A few weeks ago my incredible PA Ellen Marlow was baking with Zaza. She found this cheesecake recipe and as you can see it looks delicious and tasted even better.
Zaza had so much fun making this with Ellen, mostly because of Ellen’s magical addition at the end.
You see, kids are impatient. VERY impatient. They know what they want and they want it now. Don’t we all though?
Anyways, after making the cake it needs to set in the fridge for a few hours, which can be hard for a 4 year old to understand. So Ellen told her that if it stays in the fridge, in the middle of the night, while she’s asleep fairies come and add the berries on top so she can eat it. Zaza was sent. She was so excited to get home from the school the next day so she could eat it.
This is such a fun idea when baking with your kids. It makes it magical and special. Here is the recipe Ellen used:
Fairy Berry Cheesecake to Enchant Your Kids
INGREDIENTS
The Crust:
1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
The Filling:
1.5 lbs cream cheese, at room temperature
1.5 cups sugar
5 whole extra large eggs, at room temperature
2 extra large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tbsp grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1.5 tsp pure vanilla extract
The Topping:
1 cup red jelly (not jam), currant, raspberry or strawberry
3 half-pints fresh raspberries
DIRECTIONS:
+ Preheat oven to 350 F.
+ To make the crust, combine the graham crackers, sugar and melted butter until moistened. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan. With your hands, press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and about 1 inch up the sides. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
+ Raise the oven temperature to 450 F.
+ To make the filling, cream the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed of the mixer to medium and add the eggs and egg yolks, 2 at a time, mixing well. Scrape down the bowl and beater, as necessary. With the mixer on low, add the sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla. Mix thoroughly and pour into the cooled crust.
+ Bake for 15 minutes. Then, turn the oven down to 225 F and bake for another 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and open the door wide. The cake will not be completely set in the centre. Allow the cake to sit in the oven with the door open for 30 minutes. Take the cake out of the oven and allow it to sit at room temperature for another 2 to 3 hours, until completely cooled. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.
+ To make the topping, melt the jelly in a small pan over low heat. In a bowl, toss the raspberries and the warm jelly gently until well mixed. Arrange the berries on top of the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
HOT TIPS From Ina Garten:
+ Measure your springform pan. The bottom of Ina’s is 9 inches, but it says 9.5 inches on the pan.
+ Place your springform pan on a sheet pan before putting in the oven to catch any leaks.
HOT TIPS From Ellen:
+ Double the lemon zest.
+ Add an extra .5 tsp on vanilla.
+ The red berries make the cake so beautiful. You can make this any time of year but the red is so festive for Christmas and Valentine’s Day.
This recipe would be great for Easter coming up, too. So grateful for Ellen, always keeping the kids entertained in fun ways. Zaza has been so into cooking and baking lately. It’s so cute to see them spark an interest in something then watch it flourish. What are you favorite ways to bake with kids? Let me know below.
x, Lauryn
+ Kris Jenner’s famous lemon cake recipe here.
++ My favorite non-toxic cookware and crockpot recipes.
BAKING ESSENTIALS:
