Strawberry Rhubarb Cheesecake

Strawberry Rhubarb Cheesecake
Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 55 minutes
Cool time: 5 hours or overnight
Makes one 9-inch cake

Seasonal, fresh strawberries combined with tart rhubarb make an exquisite and beautiful topping for this cheesecake. Because I love sweet and sour flavors so much, strawberry rhubarb desserts are my favorite. Entice everyone when you set this bright cheesecake on your sweet table.

Ingredients for Crust & Cheesecake:
1½ cups finely ground Maria cookies*
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Three 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for Strawberry Rhubarb Filling:
2 cups diced fresh strawberries
1¼ cups diced fresh rhubarb (about 2 medium stalks)
½ cup granulated sugar
1/8 cup cold water and 1 teaspoon cornstarch (mixed together in a cup)

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Make the Crust:
In a 2 or 3-quart mixing bowl and using a fork or pastry cutter, combine the ground cookies with cinnamon and melted butter until uniform. Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch spring form pan. Spread the crumb mixture evenly, pushing it up with fingers along sides of pan to rise ¾-inch high. Gently pat and flatten the crumb mixture at bottom and at sides of pan; set aside.

Make the Cheesecake:
In a 5-quart mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with the sugar and one egg until mixture is smooth. Beat in the remaining eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla extract. Pour cheesecake batter over crumb mixture in pan. Set pan on a rack placed in center of oven and bake 50 to 55 minutes or until cheesecake is light golden brown and begins to crack at sides.

Turn off oven and leave cheesecake to set for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, transfer cheesecake to counter, cover with foil and let cool 2 hours (do not remove cheesecake from spring form pan).

Refrigerate the cheesecake 2 more hours or overnight (it’s best to make cheesecake one day ahead).

Make the Strawberry Rhubarb Filling:
Combine the strawberries, rhubarb and sugar in a 2 or 3-quart saucepot. Bring to a boil and cook on medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Set heat on low and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Stir in the cornstarch mixture; cook and stir 1 more minute until thickened.

Transfer the filling to a glass or porcelain bowl, cover and cool on a counter. After cooling, refrigerate about 1 hour or overnight.

To serve: Remove sides of spring form pan from cheesecake. Set the cake with pan bottom on a large platter, spoon the strawberry filling over its top and serve individual slices.

*Note: Maria cookies are round, sweet biscuits. Each biscuit has perforations or holes and the name “Maria” engraved on its top surface.

Text & Photograph © 2011 Nancy Real

Pumpkin "Cheese" Cake

Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 40 to 50 minutes (cake can be made a day ahead and refrigerated)
Serves: 12 to 15

During the week before Thanksgiving I usually make pumpkin bread. This year, I reinvented this Autumn coffee go-with. I made a pumpkin cake that retains an old-fashioned, "bready" element and added a cream cheese filling. Some of the white flour has been substituted with whole wheat flour. And, although I eliminated the oil, this dessert is still moist and scrumptious. I hope everyone makes this "no fuss" cake for Thanksgiving - and don't forget the coffee!

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
One 15-ounce can pumpkin
1 cup nonfat, plain yogurt
4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (4 ounces) Dulce de Leche*
5-Minute Sweetened Whipped Cream (previously published on this blog on July 18, 2010)

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease and flour an 11-inch round spring form pan and set aside.

In a 4-cup mixing bowl, combine the flours, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and allspice; set aside.

Meanwhile, in a 2-cup mixing bowl, using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar and egg; set aside.

In a 3 or 4-quart mixing bowl, mix together the pumpkin, yogurt, eggs, sugar and vanilla on low speed. Gradually add the combined dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and beat at low speed until the batter is uniform, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Pour half of the pumpkin batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with a spatula. Spoon the cream cheese mixture evenly over batter in pan followed by remaining pumpkin batter. Make sure the top pumpkin batter layer covers the cream cheese mixture evenly.

Place pan with batter on a rack positioned in center of oven and bake 40 to 50 minutes. After 40 minutes, check doneness of cake by inserting a pointed knife in its center. If knife has sticky batter around it, bake cake for an additional 5 minutes. Check doneness once more. Knife inserted should come out clean. If not, bake another 5 minutes.

Cool cake completely in spring form pan on counter. If making a day ahead, cover pan with aluminum foil and refrigerate.

Remove cake from refrigerator 2 hours before serving.

At serving time, remove sides of spring form pan and set cake on a platter (do not remove cake from pan bottom).

Serve each piece with a drizzle of dulce de leche and the whipped cream.

*Dulce de leche is a caramel sauce from Argentina and can be found in Latin American supermarkets. It is usually packaged and sold in a 15-ounce glass or plastic jar.

Text and Photographs © Nancy Real 2010