Monday, April 13, 2009

Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake



STRAWBERRY SWIRL CHEESECAKE

I've been making homemade cheesecakes for years. Somewhere along the line it ended up being the traditional Easter dessert at our house. When made with lower fat ingredients, you don't even have to feel too bad for eating it!

Crust:
1 c graham cracker crumbs
3 T sugar
3 T butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325. Line a 9x13 pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over the sides of the pan. Mix crust ingredients together; press firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes.

Filling:
5 pkg cream cheese (I used 3 reduced fat & 2 fat free)
1 c sugar
3 T flour
1 T vanilla
1 c sour cream (I used reduced fat)
4 eggs
seedless strawberry (or other fruit) jam (I used homemade freezer jam)

Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each one until well blended. Pour over crust. Gently drop small spoonfuls of jam over batter; cut through several times with a butter knife to make a swirly design. Bake 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate at least four hours, but overnight is best. Lift cheesecake from pan using foil handles. Cut into pieces and serve. Store in the fridge.

Our Easter dinner was absolutely delicious! I had never baked Cornish game hens before, but they were really easy and a super fun addition to our Easter table. I'm not a huge fan of chicken on a bone, but how can anyone resist having a whole little chicken to themselves? This was our Easter menu...


jalapeno appetizers
*********
Cornish game hens
baked sweet potatoes
pistachio salad
rolls
sparkling juice
*********
homemade cheesecake






24 comments:

Heather said...

everything looks great. i've never cooked a little hen either. i've wondered if it was easy or not! maybe i'll have to try one of these days.

Stephanie said...

Cornish hens are so fun! We've only done them a couple times, but they really are fun to cook and eat. :-)

The cheesecake looks delicious. I think I'm starting to crave cheesecakes a bit...

The Raggedy Girl said...

I had totally forgotten about these little hens. I used to stuff them with a nutty, fruity stuffing and my kids loved them. Thanks for the post.

Have A Marvelous Monday
from Roberta Anne
"The Raggedy Girl"

The Purple Carrot said...

Yum! That looks like a great Easter dinner ... I wouldn't have minded eating at your house! ; )

Pami said...

looks like a great meal yummy, you had me at jalapeno appetizers my favorites!!!

Anonymous said...

Mmmm, what a yummy meal. Your cheesecake looks to die for!

Lois Christensen said...

The hens look delicious and so does that cheesecake!! Your table looks beautiful as well!

Shell in your Pocket said...

What a delightful meal and that cheesecake is calling my name!
sandy toe

Jen@Balancing Beauty and Bedlam said...

Everything looks just beautiful.
We are huge cheesecake eaters here. And the jalapeno appetizers? My boys would die for those.
Thanks for linking up to Tasty Tuesday. :)

Cainan & Ryker said...

I always make homemade cheesecake for Easter too. I usually do a carrot cheesecake....I guess to go along with the bunny theme. I've done blueberry swirl before and raspberry swirl, but never strawberry swirl. I'll have to try that next.

Nicole said...

I will be making that cheesecake very soon. It looks wonderful and easy.

Sherry @ Lamp Unto My Feet said...

THis looks fabulous and something my family would probably devour! We love cheesecake!! Great looking menu!! Thanks for posting! :D

have a great day!
Sherry

phillips phamily said...

Love the menu! Thanks for the inspiration to change things up a bit at our next family function. My husband would stop at the jalapenos and park for a while!

Susie Homemaker said...

OH, once when I was little we were served Cornish Hens at my Uncle's home...I cried and cried about that poor little thing...now, YUM!

Your cheesecake looks so good too!

Blessings,
Susie

Anonymous said...

Homemade cheesecake! Who doesn't love that?

Hoosier Homemade said...

Wow, everything looks so good! Your table looks pretty too.
Thanks for sharing!
~Liz

Joyce said...

Another great recipe I have to make. Honestly there goes my diet but thanks for sharing as it looks delicious!
Joyce

A happy heart at home said...

We have cheesecake for Easter dinner dessert, too!

~Susan

Kimmie said...

WOW...for the love of Cheesecake that looks SO yummy! I will definitely have to add that to my recipes of things to try when our garden strawberries come on this summer.

It looks like your friends and you and your hubby were well fed and had a gorgeous table setting as well.

Brenda said...

Looks like a delicious menu, and that strawberry cheesecake looks great!

Kristen said...

Your cheesecake looks amazing!!!

Kristen said...

Your cheesecake looks amazing! Actually, everything looks amazing!!

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home said...

Cheesecake's one of my favorite things. Yours looks yummy!

Nancy Jane said...

This all looks so delicious! I had to stop making Cornish game hens during our first year of marriage many years ago. It took some time, but my husband finally told me that he didn't like them! I still think that is was sweet that he ate them for quite a while anyway! BTW: Your blog is delightful and I'm very impressed with those high tech Target birds!
Nancy