Categories: Dessert: Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla bean (about 7 inches long0
- 1 9 inch Junior's sponge cake crust
- four 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 extra-large eggs
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- one half-pint fresh raspberries (about 6 oz)
- Confectioners' sugar
Directions
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The night before you plan to make the cake, put the granulated sugar in a small bowl and bury the vanilla bean in it, covering it completely. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let stand overnight to flavor the sugar. When your ready to make the cake, set the vanilla bean aside to decorate the center of the cake.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 9 inch spring form pan. Wrap the outside in aluminum foil, covering the bottom and extending all the way up the sides. Make and bake the cake crust and leave it in the pan. Keep the oven on.
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Put one package of the cream cheese, 1/3 cup of the vanilla flavored sugar, and the cornstarch in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl several times. Blend in the remaining cream cheese one package at a time, scraping down the bowl after each one. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat in the remaining 1 1/3 cups sugar, then the vanilla. Blend in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the cream just until completely blended. Be careful not to over mix! Gently spoon batter over the crust.
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Place the cake in a large shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1 inch up the sides of the spring form pan. Bake until the edges are light golden brown and the top is slightly golden tan, about 1 1/4 hours. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath, transfer to a wire rack, and cool for 2 hours (just walk away-dont touch it). Then, leave the cake in the pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refridgerate until completely cold, preferably overnight, or at least 4 hours.
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Wash and drain the raspberries and place them on paper towels to dry (very important)! Release and remove the sides of the spring form pan, leaving the cake on the bottom of the pan. Place on a cake plate. Put some confectioners’ sugar in a tea strainer and sift enough over the top of the cake to evenly cover it with a fine dusting. (Don’t worry if some falls onto the edge of the cake plate- it looks great!) Decorate the top and sides with a circle of raspberries about 2 inches from the rim, pointing the tips up. Stand up a small cluster of berries in the center. For a nice finishing touch, dust the vanilla bean with a little extra sugar, tie it in a loose knot, and stand it up against the berries in the center of the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Slice the cold cake with a sharp straight edged knife, not a serrated one. Cover any leftover cake and refrigerate, or remove the decorations and freeze for up to 1 month.