JUNIOR'S FAMOUS CHEESECAKE

From: Welcome to Junior’s Cookbook, William Morrow, 1998 and modified by Mr. Evil.

12 servings 

Requires a lot of labor, but worth it. Can be frozen up to 2 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight.

Ingredients for One 9-inch Sponge Cake Layer              

½ cup sifted cake flour
1  tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
3  extra-large eggs, separated
1/3 cup (plus 2 Tbs.) sugar for the egg whites)
1  tsp. Pure vanilla extract
3  drops pure lemon extract
3  Tbs. Unsalted butter, melted
¼ tsp. Cream of tarter

Preheat oven to 350 F. and generously butter a 9-inch spring-form pan. Sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

Beat the egg yolks together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high for 3 minutes. Then, with the mixer still running, gradually add the 1/3 cup of sugar and continue beating until thick light yellow ribbons form in the bowl, about 5 minutes more. Beat in the vanilla and lemon extracts.

Sift the flour mixture over the batter and stir it in by hand  until no more white flecks remain. Then blend in the butter.

In a clean bowl, using clean dry beaters, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together on high until frothy. Gradually add the remaining 2 Tbs. Sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form (the whites should stand up in stiff peaks, but not be dry).   Stir about 1/3 cup of the whites into the batter, then gently fold in the remaining whites (don’t worry if a few white specks remain).

Gently spoon the batter into the pan. Bake the cake just until the center of the cake springs back when lightly touched, about 10 minutes  (watch carefully). Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack while you continue making the cheesecake filling.

Do not remove the cake from the pan.   Note:  It may actually take 20 or more extra minutes  to bake.  The cake should not look shiny or wet on its surface.  Test with a toothpick.  If it comes out with batter on it, bake a little longer.

For the Cream Cheese Filling

4  8-oz. packages cream cheese (the regular variety, not light Neufchatel cream cheese) at room temperature.
1 2/3 cups sugar
¼ cup corn starch
1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract
2  extra large eggs
¾ cup heavy whipping cream

While the cake cools, make the cream cheese filling. Place one 8-oz. package of the cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar and the corn starch in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low  until creamy, about 3 minutes, then beat in the remaining 3 packages of cream cheese.

Increase the mixer speed to high and beat in the remaining 1 1/3 cups sugar, then beat in the vanilla, Blend in the eggs, one at a time, beating the batter well after adding each one. Blend in heavy cream. At this point mix the filling only until completely blended. Be careful not to over-mix the batter.

Place heavy-duty aluminum foil around the outside of the spring-form pan.  Gently spoon the cheese filling on top of the baked sponge cake layer. Place the spring-form pan in a large shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Bake the cheesecake until the center barely jiggles when you gently shake the pan, about 1 hour.  Note:  It may take longer than one hour to bake the cheesecake.  It might get a little crack in it when it is fully baked, or at least act rather firm when you gently shake it.  If you need to bake it longer, make sure that there is still water in the outer pan.

Remove the cake from the foil.  Cool the cake on a wire rack for 1 hour. Then cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it’s completely cold, at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove the sides of the spring-form pan.

Ingredients for the Macaroon Crunch

½ cup chopped mixed nuts (almonds, pecans and/or walnuts)
½ cup flake coconut

To prepare the macaroon crunch, spread the nuts and coconut on a baking sheet and toast in a 350 F oven until golden and crunchy, about 10 to 15 minutes. Set the crunch aside to cool.

Ingredients for the Topping

1 quart  (1 pound) fresh ripe strawberries, or blueberries, if not available.
1 cup strawberry (or blueberry) preserves
½ cup apricot preserves

It proves to be more practical to leave the cheese cake in the spring-form pan at this stage.  Now make the topping:   Melt the strawberry and apricot preserves together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  Strain through a mesh strainer. Brush a little of the warm preserves over the surface of the cheesecake.

To prepare the strawberries, wash, de-stem and sort through the strawberries, then pat them dry with paper towels.   Cut the strawberries in half lengthwise.  If using blueberries, they are left whole. Starting at the outside edge of the cheesecake, arrange the berries, in rows, with tops toward the edge of the cake. Continue until the top is completely covered.  Now, if necessary, re-warm the mixed preserves topping.   Drizzle or using a pastry brush, gently brush the warm jelly over the berries.  Use all of the jelly.  Allow it to drip down the inside of the pan.

Sprinkle the macaroon crunch in a 1 ½-inch border around the edge of the cheesecake, covering the berries around the outside edge.  Loosely cover the entire cake with plastic wrap.

Leave the cake on the removable bottom of the pan and place it on a serving plate. Refrigerate the cake until it is completely cold, at least 4 hours or overnight. If any cake is left over, cover it with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.  Remove the cake from the pan and serve it chilled.  Wrap any leftover cake in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

Note:  It is best to make the entire cheesecake the day before.  Let it sit overnight.  The day you plan to serve the cake, put the jelly glaze, strawberries, and the macaroon crunch on the cake.  Let it sit in the refrigerator until serving time.  Put the spring-form pan back into a slightly larger cake pan.  (Liquid will seep out the bottom of the spring-form pan.)  It takes quite a bit of time to carefully slice the cake. Rinse the knife blade in hot water, then dry between each slice.  You can then either put the cake onto a serving plate, or put the sides of the pan back on to keep the cake fresh.  It will not take long to then transfer the pieces to individual serving plates.

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