Cheesecake for Christmas
Happy Holidays, everyone (sorry, mods, for the initial big pics!)!
I decided that this year for Christmas, I'd make my "famous" cheesecake for my friends. The recipe came from a woman named Edith Levine, with whom my mother was on the PTA, and I started making it myself about fifteen, twenty years ago. The cheesecake comes out rich but light, thanks to the whipped egg whites. Not hard to make and well worth the effort. Enjoy!
Recipe and another photo behind the cut
Recipe:
The crust
+++++++++++++
1 box Zwieback teething cookies, crushed (trust me)
4 tbs sugar
4 tbs melted butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Mix all together. Set aside 1/4 cup for decorating the top and use the rest to cover the bottom of a buttered 9-inch springform pan (press down well to compact). As shown in the picture, you want it to come up the side about an inch off the bottom.
The cake
+++++++++++++
3 tbs flour
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup sugar
6 eggs, separated
18 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Sift together the dry ingredients and thoroughly cream with the cream cheese. Beat the yolks until foamy and mix with the cheese. Add in the sour cream and vanilla and mix again.
Beat the egg whites until stiff, gradually incorporating 2 tbs sugar. Fold into the cheese.
Pour into the pan and top with the remaining crumbs. Bake 1 hr in a slow oven (between 300 and 325). Turn off the oven and allow to cool completely (at least an hour) before removing.
Notes --
I often leave the cake in the oven overnight to cool completely. It will sink a bit but expect a fairly tall cake.
I have made this chocolate by melting chocolate chips and using a 1/2 cup less sour cream to reduce the volume of liquids. I used crushed chocolate wafer cookies for the crust. Also very good!
This recipe is very adaptable. If you like other flavorings such as almond extract, lemon, etc., they would work well. Same thing with the crust. Zwieback has a light anise taste but you could also use graham crackers if you prefer. I've been threatening to try this with amaretti -- I will some day!
I decided that this year for Christmas, I'd make my "famous" cheesecake for my friends. The recipe came from a woman named Edith Levine, with whom my mother was on the PTA, and I started making it myself about fifteen, twenty years ago. The cheesecake comes out rich but light, thanks to the whipped egg whites. Not hard to make and well worth the effort. Enjoy!
Recipe and another photo behind the cut
Recipe:
The crust
+++++++++++++
1 box Zwieback teething cookies, crushed (trust me)
4 tbs sugar
4 tbs melted butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Mix all together. Set aside 1/4 cup for decorating the top and use the rest to cover the bottom of a buttered 9-inch springform pan (press down well to compact). As shown in the picture, you want it to come up the side about an inch off the bottom.
The cake
+++++++++++++
3 tbs flour
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup sugar
6 eggs, separated
18 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Sift together the dry ingredients and thoroughly cream with the cream cheese. Beat the yolks until foamy and mix with the cheese. Add in the sour cream and vanilla and mix again.
Beat the egg whites until stiff, gradually incorporating 2 tbs sugar. Fold into the cheese.
Pour into the pan and top with the remaining crumbs. Bake 1 hr in a slow oven (between 300 and 325). Turn off the oven and allow to cool completely (at least an hour) before removing.
Notes --
I often leave the cake in the oven overnight to cool completely. It will sink a bit but expect a fairly tall cake.
I have made this chocolate by melting chocolate chips and using a 1/2 cup less sour cream to reduce the volume of liquids. I used crushed chocolate wafer cookies for the crust. Also very good!
This recipe is very adaptable. If you like other flavorings such as almond extract, lemon, etc., they would work well. Same thing with the crust. Zwieback has a light anise taste but you could also use graham crackers if you prefer. I've been threatening to try this with amaretti -- I will some day!