Another Birthday Cake! For XKT!!

When I wrote this post about the Hawthornes' August birthdays, I intentionally left out one of the August birthdays. I was speaking of the immediate Hawthorne family - a nucleus of five. Three of the five have birthdays in August. Mr. Hawthorne's birthday is the 31st of August. Daughter Hawthorne's birthday is the 7th. Youngest Hawthorne's is the 11th. Middle Hawthorne and Rosie are in December and January. But there is another Hawthorne in our August group of birthdays and that would be XKT. She's right in between Daughter and Youngest Hawthornes' birthdays on August 9th. So, XKT, this is your birthday post. I didn't want you to have to share a post with Daughter Hawthorne or Youngest Hawthorne. You deserve your very own birthday post and here it is. I'm making a cheesecake for XKT. Lemon cheesecake. And I'm making it to fit a 7-inch springform pan.

Ingredients for the crust. 1 package of graham crackers, crushed 5 TB butter, melted 2 TB sugar Mix ingredients and press into a 7-inch springform pan - bottom and up sides about 1/2 inch. Set in freezer while you prepare the filling.

I put everything in my Blue Ninja and processed it.

Press the crumbs in the bottom and up the sides of a 7-inch pan. Place in freezer while you prepare the filling.

Cheesecake Ingredients 2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup sugar 2 eggs 2 TB heavy cream 3 TB sour cream zest and juice of one lemon 1 TB vanilla Have ingredients at room temperature. Beat cream cheese until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually beat in sugar until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add rest of ingredients, beating on low speed until mixed. Pour batter into pan and smooth top. Fold a sheet of aluminum foil up sides of pan. Set springform pan in a larger pan. Pour boiling water into larger pan about halfway up sides of springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes, until edges are set. Turn off oven, prop oven door open slightly, and let sit in oven for 1 hour. Remove to rack, cool completely, and refrigerate overnight before slicing and serving.

When the cream cheese is nice and smooth and creamy, slowly beat in sugar.

Add in eggs, one at a time.

Beat after each addition.

Beat in cream.

Sour cream in.

Vanilla in. And pretend the lemon juice and zest went in, since I don't have a picture of it.

Pour into 7-inch springform pan.

Smooth top.

I wrapped the springform pan in heavy duty foil, placed it in a larger pan, and poured boiling water in the larger pan about halfway up the springform pan. This cooking technique is called a bain marie. The water surrounds the food with gentle heat. This technique is designed to cook delicate dishes like custards, sauces, and mousses without breaking or curdling them. XKT was blowing through town so I wasn't able to get a picture of the finished product. Actually, XKT received the cake while it was still warm. I told her to refrigerate it and not slice into it until the next day. Heh. She was staying with Glowria that night and I believe those two came close to fisticuffs over the cheesecake. We already know that Glowria is a zucchini bread whore, so this was not totally unexpected. Fortunately, XKT was able to get home with the remains of her cheesecake and was kind enough to send me pictures.

I take it that the cheesecake was palatable, XKT?

Katie Hawthorne, Dixie's cousin, guards the cheesecake.