Page 22 - CMA PROfiles Summer 2015

Cake Catastrophe Unfortunately, there are no pictures of my wedding
cake before it was destroyed!
by Joe Knobbe
s I get ready for my daughter's upcoming wedding, I’m reminded New York Cheesecake
of my own wedding more than 30 years ago – and the cake. My
A sister-in-law Pam made our wedding cake and on the day of the
ceremony, she carefully delivered it to the hall and got it all set up. Ingredients
Now, remember, this is in the age before cell phones, instant com-
munication and digital cameras. Sometime after she left, the people • 5 large eggs, room temperature...
at the hall decided to move the table that the cake was so carefully • 2 cups (one pint) sour cream, room temperature
placed on. And when they moved it, one of the legs on the fold- • 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
ing table didn’t get properly extended and the cake crashed to the • 8 tablespoons (one stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
ground! They finally got a hold of Pam several hours later while • 1 1/2 cups sugar
she was at my Mom’s between the ceremony and the reception. She • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
zoomed home and got her decorating supplies and tried her very best • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
to put what essentially had become Humpty Dumpty back together • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
again. She actually did a great job under very difficult circumstances • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
but we did lose the very top layer and the rest was nowhere near as
beautiful as she said it had once been. There are no pictures and she’s Generously butter the inside of a 10-inch spring form pan.
really the only one besides the people at the hall who saw the finished Wrap a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil tightly
product, so we’ll have to trust her word on that. around the outside bottom and sides, crimping and pleating the
foil to make it conform to the pan. This will help to prevent
So, in honor of my daughter's upcoming wedding, here’s my recipe water seeping into the pan when you put it into the bain-marie.
for the best cheesecake ever. ❖ Position the baking rack in the center of the oven; preheat the
oven to 300* Fahrenheit.
Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the
eggs with the sour cream until well blended.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, beat the cream cheese with the
butter until smooth and creamy. Add this to the egg-sour
cream mixture and beat until smooth.
3. Add the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon
zest and beat thoroughly, about 2 minutes.
4. Pour into the prepared springform pan and place in a roast-
ing pan (or other pan) large enough to prevent the sides
from touching. Place in the oven and carefully pour in
enough very hot tap water to reach halfway up the sides of
the springform pan.
5. Bake for 2 hours, 15 minutes, or until the cake is very
lightly colored and a knife inserted in the center emerges
clean. Remove from the water bath and carefully peel the
aluminum foil from around the pan. Let stand at room tem-
perature until completely cool, about 4 hours. Refrigerate,
covered, until well chilled. For best flavor and texture, this
cheesecake is best chilled overnight.

22 PROFILES • Volume 15 • Issue 3, 2015 • www.cabinetmakers.org