Simply Perfect Lemon Cheesecake Food

LOVELY LEMON CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Place a greased 10-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Wrap foil securely around pan., In a small bowl, mix cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon; stir in butter. Press onto bottom of prepared pan; refrigerate while preparing filling., In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and salt until smooth. Beat in lemon juice and vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until blended. Pour over crust. Place springform pan in a larger baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan., Bake 70-80 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove foil. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight, covering when completely cooled., Remove rim from pan. If desired, top cheesecake with lemon slices.

SIMPLY PERFECT LEMON CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325F (not fan-assisted/not convection)
• Make the Crust: Add graham cracker crumbs to a medium bowl and stir in the brown sugar. Pour the melted butter overtop, then stir until all the crumbs are moistened and have a wet sand texture. Add a pinch of salt if you used unsalted butter.
• *If using an 8-inch springform pan, remove 1/2 cup of the crumb mixture, as you won't need it all for the base. You can reserve to sprinkle on top of the finished cake, if you like (sprinkle around the outside edge in a ring).
• Press the moist crumb mixture into the bottom of your springform pan. Use the bottom of a dry measuring cup to make sure the crust is really pressed down, to make it easiest to cut later on.
• Bake the crust until it is lightly golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Leave oven on and set at 325F.
• Make the Filling: Combine the room temperature cream cheese, sour cream and granulated sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture is extremely smooth and well blended, a minute or two. Remove the lid of the food processor and scrape down the sides and bottom of the food processor and try to reach under the blades if you can, to fine and incorporate any stubborn chunks of cream cheese. Process again briefly after scraping. (Getting a perfectly smooth batter at this point is important to prevent cracks in your finished cake, so take the time here to make sure it's well blended and smooth).
• Add the eggs, lemon juice and zest and a pinch of salt and keep processing until it's super smooth and creamy, another 30 seconds or so.
• Pour the filling into the baked crust *You may have some leftover filling if you are using a regular cake pan.
• Bake in preheated 325F oven until mostly set, with a little jiggle in the centre 3-4 inches, with the outsides looking set and puffy, about 20 to 30 minutes. The filling should not brown at all. Don't over-cook, as this can cause your cheesecake to crack.
• Turn the oven off and open the door a crack (inserting a wooden spoon in the crack will help it say open). Let the cheesecake sit in the oven for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack on the counter to cool completely.
• Once cooled completely, over the top of the springform pan with plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Place the cheesecake in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
• To serve, remove from springform pan. Topping option: citrus slices, a scattering of blueberries or blackberries, a mint leaf and a dusting of icing sugar, if you like.

SIMPLE LEMON CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• For the crust:.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees f. Lightly butter an 8 inch springform pan.
• In a mixing bowl, combine crumbs with sugar, then with butter and press mixture int bottom of pan, packing it down with the base of a flat glass.
• Bake until golden about seven to ten minutes.
• For the Cheese filling:
• Keep the oven at 400 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl combine cream cheese and sugar blending until smooth. Blend in sour cream. Stir in beaten eggs, one third at a time. Stir in lemon juice, zest, and vanilla, blending well.
• Pour into baked crust and place in oven. Immediately turn heat down to 300 degrees F and bake for one hour or until cake begins to rise on the sides.
• Turn oven off. Open oven door and let cake sit in oven for another 30 minutes. Remove, set on rack.
• For cheesecake topping:.
• have the oven at 350 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl, combine all three ingredients, blending with a spoon until smooth.
• Spread over top of baked cheesecake. If cake has cracks, use topping to fill in the spaces.
• Bake until set, about 15 minutes. Cool completely before removing side of springform pan. Chill until ready to serve.
• Cheesecake can be wrapped closely in plastic and refrigerated for about four days or frozen two weeks. served chilled with fresh fruit or fruit coulis.

LEMON CHEESECAKE (PRESSURE COOKER)

Steps:

• Grease the bottom and sides of a round baking dish or springform pan that fits into the cooker. Coat the sides with crumbs and distribute the remaining crumbs on the bottom.
• Using an electric mixer or food processor, blend the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
• Add eggs, lemon juice, zest and vanilla. Beat until smooth, then pour into the prepared pan.
• Pour 2 cups water into a 6 qt or larger cooker. Set a trivet on the bottom to raise the bottom of the pan above the water. (I'd wrap the bottom of a springform pan in aluminum foil).
• Lock the lid in place. Over high heat, bring to high pressure. Reduce heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to come down naturally. Remove lid, tilting away from you to release steam.
• Let the steam subside before removing the pan from the cooker. Place on a wire rack to cool.
• If there is a small pool of condensed water in the middle of the cake, blot with paper towel.
• Serve warm, or cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Serve plain or with fresh fruit or cherry-pie filling on top.

PERFECT CHEESECAKE (FROM SIMPLYRECIPES, ELISE BAUER)

Steps:

• Prepare the crust.
• Prepare the springform pan so that no water leaks into it while cooking. Place a large 18-inch by 18-inch square of heavy duty aluminum foil on a flat surface. Place the springform pan in the middle of the foil. Gently fold up the sides of the foil around the pan. Make sure to do this gently so that you don't create any holes in the foil. If there are any holes, water will get into the pan and ruin the crust. Repeat two more times.
• Preheat oven to 350°F, with rack in lower third of oven. Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor or blender until finely ground. Put in a large bowl, and stir in the sugar and salt. Use your (clean) hands to stir in the melted butter. Use your hands to press down graham cracker crumbs form even layer of graham cracker crumbs.
• Put the graham cracker crumbs in the bottom of the springform pan. Gently press down on the crumbs using your fingers, until the crumbs are a nice even layer at the bottom of the pan, with maybe just a slight rise along the inside edges of the pan. Be careful as you do this, as not to tear the aluminum foil. Place in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
• Make the filling.
• Cut the cream cheese into chunks and place in the bowl of an electric mixer, with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed for 4 minutes until smooth, soft and creamy. Add the sugar, beat for 4 minutes more. place cream cheese in mixer beat until smooth.
• Add the salt and vanilla, beating after each addition. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. Add the sour cream, beat until incorporated.
• Add the heavy cream, beat until incorporated. Remember to scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl, and scrape up any thicker bits of cream cheese that have stuck to the bottom of the mixer that paddle attachment has failed to incorporate.
• Cook the cheesecake.
• Place the foil-wrapped springform pan in a large, high-sided roasting pan. Prepare 2 quarts of boiling water. Pour the cream cheese filling into the springform pan, over the graham cracker bottom layer. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
• Place the roasting pan with the springform pan in it, in the oven, on the lower rack. Carefully pour the hot water into the roasting pan (without touching the hot oven), to create a water bath for the cheesecake, pouring until the water reaches halfway up the side of the springform pan, about 1 1/4 inches. (Alternatively you can add the water before putting the pan in the oven, whichever is easier for you.) Cook at 325°F for 1 1/2 hours.
• Turn off the heat of the oven. Crack open the oven door 1-inch, and let the cake cool in the oven, as the oven cools, for another hour. This gentle cooling will help prevent the cheesecake surface from cracking.
• Cover the top of the cheesecake with foil, so that it doesn't actually touch the cheesecake. Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours, or overnight.
• Prepare sour cream topping.
• Place sour cream in a medium sized bowl, stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla, until smooth. Chill until you are ready to serve the cake.
• Note that this recipe produces enough sour cream topping for a thick topping and some extra to spoon over individual pieces of cheesecake, if desired. If you would like a thinner layer of topping and no extra, reduce the sour cream topping ingredients in half.
• Prepare the raspberry sauce.
• Place raspberries, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Use a potato masher to mash the raspberries. Heat on medium, whisking, about 5 minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat. Let cool.
• Prepare the cake to serve.
• Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Remove the foil from the sides of the pan, and place the cake on your cake serving dish. Run the side of a blunt knife between the edge of the cake and the pan. Dorie recommends, and we've done with success, that you use a hair dryer to heat the sides of the pan to make it easier to remove. Open the springform latch and gently open the pan and lift up the sides.
• Spread the top with the sour cream mixture. Serve plain or drizzle individual slices with raspberry sauce.