Independence Day Cheesecake

What is more perfect for the Fourth of July than a red, white and blue dessert? Nothing, I say. Especially when it's a creamy New York Cheesecake topped with fresh berries and homemade whipped cream.

What you need:
4 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 3/4 cup white sugar
1/8 cup cornstarch
1 fluid oz amaretto liqueur
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
Blueberries
Raspberries

For the whipped cream:
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar

Set all your ingredients out ahead of time and let them come to room temperature. Place your oven rack in the center and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wrap the outside of a ten inch springform pan with foil and generously butter the inside of the pan.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth.

Mix in sugar and cornstarch. Blend in sour cream and whipping cream. Add amaretto and vanilla.

Stir in eggs and egg yolk one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Pour into prepared pan.

Place pan in another pan at least one inch wider than cake pan and add warm water to the outer pan to create a warm water path. This will prevent the top of the cake from cracking. Bake on the center rack for 70 minutes or until only the center of the cake jiggles slightly.

Turn oven off and let cake cool inside the oven with the oven door open for an hour. Remove from water bath and let cool completely. Chill at least 3 hours before decorating. Rinse your berries and prepare whipped cream.
In a medium bowl, whip 1/2 cup whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar and a 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla. Beat until stiff peaks form.

To make the pattern, start with a dot of whipped cream in the center. Make a ring of blueberries around the dot. The next ring should have a pattern of one blueberry, one dot of whipped cream, one blueberry etc. The next ring should be two blueberries to each dot of whipped cream and the next is three blueberries to each dot of whipped cream. You see the pattern.
Now make a ring of raspberry halves, followed by a stripe of whipped cream. Keep with this pattern until you have covered the cake.

Voila! Now you have a patriotic cheesecake for your Fourth of July celebration! Just don't let the whipped cream get to warm or it will melt.

Here's a tip for cutting pretty slices of cheesecake: Use string. I used a piece of thick thread and stretched it across. It slices the cake cleanly in half and you just pull it out after you reach the bottom. Just make sure you don't try to cut through the blueberries! They're too tough for the string.

Good luck and happy baking!
Rosie

Source: All Recipes