I don't think I remember making a cheesecake since college or before. While I like eating cheesecake, the idea of baking one usually just seems way too torturous because of the wait-time needed to completely cool and chill the darn thing before eating it. And the act of making it reminds me of how deliciously caloric a piece of cheesecake can often be.
Mom had one of those pre-made graham cracker shells that was nearing it's recommended freshness date so I flipped over the label for some help. The recipe was simple enough, but I didn't have 16 oz of cream cheese, sour cream, or a fresh lemon on hand to complete the uncake cake. What I did have was a cup of heavy whipping cream, a mostly unused 8 oz tub of mascarpone cheese, and vanilla extract.
In the end, I made substitutions and recipe tweaks with what I had on hand and came out with an airy, slightly sweet and lemony cheesecake.
Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese, softened at room temp
8 oz(more like 6 oz) mascarpone cheese
1/2 c super fine sugar
3/4 c heavy whipping cream, whipped into soft peaks
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. lemon zest
1 t. vanilla extract
6 oz. Honey Maid graham cracker pie shell.
cake pan filled 1/3 of height with water
Steps
1. Preheat oven to 375-degrees Fahrenheit
2. Whip cream into soft peaks with an electric mixer, set aside
3. Blend cheeses with mixer on medium speed
4. add sugar, blend
5. add eggs , blend
6. add lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract
7. fold in whipped cream
Pour into shell and bake for 25 minutes. Place the cake pan of water on a lower shelf to keep a moist, quasi-bain marie atmosphere. The cake will rise a bit and still be jiggly, not-quite set when done. Cool cake on rack until completely cool. Next, chill in the refrigerator until chilled through (4-5 hours for me or 24 hours if you can bear it.
Eat some. Share some. Be merry.
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