Red, White and Blue Cheesecake
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 12 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 12 servings
- Calories
- 646
- Total Fat
- 54
- Saturated Fat
- 31
- Carbohydrates
- 34
- Dietary Fiber
- 0
- Sugar
- 28
- Protein
- 9
- Cholesterol
- 219
- Sodium
- 423
- Total: 11 hr 45 min (includes cooling and chilling time)
- Active: 35 min
Ingredients
Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 18 whole crackers)
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch fine salt
Filling:
Three 11.5-ounce containers whipped cream cheese
1 1/4 cups sugar
One 16-ounce container sour cream, at room temperature
1 cup heavy cream
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon red gel food coloring (or to desired color)
1/2 teaspoon blue gel food coloring (or to desired color)
Directions
Special equipment:
a 10-inch springform pan and a wooden skewer- Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.
- For the crust: Toss together the graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Press into the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool completely. Wrap the bottom and sides of pan up with a large piece of foil and put in a large roasting pan.
- For the filling: Beat together the cream cheese and sugar, in a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the sour cream, and beat until just combined. Add the heavy cream and beat until just combined. Mix in the eggs, by hand, 1 at time. Mix in the vanilla and lemon juice, by hand, until just combined. (Take care not to overmix, or the cheesecake will turn into a soufflé!).
- Ladle out 2 cups of cheesecake batter and divide between 2 bowls. Color 1 bowl with red food coloring and 1 with blue food coloring. Leave the remaining batter white.
- Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon, and drop scoopfuls of the batter onto the crust, alternating between the different colors until all the batter is gone. Use a long wooden skewer and drag it through the batter, making sure the skewer reaches down to the bottom of the pan, in 4 swipes, to marble the colors for a tie dye effect. Transfer the springform pan to the roasting pan. Add enough hot water to come about halfway up the side of the springform pan.
- Bake until the outside of the cake is set, but the center is still slightly loose, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another hour. Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan to a cooling rack. Run a knife around the edge and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours.
- Unmold the cheesecake and transfer to a serving plate or cake stand.