Summer Fruit Vanilla Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup graham crackers
- 5 tablespoons melted butter
- 3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, soft at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cup Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 16 ounce (1 lb) sour cream
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest (no white bitter pith)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 pint blueberries
- 1/2 pint raspberries
- Few slices of watermelon
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- To make crust: Crush graham crackers with a rolling pin to obtain 1 3/4 cups. Add melted butter and combine well. Press onto the bottom of a 9-inch diameter spring form pan and place in oven for 12 minutes or golden. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
- Place springform pan on 3 layers of aluminum foil and wrap outside of pan tightly with foil. Ensure that no water could penetrate thru foil. Place in a roasting pan and set aside.
- Blend cream cheese and sugar on lowest speed, alternatively mix by using a hand held spatula until no lumps remain. Scrape bowl well. Add one egg at a time waiting for previous added egg to be fully incorporated, scrape bowl and beater between additions.
- Add sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla and pour batter into springform pan.
- Pour water into roasting pan about one inch high and place in oven.
- Bake until center of cake no longer trembles when tapping sides of pan, about 2 hours.
- Allow to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes and place in refrigerator overnight.
- Run a sharp knife around edge and bottom of cheesecake to remove from pan. Place on serving plate and decorate with blueberries, raspberries and watermelon slices cut into stars.
