Easy Spring Dessert – Cheesecake with Strawberry Topping

Image via: The Healthy Foodie

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Ingredients

For the Crust

• 5 tbsp of unsalted butter (melted)
• A 10-ounce packet of shortbread cookies

For the Filling

• ½ tsp of almond extract
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp of all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
• 10 ounces of frozen unsweetened strawberries (thaw and reserve the juice)
• 3 packets of cream cheese (8-ounces)
• 3 big eggs

For the Topping

• 3 packets of fresh strawberries (1-pint) halved lengthwise
• ⅓ cup of strawberry or black currant jelly

Preparation

For the Crust

1. Preheat your oven to 325⁰. Butter a large, circular pan.
2. Put the cookies in the processor and grind them to crumbs.
3. Add butter to the crumbs until they are moist.
4. Put the mixture in the prepared pan and bake until the crust turns golden.
5. Remove and set aside.

Image via: Erecipe 

For the Filling

1. Blend the melted strawberries and juice in a processor until they are smooth.
2. Fill a cup with ¾ of the puree and reserve the rest for another use.
3. Put the cream cheese and sugar in the processor and mix. Add the flour and continue blending. Add eggs and blend until smooth, scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally.
4. Add the vanilla extract, strawberry puree, almond extract, lemon juice, and blend until fully mixed.
5. Put the mixture in the prepared crust. Bake until the center is soft and the edges change color (for about 1 hour 15 minutes).
6. Place the cake on a rack then refrigerate until cold. You can make the cake in advance.

For the Topping

1. Cook the jelly in low heat until it melts.
2. Arrange the berries on top of the cheesecake and brush them with the warm jelly.
3. Chill the cake for at least 1 hour then serve.

This cheesecake is everything you would expect from a cheesecake and more. It is tangy, creamy, and melts in the mouth. You can do away with the strawberry topping if you just want a regular cheesecake. However, it is highly recommended. For a perfect finishing touch, add whipped cream.

What do you love about this easy spring dessert?

Spring Dessert: Lemon Meringue Pie

Image via: Keep Recipes

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Ingredients:

Meringue Topping

• 2 tbsp. of sugar
• 1 pinch of cream of tartar
• 4 egg whites (set the yolks aside)

Lemon Filling

• ½ cup of lemon juice
• ¼ tsp. of salt
• ⅓ cup of cornstarch
• 1 ½ cups of water
• 1 ⅓ cups of sugar
• 3 tbsp. of butter
• 1 tbsp of lemon zest (finely grated)
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 pre-cooked pie shell (9-inch)

Directions:

Meringue Topping

1. Put the cream of tartar and egg whites in a stand mixer’s bowl. Beat with the whisk attachment.
2. Keep on beating until soft peaks form then add sugar gradually. After 1-2 minutes, stiff peaks will form. Use to top lemon filling.

Lemon Filling

1. Place the oven rack in the middle position. Preheat your oven to 375⁰
2. Beat the egg yolks in a mixing bowl and set aside.
3. In a saucepan, mix the sugar, salt, water, and cornstarch. Cook the mixture over medium heat and keep stirring till boiling point.
4. Remove from heat and add a small portion of the mixture to the egg yolks at a time. Stir until you’ve added all of the mixture.
5. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat as you stir. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the lemon juice, zest, and butter as you stir.
6. Put the mixture in the pie shell and cover with meringue topping. The topping should completely cover the filling.
7. Bake the pie for 10-12 minutes or till the meringue is golden. Remove it and place it on a wire rack to cool. Slice and serve.

Image via: Tablets Magazine

This spring dessert is simply delectable! The lemon is not overpowering and the meringue is just right. To prevent the meringue from burning, stir it frequently. Also remove it from the heat after it becomes really thick. You’ll enjoy serving the pie to your family as well as your friends. It might even become your go-to dessert!

What would you change about this recipe?

Spring Dessert: Lemon-Rosemary Coffee Cake

Image via: Harvest and Honey

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Ingredients

8 to 10 servings

All-purpose flour (2 cups)

3 large lemons

Lemon curd (1 jar or 10 ounces)

Buttermilk (3/4 cup)

Very cold butter (1/2 cup; cubed)

Fresh rosemary (1-1/2 teaspoons; chopped)

1 large egg

Baking soda (1/2 teaspoon)

Baking powder (1 teaspoon)

Sugar (1-1/4 cups)

Powdered sugar

Salt (1/2 teaspoon)

Parchment paper

For Garnish

Lemon slices

Rosemary sprigs

Image via: Southern Living

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350°. Take a 9-inch springform pan and grease its bottom and sides lightly. Place the parchment paper at the bottom of the pan.
• Grate 1 tablespoon of lemon zest. Then, squeeze 5 tablespoons of lemon juice. Reserve 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and the zest.
• Take a bowl and mix flour, salt, and sugar in it. Beat ¾ times until everything is blended perfectly. Add butter and keep beating until the mixture looks like rough crumbs.
• Reserve 1 cup of mixture and transfer the rest to a heavy-duty electric stand mixer’s bowl. Beat at a low speed after adding baking soda and baking powder. Blend well.
• Add egg, buttermilk, and ¼-cup lemon juice to the mixture and beat at a medium speed until everything is blended well. Stir in rosemary.
• Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan. Take a small bowl and whisk the lemon curd in it until becomes smooth. Spread the curd over the batter and then top with the remaining batter.
• Stir together the reserved flour mixture, lemon juice, and the lemon zest. Spread the mixture over the batter.
• Now, bake the cake until a fork inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Cool for 10 minutes. Now, remove the cake from pan and cool it on a wire rack for 1 hour.
• Sprinkle powdered sugar before serving.

Tips

• Lemon curd can be substituted with Greek yogurt.

Image via: Pinterest

This spring dessert is simply a keeper with its creamy, lemony flavors! The lemon curd and zest offer a very nice, delicious contrast to the moist cake while the rosemary adds freshness to it. Making the cake is a bit time-consuming but it is worth for any special occasion.

Click here for more delicious coffee cake recipes on Stagetecture.