Mandarin Orange Cheesecake (Cheesecake Recipes)

[bholus10]

Step 17:

And here it is, finally out of the pan.

The orange layer doesn't show up as well in the picture, but it looks really nice laying on a plate. The edges are a little rough and ugly, though, so first we'll cover that up.

[bholus10]

Step 18:

Take your remaining crushed graham crackers, and press them into the sides of the cake. You won't get a huge amount of them to stick, just a thin layer, but it's enough to pretty it up. Once that's done, it's time to start making the topping.

[bholus10]

Step 19:

Put the 1/4 cup of Apricot Jam and 1tbsp of Orange Juice in a small sauce pan over medium low heat. (Why Aprocot jam? Because orange would be too overpowering. Apricot has a sweeter, less acidic flavor that won't overpower the mandarin orange slices, or the cake.)

While that's melting, take a moment to drain the mandarin orange slices and pat them dry with a paper towel.

[bholus10]

Step 20:

Once the jam and juice mixture has melted, coat the top of your cheesecake with it. A pastry brush is excellent for this, of course. You could use a basting brush, but be careful with the stronger bristles it has. If you don't have either of these, just pour it on top of the cake and carefully smear it all over the top with a soft rubber spatula, a spoon, or your (clean!) fingers. Don't worry if it drips over the edges.

Once it's well coated with the glaze, start putting the orange slices in concentric circles on the top of the cake.

The slices are really small, but there's a lot of them. It'll be fine. Cover the entire top of your cheesecake with them.

Letting this chill in the refrigerator for at least a half hour before serving will allow the glaze to firm up and really hold the orange slices onto the top of the cake, though it could certainly be served immediately.

Extra Bonus Content! -- Here are a few more ideas that I just came up with right now.

1) Want an extra fancy presentation? Get an extra can of mandarin orange slices, and prepare 1-1/2 times the glaze. Drain and dry them like the others. Put your cheesecake on a platter big enough to serve it on, and arrange the extra slices around the base of the cheesecake. Drizzle the extra glaze on the plate around the cake.

2) Don't want the mandarin orange topping? Try this. Get some chocolate (baking chocolate would be best because of the firmness and size of the chunks, but you can use a Hershey's bar) and put it in the freezer while your cake is in the fridge overnight. When you're ready to make the topping, zest another orange, and shave the chocolate bar. (Using a knife to shave it will yield the best looking results, though you could use the grater.) Liberally sprinkle the top of the cake with the orange zest and chocolate shavings.

3) The mandarin orange topping goes great on plain cheesecake, too. Or try it with other fruit, like strawberries (you can use strawberry jam for this since they aren't really acidic), blueberries, or cherries. You can take the easy way out by using canned pie filling, or make it yourself with fresh ingredients. You can also try other flavors for the cheesecake itself, though this may require more experimentation.

And there you have it! My favorite part of this recipe, by the way? It's pretty cheap. Assuming you already have the basic baking supplies (sugar, ****er, eggs, vanilla extract) and not counting the cost of the cake pan. Blocks of cream cheese can often be had for $1 on sale, and you can use store brand graham crackers. The cost of the whole thing is less than $10, and you will never find a whole cheesecake this good for that price.

Enjoy!