Creamy Cheesecake With Berries

 I'm gonna kick my feet up then stare at the fan

Turn the TV on, throw my hand in my pants

Nobody's gon' tell me I can't

Okay, so I'm not really going to throw my hands in my pants, or stare at the fan, but it sounds nice. This silly song is sung by Bruno Mars. It's cute I suppose.

 Batter never really looks good, but I say give the batter photo a chance.. Who doesn't like big mounds of cream cheese? Butter? Sugar? Yum.

Cast of characters for this cheesecake. Eggs, sugar, lemon zest, heavy cream, vanilla, graham crackers, butter, and lots and lots of cream cheese.  

I think life is like a cheesecake. Ya never know what you're gonna get. 

Creamy and smooth on the inside, crusty and crumbly on the outside. With berries on top, of course. 

That's right. Don't you wish you had a piece?

Lemon Cheesecake with Fresh Berries

Crust - Ingredients:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 stick unsalted butter; melted

3 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

Cheesecake - Ingredients:

4 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each; room temperature

1 ¼ cup granulated sugar

4 large eggs; room temperature

3/4 cup heavy cream

zest of two lemons

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Topping - Ingredients:

2 cups of fresh berries

¼ cup apricot preserves plus 1 tables spoon hot water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Tightly wrap a 9 inch springform pan in heavy duty foil. This step prevents leaks when using a water bath. I also take the extra step by placing the foil wrapped spring form pan inside an oven bag while baking.

2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into the bottom of your pan and about 1 inch up the sides. Bake for 7 minutes and cool completely on a wire rack.

3. Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

4. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with your paddle attachment, combine the sugar and lemon zest and mix until the sugar is moistened and fragrant. Add in the cream cheese and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream and vanilla and mix until smooth.

5. Pour batter into prepared crust. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan.

6. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, the edges will appear to be set, but the center will still have some jiggle to it. At this point, close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. After one hour has passed, carefully remove the cheesecake from the water bath and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Once the cake is completely cooled, place it into the refrigerator for at least 5 hours. Top will fresh berries and serve.

Notes:

1.Make sure you use a good quality springform pan.
2. Use a water bath!
3. Wrap the bottom half of the pan tightly in heavy duty foil before baking (this helps prevent the water from leaking into the pan).
4. If you are slightly OCD like me, place the foiled pan into an oven bag for extra security.
5. Allow the baked cheesecake to cool in the oven and then on the counter before placing in the refrigerator (directions will explain this).
6. Have a back-up plan if your cake cracks…fruit acts as an excellent crack concealor or you can just embrace the cracks!