Fourth Of July Cheesecake Recipes

Steps:

• Combine graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, cocoa powder, and melted butter in a bowl until mixture is thoroughly combined and crumbly.
• Transfer crust mixture to a 9x11-inch baking dish. Press crust into bottom of dish until smooth and even. Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
• Mix cream cheese and mascarpone cheese in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract into mixture.
• Whisk 1/3 cup sugar into whipping cream in a separate metal or glass bowl until the cream is fluffy and forms soft peaks. Add whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and gently whisk until filling is soft, fluffy, and well combined.
• Spoon filling on top of the graham cracker crust, spreading and smoothing the top. Tap the pan gently on a work surface several times to settle the crust and filling. Cover pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 3 hours.
• Starting at the bottom long edge of the cake, arrange strawberry halves in a horizontal line with the pointed bottoms of the strawberry halves pointing to the right. Start a second stripe of strawberry halves at the top right of the cake, arranging strawberries with the bottoms pointing right in a line stretching about 2/3 of the length of the cake.
• Continue to make strawberry stripes, starting about 3/4 inch up from the bottom stripe and laying down 3 more stripes stretching the full length of the cake. Make 1 more line of strawberries beneath the short stripe to leave a square space for the blue field of stars.
• Lay a line of blueberries with the blossom ends pointing up in the upper left square space. Continue to lay down blueberries in lines, berries touching the previous line, until the square is filled with blueberries. Cut cake into squares to serve.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and lemon zest. Cut in butter until crumbly. Whisk egg yolks and vanilla; add to flour mixture, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. , Press onto bottom and 3 in. up sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack., For filling, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in cream, flour, lemon zest, salt and vanilla. Add eggs and yolk; beat on low speed just until combined., Divide batter in half. Fold crushed strawberries and crushed blueberries into half of the batter. Pour into crust. Top with remaining batter. Return pan to baking sheet., Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 300° bake 60-70 minutes longer or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan., Garnish with fresh mixed berries and currants, if desired.

Steps:

• 1. Mix vanilla wafer crumbs, butter, and 3 tablespoons sugar (to taste) in medium bowl.
• 2. Pat evenly on bottom of jelly roll pan, 15 x 10 inches.
• 3. Sprinkle gelatin over milk in small saucepan; let stand 2 to 3 minutes.
• 4. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is dissolved. Cool to room temperature.
• 5. Beat cream cheese until fluffy in large bowl.
• 6. Gradually beat in milk mixture.
• 7. Beat in lemon juice and zest, vanilla and remaining sugar.
• 8. Pour mixture over crust. Refrigerate until set, 3 to 4 hours.
• 9. Before serving, decorate to look like a flag, using the blueberries for the stars, the raspberries for the stripes.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Melt butter in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and mix in wafer crumbs until combined. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
• Place the pan on a cookie sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Remove crust from the oven and pour cream cheese mixture over top.
• Return to the oven and bake until the edges are puffed and the surface of cheesecake is firm except for a small spot in the center that will jiggle when the pan is gently shaken, about 40 minutes.
• Remove from the oven. Run the tip of a table knife around the edges of the pan, set the pan on a wire rack, and allow the cheesecake to cool at room temperature, about 1 hour.
• Decorate the top with strawberries and blueberries and refrigerate until completely chilled, 8 hours to overnight.

Steps:

• Combine graham crumbs, butter and granulated sugar; press onto bottom of 13x9-inch dish.
• Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar with mixer until blended. Gently stir in COOL WHIP; spread over crust. Refrigerate 1 hour.
• Place assorted sizes of star-shaped cookie cutters on top of cheesecake; press gently into cheesecake to secure. Drizzle jam around cookie cutters; spread gently to completely cover area around cookie cutters. Carefully remove cookie cutters. Arrange blueberries around edge of cheesecake.