Cheese Cake 2.0

Happy Easter everyone. As I write this, the ground is still covered in snow, but we know that the snow will melt away and reveal the bare ground, ready and waiting to be reborn. The seasons tell the story of the death, rebirth, growth and harvest every year. As we enter the Easter holy week, it is a time to contemplate the reason that we have Easter. It is the story of Jesus and his work on the cross to ransom back His creation. We celebrate that our ticket to heaven has been bought and paid for, we only need to receive it by believing. It’s the perfect time to gather with family and friends.

This light golden coloured dessert is a perfect for family get together during spring and the Passover, Easter, and Resurrection Sunday season. Cheese cake is a rich and decadent desert. Cheese cake has its origins in ancient Greece and it was popular for wedding cakes. Even after thousands of years, we are still enjoying cheese cake, almost worldwide. This version uses a little more sugar and lemon than the version in my cookbook, and I got lots of rave reviews for it at Christmas, and I will make it for family this Easter as well. The added sugar and lemon, made it taste even richer, and we ended up taking smaller slices, and savoring every bite, it was so good! This is an easy and basic cheese cake recipe that can be dressed up with a variety of toppings noted below.

Cheese Cake 2.0

3 packages 8 oz. of cream cheese

(regular or light)

4 eggs

1 ½ cup sugar

Juice of one lemon

Bring the cream cheese to room temperature. Using an electric mixer or food processor, beat all the ingredients together until smooth. Pour into a 9“ spring form pan that has been lined with a graham wafer crumb crust. Bake At 350 degree for one hour. If the center is a little soft, that is o.k. To prevent cracking loosen the edge of the cake with a knife to allow for contraction while it is cooling. A cheese cake is best served chilled and can be topped with cherries, fresh fruit caramel nuts or a sour cream topping for a New York cheese cake. I also make this without a crust and pour it right into a glass bottomed spring form pan, I transfer the glass to a footed plated and it serves very well.

Graham Wafer Crumb Crust

Combine 2 cups graham wafer crumbs, 1/2 cup melted butter and ¼ cup sugar. Press this mixture into the bottom of a spring form pan.

Saskatoon or Blueberry Compote

In a saucepan combine 3 cups of blueberries, 1/4 cup of water and cook stirring for about 5 minutes, in a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons cornstarch and stir until smooth, Stir the cornstarch mixture into the blueberry mixture and cook until thickened. If the blueberries are tart you can add some sugar or maple syrup to sweeten the compote. Spread on top of the cheese cake.

Cherry Topping

1 can of cherry pie filling can be spread on top of the cooled cheese cake. For a blueberry cheese cake you can spread a can of blueberry pie filling on top of the cheese cake instead of the cherries, or make the blueberry compote as above.

New York Cheese Cake Topping

2 cups sour cream

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine the ingredients and spread on top of the cheese cake immediately after baking and bake for an additional 15 – 20 minutes at 475 degrees.