Copycat Junior’s Apricot and Raspberry Cheesecake
This cheesecake is a beautiful and delicious labor of love. It is as much work as you might guess, but it is even more delicious than it looks.
Yes, the recipe has a long list of ingredients and an equally long list of steps, but it is worth it for a special occasion.
Notes:
-I would not suggest using any other size pan but a 9-inch. We used an 8-inch pan in the past and the filling did not set up properly.
-For high altitude bakers, I would suggest using our substitution of 1/2 cup of sour cream and 1/4 cup of heavy cream in place of the 3/4 cup of heavy cream. We had more success with the cheesecake setting up this way. This would also be a good substitution if you enjoy the flavor of sour cream, which is quite good in cheesecakes.
Apricot and Raspberry Junior’s Cheesecake
Makes one 9-inch cheesecake
Ingredients:
- Sponge Cake Layer:
- 1/2 cup sifted cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 drops lemon extract (alternatively you can use Fiori di Sicilia, which is what we used)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- Cream Cheese Filling:
- 4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
- 1 2/3 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream (See notes above for an alternative)
- For garnish:
- 1 can of solo apricot pastry filling (alternatively, use a small jar of apricot preserves)
- 3 cups fresh raspberries, rinsed and dried (I didn’t measure, it is probably between 2-3 cups)
- Frosting:
- 4 cups of your favorite buttercream frosting (We don’t use a recipe for this part, it is just by eye, so I don’t have a recipe for you for this step.)
Directions:
- Sponge cake: Preheat the oven to 350-f degrees and generously butter a 9-inch springform pan. (Do NOT substitute an 8-inch pan)
- Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- Beat the egg yolks together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high for 3 minutes.
- Then, with the mixer still running, gradually add the 1/3 cup of sugar and continue beating until thick light-yellow ribbons form in the bowl, about 5 minutes more.
- Beat in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
- Sift the flour mixture over the batter and stir it in by hand until mo more white flecks appear.
- Then blend in the butter.
- In a clean bowl, using clean dry beaters, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together on high until frothy.
- Gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form (the whites should stand up in stiff peaks, but not be dry).
- Stir about 1/3 cup of the whites into the batter, then gently fold in the remaining whites (don’t worry if a few white specks remain).
- Gently spoon the batter into the pan.
- Bake the cake just until the center of the cake springs back when lightly touched, only about 10 minutes (watch carefully.) Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack while you continue making the cheesecake filling.
- Do not remove the cake from the pan.
- For the Cream Cheese Filling:
- Place one 8-ounce package of the cream cheese, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch in a large bowl.
- Beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy, about 3 minutes, then beat in the remaining 3 packages of the cream cheese.
- Increase the mixer speed to high and beat in the remaining 1 1/3 cups of the sugar, then beat in the vanilla.
- Blend in the eggs, one at a time, beating the batter well after each one.
- Blend in heavy cream.
- At this point mix the filling only until completely blended. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
- Gently spoon the cheese filling on top of the baked sponge cake layer.
- Place the springform pan in a large shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1 inch up the side of the pan.
- Bake the cheesecake until the center barely jiggles when you shake the pan, about 1 hour.
- Cool the cake on a wire rack for 1 hour.
- Then cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it’s completely cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Prepare the buttercream frosting and set aside.
- Remove the sides of the springform pan.
- Spread a layer of the apricot filling over the chilled cheesecake. Add the raspberries on top of the apricot filling in a neat, uniform pattern.
- Slide the cake off of the bottom of the pan onto a serving plate. Pipe with prepared buttercream frosting in any design you prefer, going along the base and around the top.
- Store any leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator.
Adapted from Food.com
That does sound like a lot of work, but I bet it is worth it! It looks really good!
My hubsands birthday is coming up in May and as he loves raspberries I shall make this for him It look delicious and I am sure he will enjoy it Thank you
Deirdre