1 tb Butter or margarine, 2 ts Vanilla extract
-softened Boiling water
2 tb Graham-cracker crumbs Cardboard or cardboard cake
5 8-oz packages cream cheese, -round
-at room temperature Chocolate Glaze (recipe
1 1/4 c Sugar -follows)
5 Large eggs Candied Violets (opt.)
3 tb Pesticide-free violet petals Violet leaves (opt.)
1. Using the butter, coat the inside bot- tom and 2 inches up the
sides of a 10-C mold or 10-inch Bundt pan. Sprinkle mold with
graham-cracker crumbs, shaking mold to evenly coat the inside
completely. Turn mold upside down to remove excess crumbs.
2. Heat oven to 325’F. In large bowl, with electric mixer at medium
speed, beat cream cheese until softened and fluffy. Beat in sugar
until well mixed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each
addition. With rubber spatula, fold in violet petals and vanilla
until well mixed. Pour mixture into prepared mold.
3. Set filled mold in a 13- by 9-inch bak- ing pan and place on the
lower oven rack. Pour boiling water into pan to a depth of about 1
inch.
4. Bake cheesecake 1 1/2 hours or until almost set in the center. If
using Bundt pan, bake 1 1/4 hours. Turn off oven; let cake stand in
oven 30 minutes longer. Remove cheesecake from the water bath and
cool in the mold to room temperature on wire rack.
5. Cut a piece of cardboard into a round to fit exactly over the
cheesecake. Loosen the cake around the side of mold. Unmold cake onto
the cardboard round and place on a wire rack set over a jelly-roll
pan.
6. Prepare Chocolate Glaze. Pour half of glaze over top of
cheesecake, and with small metal spatula, carefully spread to evenly
cover side, allowing excess to drip into pan below. Refrigerate cake
just until glaze hardens.
7. Meanwhile, keep remaining glaze at room temperature. If glaze
hardens, re-heat in hot water just until spoonable. Pour and evenly
spread remaining glaze over cake. Refrigerate cheesecake at least 2
hours or overnight.
8. Just before serving, transfer cheese- cake to serving plate.
Garnish top with Candied Violets and decorate plate with violet
leaves, if desired. To serve, cut cheesecake with a knife dipped into
warm water and dried. Store any leftover cheesecake covered in the
refrigerator.
Chocolate Glaze: In double boiler over hot, not boiling, water or in a
small saucepan set into a skillet with 1/2 inch of hot water, melt 3 T
unsalted butter with 1 8-oz package semi- sweet chocolate squares,
chopped, or 2 4-oz bars bittersweet chocolate, broken into small
pieces. Stir until smooth and cool to lukewarm.
Country Living/May/93 Scanned & fixed by DP & GG
Yields
12 servings