Ingredients
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 orange, zested
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 5 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Strawberry Sauce, optional, recipe follows
- Blueberry Sauce, optional, recipe follows
- Pineapple Sauce, optional, recipe follows
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Butter the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. In a mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar and mix well. Press onto bottom of springform pan and bake until golden, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool. When completely cooled, butter the sides of the pan.
Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, sugar, zests and vanilla and beat until light and creamy. Add the flour, then the eggs and yolks 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the sour cream and mix until smooth. Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake for 12 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees F and bake for 1 hour more. Transfer cake to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Refrigerate cake overnight before serving.
To serve, top with sauce of choice. Slice with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped with a clean cloth, and serve.
Strawberry Sauce:
2 pints fresh strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons kirsch or brandy
Combine berries, sugar, water and zest and cook until berries are soft and the liquid is thick, about 10 minutes. Stir in the kirsch or brandy and cook for 1 minute.
Remove from the heat and let cool. Spoon on top of the cheesecake and serve.
Blueberry Sauce:
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier liqueur
1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
1 1/2 cups blueberries, picked over and rinsed
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat stir together the sugar, cornstarch, water, orange juice, and orange zest. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the blueberries and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the berries have burst, about 5 minutes. Add the butter and stir until melted. Remove from heat and let cool before pouring over the cheesecake.
Yield: 3 cups
Pineapple Sauce:
3 cups fresh 1/2-inch diced pineapple chunks
1/4 cup sugar, plus more to taste
1 cup water
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
2 tablespoons light rum
Combine pineapple, sugar, water and zest, and cook until pineapple is tender and the liquid is thick, about 15 minutes. Stir in the rum, and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from the heat and let cool. Spoon on top of the cheesecake and serve.
Yield: about 3 cups














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By tennismaniac510
on February 04, 2012
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Awesome Cheescake. Served it at a party and people said it was the best they had ever had. Comes out great and I highly reccomend a water bath!
By luis0369_10963386
Riverdale, GA
on January 25, 2012
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I like it with either strawberries or blueberries sauce.
By onafal
Ramallah
on January 11, 2012
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This was the first cheesecake I ever made, and I was so surprised that it worked. The only problem was that the top of the cake cracked a little, but since I covered it with the strawberry sauce, it didn't show. Everyone loved it and said that it wasn't too heavy like some cheesecakes tend to be. I'll be making it again.
Read all 159 reviews