Recipe: Strawberry Cheesecake (6-inch)

Strawberry Cheesecake (6-inch)
rec.food.cooking/Lily (2001)

Here is a cheesecake recipe for use in a 6-inch pan which I use often and is excellent. I substitute regular cream cheese for "light" and "non-fat", and instead of the strawberry and butter extract (which I can't find at my supermarket) I have used only 1 tsp of either almond or orange extract. I'm not sure what the butter extract provides to the recipe; it's fine without it. I've also never used the strawberries or glaze. The recipe is quite versatile. The important measurements for a 6-inch pan are: 1 lb of cream cheese, and 1 cup of graham crackers. The rest of the ingredients are largely for variations in taste and texture.

Crust:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1 large egg white
2 Tbsp. light brown sugar

Batter:

1/2 lb. nonfat cream cheese
1/2 lb. light cream cheese
1 cup white granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. strawberry extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. butter extract

Topping:

1 cup fresh strawberries
3 Tbsp. strawberry glaze

Preheat oven to 350F.

For the crust, add thoroughly melted butter to the graham cracker crumbs. Add 1 egg white and brown sugar and blend with a wooden spoon in bowl. Add crust to a 6-inch cheesecake pan, and flatten it along the bottom and sides of pan, 2 or 3 inches high. Chill crust in the refrigerator until ready to add the filling.

Soften cream cheese in a microwave for about 30 seconds.

In an electric mixer, blend the pure granulated sugar with the cream cheese until they form a uniform structure.

In a small bowl beat the one egg to avoid tasting yolk in the mixture. Add well-beaten egg and remaining ingredients. Blend until the batter appears smooth. Pour the batter into the cheesecake pan and bake for 50-55 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or more.

Add sliced (in half) strawberries on top of cheesecake, forming a double layer of strawberries. Cool and serve.