HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!
The cake pictured above is from a mix - the boy needed a cake to take to work for their annual bake sale...hey, if I'm going to make a cake for a stranger then it's not going to be from scratch! But it did turn out very cute!
It just wouldn't be the 4th of July unless I made these cherry topped cheesecakes...I first had these cheesecakes when we lived in Northwest Arkansas...I was invited to a ladies luncheon/fundraiser by one of the Junior Auxiliary members...it was the only "game" in town and I was desperate for friends so I was thrilled to get an invite. Northwest Arkansas, at the time, had more cows than people...and those cows had more teeth than the people did...but it was also the home of Walmart and JB Hunt Trucking and Tyson Chicken and I could go on and on...one side of the tracks lived the millionaires...the other side was home to the lean-tos and wannabees...anyway, back to the party...this was a big deal because Mrs. Clinton, that's right...Hillary Rodham Clinton, was going to be at the party - she was coming to our little part of the world because she was going to speak at the Walmart Shareholders meeting...she was stopping by the ladies luncheon to shake hands, kiss babies and smile for the camera...it was an election year after all and her dear, dear husband had just told everyone in the state that if he was re-elected that he would NOT run for president....if only he'd kept his word! While the cameras were rolling - the local news people were all over this - Mrs. Clinton was all smiles...when the cameras went off, she didn't speak to a soul - retreated to her car then left!
These cheesecakes were part of the menu at that luncheon and I liked them so much I begged for the recipe - they've been part of our 4th of July table for over 20 years. And like most things, they've been adpated over the years...instead of graham crackers I now use Vanilla wafers and I also fiddled with the sugar and cream cheese until I got it just right (for my taste buds!) I think you'll like love these as much as we do!
Cheesecake Cupcakes - Pots and Pins
Makes 12 regular-sized cheesecake cupcakes or 24 mini's
Crust:
1 cup crushed Vanilla Wafers (I buy the 12 oz. box and use about about 40 wafers)
1/4 cup melted butter
Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
Topping:
1 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Garnishes: Top with cherry pie filling or blueberry pie filling or whatever pie filling you like.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cupcake liners in a regular-sized muffin pan (you can also use a mini-pan and liners to get 24 mini-cheesecakes.) Combine crushed Vanilla Wafers and melted butter until mixed well. Press a teaspoon or so of this mixture into the bottom of each liner. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla and blend well. Pour this mixture over the top of the crust. Bake in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes (Cheesecakes will be done when the center is slightly firm. It's okay if they crack and as they cool they will sink the in center - just the way they're supposed to!) Cool for 10 minutes.
Make topping: Combine in a small bowl the sour cream, sugar and vanilla and stir with a whisk until blended. When cheesecakes have cooled for 10 minutes (the centers will drop down) put a tablespoon or so of the topping on top of each cheesecakes, covering the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 more minutes. Remove and let cool for 20 minutes in the pan. Carefully remove from the pan and let cool on a wire rack for at least another 30 minutes. Put toppings on cheesecakes and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Serve cold. Makes 12 cheesecake cupcakes.
"Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."
Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address. November 19, 1863.
