Cheesecake Obstacles

If food is not allowed in the living room, and definitely not allowed on the couch, then how is it that there are crumbs under the cushions?

This is a very important question.

Also– why do the little boys not rinse the sink after brushing their teeth? Why do they leave socks under the bed? Why is the lego project strewn methodically across the living room floor, halfway finished? Have you ever stepped on a lego in your bare feet? It really flippin hurts. Why does Evan like to take everything out of his closet(after I carefully clean and reorganize) so he can scoot into the back corner with a book and a flashlight, only to stuff it all back in VERY haphazardly?

I love to bake. I love, love, love to bake cheesecakes. But these sorts of questions are the kind of obstacles I face that keep me out of my cheesecakey kitchen and running through the house with the vacuum hose like a dirt seeking fool. Gah.
My sister’s favorite cheesecake starts with a red red raspberry sauce, and when I am able to ignore the cheez-it crumbs that are surely lurking under the sofa, it’s one of my favorite cheesecakes to make. A 10 ounce bag of frozen raspberries, a little sugar, and a little cornstarch go in a medium saucepan and brought to a boil with 1/2 cup of water.
Press the thickened raspberry sauce through a wire mesh strainer to remove the seeds. I usually press it through twice to make sure it’s nice and smooth.
Set this delicious sweet and tart sauce aside and get out a mid-sized bowl to make your graham cracker crust.

Mix together butter, graham cracker crumbs, and sugar and then press the mixture into a 9″ springform pan lined with foil.
In a large bowl beat together cream cheese and eggs, eggs, eggs. This recipe calls for 5 eggs and 2 yolks. Beat the cream cheese and eggs until smooth. Then whip in the sugar and vanilla. Beat in the flour and the heavy cream.
Pour half of the cheesecake batter over the prepared graham cracker crust…
…and then spoon half the raspberry sauce over the cheesecake batter and swirl with a butterknife. Pour the rest of the batter over the top. Save the other half of the raspberry sauce for the finished cheesecake.
Put the cake in the oven and turn it to about 200. My oven does not seem to understand that 200 is an actual temperature, so I have to set mine at what I think is 225 (if you follow me here regularly, you know that my oven knobs have ceased to bear numbers on them. I guess.). Bake for 3 hours, until the cake has risen (it will look like it’s going to jump out of the pan) and the middle is still a little jiggly. Turn the oven off and let the cake cool in the oven completely. Take the cake out of the oven and remove the sides of the pan. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve with fresh whipped cream and the remaining raspberry sauce.

If you are wondering why I do not have a photo of the finished cake, please see my post from this weekend detailing the crazy list of kitchen tasks that jumped right in the middle of baking this birthday cheesecake. My kitchen looked like a war zone covered in wrapping paper and remnants of chopped vegetables, buttercream, and a number nine birthday cake. You can catch a glimpse of the cheesecake here.

Little Sister’s Birthday Raspberry Cheesecake

Ingredients

1 (10 ounce) package of frozen raspberries

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

5 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese

5 eggs

2 egg yolks

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup heavy cream

To Make

In a medium saucepan combine the frozen raspberries, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 teaspoons of cornstarch, 1/2 cup water. Bring it to a boil, stirring frequently, and continue boiling for about 5 minutes so that sauce will thicken. Pour sauce through a mesh strainer to remove the seeds and set aside. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup melted butter. Press mixture into a 9″ springform pan lined with foil. In a large bowl beat together the cream cheese, eggs and egg yolks until smooth. Then beat in the 1 3/4 cups sugar and the 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Then the 1/4 cup flour and the 1/4 cup heavy cream. Pour half of the batter onto the prepared crust. Spoon half of the raspberry sauce onto the batter and swirl with a butter knife. Then pour the other half of the batter over that. Place the cake in the oven and turn the oven temperature to 200-225. Bake for 3 hours until the cake has risen, center of the cake is jiggly and the outside is set. Turn the oven off and let the cake cool in the oven completely. Remove the cake from the oven, remove the sides from the pan and wrap tightly. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and then serve the cake with the remaining raspberry sauce.