, arranging strawberries with the bottoms pointing right in a line stretching about 2/3 of the length of the cake.
• Continue to make strawberry stripes, starting about 3/4 inch up from the bottom stripe and laying down 3 more stripes stretching the full length of the cake. Make 1 more line of strawberries beneath the short stripe to leave a square space for the blue field of stars.
• Lay a line of blueberries with the blossom ends pointing up in the upper left square space. Continue to lay down blueberries in lines, berries touching the previous line, until the square is filled with blueberries. Cut cake into squares to serve.

FRUITED-CHEESECAKE FLAG

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F Coat a 13x9 rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Line with parchment, leaving a 2 - inch overhang on the long sides. Coat parchment with spray.
• Sift flour and 1 3/4 teaspoons salt into a bowl. Cream butter with a mixer on medium-high speed occasionally scraping bowl, until fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Wth the mixer running slowly add brown sugar, beating very pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture all at once and beat on low speed until just incorporated.
• Transfer dough to sheet. Use a large piece of plastic wrap to press dough into an even layer that covers the bottom of the sheet. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Bake dough until entire surface is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Let cool completely in a sheet on wire rack. Raise oven temperarure to 350°F.
• In a clean bowl, beat cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed, occasionally scraping down sides, until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and add granualted sugar in a slow, steady stream. Scrape bowl, then mix in lemon zest, vanilla, and almond extract, and a pinch of salt until well combined Scrape bowl, then beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. The mixture should be very smooth; scrape bowl, as necessary. Pour over crust, and spread in an even layer.
• Bake until filling is set, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely in sheet, on rack. Refrigerate until firm and cold, about 4 hours, or overnight.
• Run a sharp knife along short sides of sheet, and use parchment to lift out cheesecake. Run knife under hot water, and dry well. Use it to cut cheesecake into 48 squares, wiping knife clean between cuts.
• Transfer squares ro a serving platter, reforming the rectangle. Decorate top left squares (3 down and 4 across) placing a blackberry in the center of each square, and mounding blueberies around it. Using a long offset spatula slide out 4 squares from bottom row, and then square from alternate rows. Alternatively omit strawberries and dust alternating rows with Confectioner's suar. Place raspberries on every unadorned row. Serve immediately (or refrigerate overnight).