Peaches 'n Cream Cheesecake: Recipe

Alrighty, I've made you wait long enough for this here recipe.  Hope you all had a great Easter celebrating what Christ has done for us.

I made two of these cheesecake over Easter weekend.  Both were eaten right up with only a piece or two leftover for a lucky human soul to enjoy the next day.

 

Even the duck that was decorating the Easter table wanted some, but I wouldn't share.  Okay, not really.

You can read about making it here.  But, without further adieu, here's how they tell you to make it straight from the cookbook.

Junior’s Sponge Cake Crust
 

For one 9-inch cake crust
Ingredients:

1/3 cup sifted cake flour

3/4 t. baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 extra-large eggs, separated
1/3 cup sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
2 drops lemon extract
2 T. unsalted butter, melted

1/4 t. cream of tarter

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and generously butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan (preferably a nonstick one). Wrap the outside with aluminum foil, covering the bottom and extending all the way up the sides.
2. In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
3. Beat the egg yolks in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high for 3 minutes. With the mixer running, slowly add 2 T. of the sugar and beat until thick light yellow ribbons form, about 5 minutes more. Beat in extracts.
4. Sift the flour mixture over the batter and stir it in by hand, just until no more white flecks appear. Now, blend in the melted butter.
5. Now, wash the mixing bowl and beaters really well (if even a little fat is left, this can cause the egg whites not to whip). Put the egg whites and cream of tartar into the bowl and beat with the mixer on high until frothy. Gradually add the remaining sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form (the whites will stand up and look glossy, not dry). Fold about one-third of the whites into the batter, then the remaining whites. Don’t worry if you still see a few white specks, as they’ll disappear during baking.
6. Gently spread out the batter over the bottom of the pan, and bake just until set and golden (not wet or sticky), about 10 minutes. Touch the cake gently in the center. If it springs back, it’s done. Watch carefully and don’t let the top brown. Leave the crust in the pan and place on a wire rack to cool. Leave the oven on while you prepare the batter.

Junior’s Peaches & Cream Cheesecake Cheesecake

Makes one 9-inch cheesecake, about 3 inches high

Ingredients:
1 recipe 9-inch Junior’s Sponge Cake Crust (see above)

Peach filling:

10 ounces dry-pack frozen whole peaches (unsweetened, not in syrup), thawed

1/2 cup cider or apple juice

1 T. cornstarch

1 T. sugar

1/8 t. ground cinnamon

Cheesecake:

Three 8 ounce packages cream cheese (use only full fat), at room temperature
1 1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch
1 T. vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs
2/3 cup heavy or whipping cream

For the topping:

1 recipe Junior's Cinnamon Crumb Topping (see below)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 8- or 9-inch springform pan (preferably a nonstick one). Wrap the outside with aluminum foil, covering the bottom and extending all the way up the sides. Make and bake the cake crust and leave it in the pan. Keep the oven on.
2. To make the filling, drain the peaches on papers towels (important!) and refrigerate 5 slices for decorating the cake.  Cut the remaining peaches into 1/2-inch pieces.  Put the cider in a small sauce pan.  Add the cornstarch, sugar, and cinnamon and whisk until completely dissolved.  While stirring constantly, bring to a full boil over medium heat and cook 1 minute more, until thickened.  Remove from the heat and fold in the cut-up peaches.  Set aside to cool while you make the cake.
3. Put one package of the cream cheese, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl several times. Blend in the remaining cream cheese, one package at a time, scraping down the bowl after each one.  Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat in the remaining 1 cups sugar, then the vanilla. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after adding each one. Beat in the cream just until completely blended. Be careful not to overmix! Gently spoon the batter into the pan, then spoon the peach mixture on top.  Gently spread the peaches almost to the edge of the pan, covering the filling.
4. Place the cake in a large shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1 inch up the sides of the springform. Bake until edges are light and golden brown and the top is slightly golden tan, about 1 1/4 hours. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool for 2 hours (just walk away—don’t move it). Then, leave the cake in the pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until completely cold, preferably overnight or for at least 4 hours.
5. Make and bake the crumb topping.  To decorate, release and remove the sides of the springform, leaving the cake on the bottom of the pan. Place on a cake plate. Top the cake with the cinnamon crumbs and decorate the center with the reserved peach slices.  Refrigerate until ready to serve. Slice the cold cake with a sharp straight-edge knife, not a serrated one. Cover any leftover cake and refrigerate or wrap and freeze for up to 1 month.

Junior's Cinnamon Crumb Topping

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

Grated rind of 1 large lemon (about 1 t.)

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat the over to 350 F.  Generously butter a jellyroll pan or a 9x13-inch baking pan.
2. Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and lemon rind together in a medium-sized bowl.  Work in the butter with your fingers until course crumbs form.
3. Spread out the crumbs in the pan.  Bake until the topping is golden brown, bubbly, and slightly crunchy, about 15 minutes, tossing the mixture with a spatula 2 - 3 times.  Watch it carefully.  It's ready when it turns a light golden brown (do not let it brown too much).  Let the mixture cool i the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes, then break into fine crumbs.  (If you have any extra topping, put in a zip-top plastic bag and freeze for up to 1 month.  It's great over ice cream!)

Note: One recipe of the topping is enough to decorate about two cheesecakes.

Now, go ye, therefore, and make cheesecake!