Cheesecake with Crumbs

This cheesecake has been very popular among our family and friends, for many years. I first tasted this cake in the 1970’s, when our friend Tova brought it to an Independence Day Picnic, which was held every year in the Jerusalem hills, with the members of the Hebrew University Business School.

This is a delightful cake, and easy to prepare. The filling, which has whipped cream in it, does not get baked – only the dough is baked.

I don’t know how Tova manaed to bring the cake to the picnic and keep it cold, but she did, and I do remember that we all loved it, and I recall many of us asking her for the recipe.

Note that this cake must be covered and refrigerated once assembled.

ENJOY!

Ingredients:

Dough

• 200 grams (approx 7 oz) butter
• 2 cups self rising flour
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 egg yolks

Cheese Filling

• 500 grams (approx. 14 oz) 9% white cheese (this is the cheese we use in Israel, and hopefully there is something similar abroad – I assume that some kind of cream cheese will do fine, as long as it isn’t too heavy.
• 2/3 cup of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract
• 1 container whipping cream
• 2 Tablespoons sugar (this is in addition to the 2/3 cup sugar listed above)

Preparation:

Dough

1. Mix all dough ingredients in food processor, until it turns into a dough.
2. Divide the dough into two parts.
3. Pat one half of the dough into the bottom (NOT the sides) of a cake pan (approx 26 cm diameter – or 10 inches), preferably the type where you can remove the sides, if you want a nice presentation.
4. Bake at medium temperature (180 C or 350 F) until a nice golden brown color. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
5. Pat the remaining half of the dough into any cake pan of any size, spreading it till it is a nice thin dough; it doesn’t have to be even, and the size is not important, because once this is baked and cooled, this will be crushed with the tines of a fork.
6. Bake this at medium temperature (180 C or 350 F) till golden brown (please don’t allow it to get too brown; it should NOT be a dark brown color, but a pleasant golden brown). Remove from oven, allow to cool to room temperature, and when it is no longer warm, slide the tines of a fork back and forth through the dough, until it forms crumbs. Save these crumbs to sprinkle on top of cake when you finish preparing the filling.

Cheese Filling

1. In one mixer bowl, beat whipping cream with 2 Tablespoons sugar, till stiff. Set aside.
2. In second mixer bowl, mix the 500 grams (14 oz) cheese, 2/3 cup sugar, and vanilla extract.
3. By hand, fold the two mixtures together.
4. Pour the cheese/whipped cream mixture into the baked dough in cake pan. Smooth out so it is of even height throughout.
5. Sprinkle dough crumbs which you put aside, all over the top; it should evenly cover entire cake filling.
6. Cover, and refrigerate until serving. Can keep for a few days, covered, in the refrigerator.
7. Enjoy!