Deluxe Cheesecake

By WheretheMagicHappens

This is the old fashioned type of cheesecake. Thick crust tasty and very dense. This recipe has many steps and it takes most of a day to make. Well worth the effort! The best cheesecake!

This recipe is adapted from "The Good Housekeeping Cookbook."

Ingredients

• Flour
• 3/4 cup Butter, softened
• Sugar
• 3 Egg Yolks
• Grated peel of 2 Lemons
• 5 8-ounce pkgs Cream Cheese
• 5 Eggs
• 1/4 cup Heavy or Whipping Cream
• 1 tbsp Grated Orange Peel
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 cup Sour Cream for garnish

Details

Servings 16

Preparation

Step 1

Day Before Serving:
In small bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat 1-1/4 cups flour, butter, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 egg yolk and half of grated lemon peel until well mixed; refrigerate, covered, for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Press 1/3 of flour mixture into bottom of 10-inch springform pan; bake 8 minutes; cool. Turn oven control to 475 degrees.

Meanwhile, in large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat cream cheese just until smooth, slowly beat in 1-3/4 cups sugar. With mixer at low speed, beat in 3 tablespoons flour and remaining ingredients except sour cream. At high speed, beat 5 minutes, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula.

Press the rest of the dough around the side of the pan to within 1 inch of the top; do not bake. Pour cream cheese mixture into pan; bake 12 minutes. Turn oven control to 300 degrees and bake 35 minutes longer. Turn off oven; let cheesecake remain in oven 30 minutes. Remove, cool in pan on wire rack. Refrigerate.

To Serve:
Remove side of pan. With large spatula, loosen cake from pan bottom; slide onto plate. Spread top with sour cream.

Makes 16 servings


Strawberry Deluxe Cheesecake:
Prepare cheesecake as above but omit sour cream; cool. Meanwhile, make Strawberry Glaze: Reserve 2 cups berries from 2 pints of strawberries. In medium saucepan, stir 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons lemon juice until smooth; add remaining berries and, using potato masher or slotted spoon, crush berries; cook over low heat, stirring, until thickened; cool.

Spoon mixture on top of cooled cheesecake. Cut reserved berries in half lengthwise; arrange, cut side up, over top. In small saucepan over low heat, melt 2 tablespoons currant jelly; brush over berries. Chill.

Note: This cheesecake is very dense. I would suggest using a wire cheesecake knife for cutting slices. If not, use the thinnest knife you have and dip it in hot water for about 5-10 seconds, dry it off and cut your slice. Repeat process for every slice. This helps the pieces look nicer for your presentation.