Springtime Cheesecake

Cooking Instructions

Heat oven to 325°F. Coat an 8-in. springform pan with nonstick spray.

Crust: Break graham crackers into food processor and pulse until fine crumbs form. Or crush crackers to fine crumbs in a plastic food bag with a rolling pin. Transfer to prepared pan. Stir in butter until blended; press firmly over bottom of pan.

Filling: Beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, just until blended. Beat in sour cream and grated orange peel and juice until combined. Pour over Crust.

Bake 45 minutes or until edge of cheese­­cake puffs slightly and center still jig­gles slightly when shaken. Turn off oven (leave door closed); let cake cool in oven 1 hour.

Carefully run a thin knife around edge of pan to release cheesecake. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

Chocolate Glaze: Put ingredients in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat; let cool slightly.

Remove pan sides; place cheesecake on serving plate. Spread glaze on top, creating pattern with back of a spoon. Place in a cake keeper or cover with a pot and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.

About 1 hour before serving: Arrange Flowers, raspberries and mint leaves on and around cake. Leave at room temperature until serving.

Planning Tip: The cheesecake can be made through Step 7 up to 3 days ahead. Proceed with Step 8 up to 1 hour before serving. The Flowers can be made up to 1 week ahead. Store loosely covered in a single layer at room temperature.

FLOWERS

Use any extra flowers to decorate each serving plate. They’re delicious.

⁄2 cup (see Tip) marshmallow cream (such as Marshmallow Fluff or Creme)

About 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Red and yellow liquid food color

-in. flower-shaped cutter (see Note)

Scrape marshmallow cream into a medium bowl. Add 1⁄3 cup confectioners’ sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until too hard to stir in more; knead in the rest. Sprinkle 1⁄2 cup sugar on work surface and knead into the dough (knead with your palm when the going gets tough) until a smooth, stiff dough forms. Divide in half. Wrap half in plastic wrap. Knead 1 drop red food color into other half until pink.

On work surface dusted with confectioners’ sugar, roll out pink dough with a rolling pin. One at a time, cut out flowers with cutter or make flowers as described in Note, below. Gently bend up petals.

Repeat with white dough. Gather white scraps and knead in yellow food color as above. Roll into small balls; press 1 into center of each flower, lightly moistening 1 side of ball, if needed, to adhere.

NOTE To make flowers without a cutter, roll dough into 3⁄4-in. balls. Slightly flatten 1 ball at a time and form petals by pressing and gently pinching dough around edges between thumb and index finger. Gently press flower in center to bend up petals.

TIP Lightly coat the measuring cup with nonstick spray or oil before adding the marshmallow cream.