I love making this simple, quick cheesecake for special occasions. We served it at our wedding, make it each year for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and mix it up for special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. My mother-in-law taught this one to me; straight out of her long-faded Betty Crocker cookbook (it’s such an old recipe that it’s not even available on the Betty Crocker website).
What I love about this particular cheesecake is that it’s easy to make and completely non-fussy. It doesn’t matter if you have bubbles or cracks in the top because you’ll be completely covering the top with cherry, strawberry, or mandarin orange glaze. With a fruit glaze on top, you can’t go wrong.
We’ve made various adjustments to the recipe over the years, so I’ve included our new (and gluten-free) recipe, in addition to the original Betty Crocker recipe as taught to me by my mother-in-law (thank you, Diana!).
Company Cheesecake with a Gingersnap Crust
My take on the Betty Crocker classic.
1 1/4 cups of Mi-del Gluten-Free Ginger Snaps (or any other ginger snap cookies) crumbs
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 package (8 ounces) of full-fat cream cheese, softened
1 package (8 ounces) plus 1 package (3 ounces) of low-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup dairy sour cream or fruit glaze
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir together cracker crumbs and the melted butter. Press mixture evenly in bottom of 9″ springform pan. Bake 8-10 minutes; cool.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat cream cheese in large mixer bowl or food processor. Gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating until fluffy. Add vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Pour over crumb mixture.
3. Bake one hour or until center is firm. Cool to room temperature. Spread with sour cream or glaze. Chill at least 3 hours. Loosen edge of cheesecake with knife before removing side of pan.
Classic Company Cheesecake
1 1/4 cups of graham cracker crumbs (about 15 crackers)
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
2 packages (8 ounces each) plus 1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup dairy sour cream or fruit glaze
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir together graham cracker crumbs and 2 tablespoons sugar. Mix in butter thoroughly. Press mixture evenly in bottom of 9″ springform pan. Bake 10 minutes. (Optional: pour bag of chocolate chips into the pan, put back in the oven to melt.) Cool.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat cream cheese in large mixer bowl. Gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating until fluffy. Add lemon peel and vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Pour over crumb mixture.
3. Bake one hour or until center is firm. Cool to room temperature. Spread with sour cream or glaze. Chill at least 3 hours. Loosen edge of cheesecake with knife before removing side of pan.
Strawberry Glaze (the only one of the three glazes that I’ve tried)
Mash enough fresh strawberries to measure 1 cup. Blend 3/4 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons cornstarch in a small saucepan on the stove. Stir in 1/3 cup water and the strawberries. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir one minute. Cool thoroughly.
Cherry Glaze
Drain 1 can (1 pound) of pitted red tart cherries, reserving liquid. Add enough water to cherry liquid to measure 1 cup. Mix 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a small saucepan. Stir in the 1 cup liquid. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in cherries and 4 drops of red food color (optional!). Cool thoroughly.
Mandarin Orange Glaze
Follow the above glaze recipe, substituting the juice from the oranges (which are in a light syrup) instead of water, plus a dash of rum. Add the oranges at the end.
