For Crust, Mix

• ¾ package graham cracker crumbs, crushed
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 ounces butter, melted

Press crust into the bottom of a 9″ springform pan, coming up about an inch on the sides.

For Filling, Cream

• 3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar

Add

• 3 tablespoons flour
• 12 ounces (1½ cups) sour cream
• ¼ teaspoon grated lemon rind
• ¼ teaspoon grated orange rind
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 egg yolks

Fold In

• 3 egg whites, beaten until stiff

Pour filling into pan and bake at 350° for 65 minutes. The cake should be golden brown at the rim, lemon colored in the center, and jiggle sluggishly. Cool for 1 hour, then refrigerate several hours or overnight.

VARIATION 1: Royal Marble Cheesecake

For Crust, Melt

• 2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate
• 2 tablespoons butter

Add

• ¾ cup flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ¼ teaspoon sugar

Press crust into the bottom of a 9″ springform pan, coming up about an inch on the sides. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes.

For Filling, Cream

• 3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar

Add

• ¼ cup flour
• 12 ounces (1½ cups) sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 6 egg yolks

Blend In

• 1 cup sour cream

Fold In

• 6 egg whites, beaten to soft peaks

Combine 4 tablespoons melted semisweet chocolate with 2 cups of the batter. Pour half of white batter, some chocolate, other half of white, then remaining chocolate into pan. Pull knife slowly through batter to marble. Place pan in preheated 400° oven. Immediately lower heat to 300° and bake for 1 hour. Turn off oven and leave cake for 1 more hour. Cool 2 – 3 hours, then chill at least 8 hours.

VARIATION 2: Snowdrift Cheesecake

For Crust, Melt

• 2 tablespoons margarine

Add

• 10 Oreo cookies, crushed

For Filling, Cream

• 2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
• ½ pound white chocolate, melted

Beat In

• 3 large eggs

Add

• ¾ cup of sugar
• 1 tablespoon white crème de cocoa

Pour batter into prepared crust and bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

Combine

• ¾ cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon white crème de cocoa

Spread sour cream mix over cheesecake and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let cool and chill. Garnish top with dark chocolate shavings.

Glenda’s Secrets of Success

As you can see from the various cheesecake recipes (Royal Marble, Snowdrift), there are a wide range of variations on this theme. Most recipes start with 3 packages of cream cheese, but some use only 2. You can use 3 eggs or 6 eggs or any number in between. You can make a graham cracker crust, a flour crust (chocolate or not), or a cookie crust. You can put sour cream in the batter or spread it on during the last few minutes of cooking.

I have experimented with all of these. The basic cheesecake recipe with a graham cracker crust is simple and delicious. The marble cheesecake looks good, but you really can barely taste the chocolate. White chocolate in the batter gives a great taste – it doesn’t really taste like chocolate either, but simply adds a sweet zip. So I frequently add white chocolate, either to regular cheesecake or the white batter for marble cheesecake. Be careful melting white chocolate. If you heat it for too long and it gets lumpy and hard.

The Oreo cookie crust is surprisingly good. I use that crust with chocolate or marble cheesecake. I like more crust, so I usually double the crust recipe. I use 6 eggs rather than 3 so it is both creamier (from the yolks) and lighter (from the meringue). And I just put the sour cream in the recipe. I also add the lemon rind and orange rind to all of the recipes.

Lately, I have only been making this basic recipe, but I divide it and add melted chocolate or caramel chips to part, and then marble the parts. It takes A LOT of chips to really change the taste

“A dinner which ends without CHEESE is like a beautiful woman with one eye.” – Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin