Fruit-topped Cheesecake
Cake:
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted margarine
5 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons flour
Grated rind of 1 lemon
Grated rind of 1/2 orange
5 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup heavy cream
Fruit:
1 can apricot halves
Strawberry halves
1 can pineapple wedges
Grapes
Peaches, pineapple or whatever else you want to use.
Glaze:
Syrup from apricots and pineapple
1 Tbs. cornstarch
1 Tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs. cold water
Yellow food coloring
Cake:
Mix cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Butter a 10 inch springform pan and press crumb mixture onto bottom and sides of pan. Let cake ingredients, except last 2, reach room temperature. Beat cheese until fluffy. Mix sugar and flour; gradually blend into cheese. Add grated rinds. Add eggs and egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in cream. Turn into crust. Bake in hot oven (500 degrees) 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 200 degrees and bake 1 hour longer. Remove from oven and place away from drafts until cooled. Refrigerate until cold, then remove sides of pan and put cake on serving plate. Top with fruit and glaze. Refrigerate until serving time. Cake is better if made the day before but fruit and glaze should be put on the day it is served.
Fruit and Glaze:
Arrange fruit on chilled cake, 4 or 5 canned apricot halves around center, surrounded by a circle of canned pineapple wedges, and a border of halved strawberries and grapes. To make glaze, combine pineapple and apricot syrup drained from fruit to make 3/4 cup. Add 1 Tbs. lemon juice. Combine 1 Tbs. cornstarch with 2 Tbs. cold water. Add to juices and cook in a double boiler, stirring until thickened. Yellow food coloring may be added. Spoon over fruit. Refrigerate again for 2 hours before serving.
Return to Desserts Page: