Jammy Cheesecake

This cheesecake is a play on the New York classic—it’s made with cream cheese, of course, but it also has sour cream, lemon zest, and a thick layer of jam at the bottom.

Although the cake is easy to make and relatively quick to assemble, it still needs 2 1/2 hours in the oven, a cooldown at room temperature, and several hours in the refrigerator, which is why it’s a terrific idea to bake it ahead and have it in the freezer, at-the-ready for the holidays.

(Makes 16 servings)

Created by: Dorie Greenspan

Food stylist: Susan Ottaviano

• 1 2/4 cups graham cracker, vanilla wafer, or chocolate wafer crumbs
• 2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 stick butter, melted

• 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup thick jam, preserves, or marmalade

• 1. Generously butter a 9-inch springform pan—choose a pan with sides that are
• 2. Mix the crumbs, sugar, and salt together in a medium-size bowl, then stir in the melted butter. Turn the mixture into the springform pan and use your fingers to pat an even layer along the bottom of the pan and up the sides.
• 3. Put the pan in the freezer while you center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350° F. Slide the springform pan into the oven and bake the crust for 10 minutes. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack while you put together the cheesecake.
• 4. Turn the oven temperature down to 325° F. Have a roasting pan and a kettle of boiling water at hand.
• 5. Working with an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and salt together for 5 minutes or until the cream cheese is satiny smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and beat for 1 minute after each addition. Reduce the mixer speed to low and, one by one, mix in the vanilla and almond extracts, the lemon zest, and the sour cream.
• 6. Using a rubber spatula and a gentle hand, spread the jam across the bottom of the crust. Put the springform pan into the roasting pan and carefully pour the batter over the jam. Slide the roasting pan into the oven, then pour enough boiling water into the roaster to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Be careful not to burn yourself with the water.
• 7. Bake the cheesecake for 90 minutes—the top will be brown and the cake may even crack a bit, but that’s fine. Turn off the heat, prop open the oven door, and leave the cheesecake in the oven, in its water bath, for 1 hour more.
• 8. Carefully lift the springform pan out of the roasting pan, remove the foil (pay attention—some hot water may have seeped between the foil layers), and put the springform pan on a cooling rack. Let the cake come to room temperature.
• 9. Transfer the cooled-down cheesecake to the refrigerator and chill, covered, for at least 4 hours—overnight is even better. To remove the cake from the pan, warm the pan with a hair dryer before lifting it free of the cake. Alternatively you can dampen a towel with hot water and wrap it around the pan before removing the cake.

Nutrients per serving:
Calories: 361
Fat: 22g
Cholesterol: 99mg
Carbohydrate: 36g
Sodium: 248mg
Protein: 5g
Total dietary fiber: 0g

TIP: This cheesecake will keep well, covered, in the refrigerator for up to one week and, wrapped airtight, in the freezer for up to two months. To defrost, put the wrapped cake in the refrigerator overnight.

November & December 2006

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