Best Baked Illawarra Plum Cheesecake Recipes

GLAZED PLUM CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Make crust
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Combine graham crackers, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in processor. Process until fine crumbs form. Mix in melted butter. Transfer to prepared pan. Pat crumb mixture over bottom (not sides) of pan. Bake crust until set and golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to rack while preparing filling.
• Make filling
• Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until smooth. Beat in sugar. Beat in eggs just until blended. Mix in sour cream, lemon peel and vanilla.
• Pour filling into crust-lined pan. Bake until sides of cheesecake puff slightly and center is just set, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Turn oven off. Leave cake in oven with door slightly open for 30 minutes.
• Transfer cake to rack. Run small knife between crust and pan. Cool cake completely in pan on rack, about 3 hours (cake may crack slightly as it cools). Cover and refrigerate cake overnight.
• Make plums
• Whisk orange juice, jelly, brown sugar and ginger in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until jelly dissolves. Add plums. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer gently until plums are just tender but still hold shape, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer plums to large plate and cool.
• Boil cooking liquid until thickened to syrup consistency, about 7 minutes. (Plums and syrup can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.)
• Release pan sides from cheesecake. Arrange plums in concentric circles atop cheesecake, covering completely. Brush some syrup over plums. Cut cake into wedges. Serve with remaining syrup.

PLUM AND ORANGE BAKED CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Grease 23cm spring form tin.
• Process biscuits.
• add butter and process til just combined.
• Press into tin.
• Refrigerate about 20 mins.
• Heat over to slow.
• Drain plums in large bowl
• Reserve juice for syrup.
• Halve plums and remove the stones.
• Combine rest of ingredients except almonds.
• Beat 5 mins til sooth, thick.
• Pour into tin.
• Place plums on top.
• Top with almonds.
• Bake in slow oven about 50 - 60 minutes.
• Cool in oven with door ajar.

PLUM CHEESECAKE GALETTE

Steps:

• Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor until combined. Add the butter and pulse until it resembles coarse meal mixed with pea-size bits of butter, 10 to 15 times. Add the egg mixture and pulse until the dough just starts to come together, about 10 times. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, using the plastic to help form it into a disk. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• Whisk together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, egg yolk and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator, about 45 minutes. Toss the plums, brown sugar, cornstarch and vanilla together in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Position a rack in the center of the oven and place a rimmed baking sheet on it. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Sprinkle the dough lightly with flour on both sides and roll out on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch round that is about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment and place on an inverted baking sheet.
• Spread the cream cheese mixture over the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border on all sides. Lay the plum slices overlapping in concentric circles to cover the cream cheese filling. Fold the edges of the dough over the filling, pleating as needed. Brush the crust with the egg white and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Slide the galette and parchment paper onto the preheated baking sheet and bake until crust is golden, about 40 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving, about 30 minutes.

THE BEST NEW YORK-STYLE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• For the crust: Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.
• Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, brown sugar and salt in a medium bowl until evenly moistened.
• Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake the crust until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes.
• Cool completely on a rack. Wrap the bottom and up the sides of the pan with foil and place in a roasting pan.
• For the filling: Add the cream cheese to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and beat, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add the cream, beating until combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the lemon zest and juice, vanilla and salt and beat just until combined, taking care not to over whip. Pour into the crust.
• Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Carefully place the roasting pan in the oven (don't pull the rack out of the oven). Pour enough hot water in the roasting pan to come about halfway up the side of the foil-wrapped springform pan.
• Bake until the top of the cheesecake is lightly browned around the edges, but the center still jiggles slightly, about 2 hours.
• Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan to a rack. Run a knife around the edges and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours and up to overnight.
• Bring the cheesecake to room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Remove the springform ring. Dip a knife in warm water and wipe dry before slicing each piece.