CRANBERRY CHEESECAKE RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325º and grease an 8" or 9" springform pan with cooking spray. Make cheesecake filling: In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, then sour cream, orange zest, flour, vanilla, and salt. Make crust: In a large bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Press mixture into prepared pan. Pour filling over crust. Wrap bottom of pan in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. (If you want to bake the cheesecake in a water bath, wrap bottom of pan and place in a deep baking pan. Pour in enough boiling water to come up halfway in the baking pan.) Bake until center of cheesecake only slightly jiggles, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Turn off heat, prop open oven door, and let cheesecake cool in oven, 1 hour, then remove aluminum foil and refrigerate cheesecake in pan until firm, at least 5 hours and up to overnight. Meanwhile, make the sugared cranberries: In a medium sauce pot over medium heat, combine water, orange juice, and 1/2 cup sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved, 3-4 minutes. Add in cranberries and toss until fully coated. Transfer onto parchment paper and let cool, about 15 minutes. When cool, toss in remaining sugar and top cheesecake. Serve.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To prepare topping: Put butter and brown sugar in a 9-inch round cake pan, and put it in the oven. As the sugar dissolves, stir to distribute the mixture evenly over the pan. When the sugar starts to caramelize, remove pan from the oven and allow to cool.
• In a small bowl, combine cranberries and orange juice. Toss to coat berries well. Spread berries evenly in pan, and sprinkle with any juice remaining in bowl. Set pan aside, and prepare the cake batter.
• To prepare batter: In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• Using an electric mixer, cream butter with sugar until pale, light and fluffy. Add vanilla, and beat in egg yolks one at a time, scraping bowl once or twice. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, ending with dry ingredients. Set batter aside.
• Using electric mixer, whisk egg whites with cream of tartar just until whites are stiff enough to hold a slight peak. Fold whites into batter 1/3 at a time. Spoon batter into prepared pan, and spread it evenly over cranberries. Bake until top is browned and cake pulls away slightly from edges of pan, 25 to 35 minutes. Let cake cool for 15 minutes before turning onto cake plate. Serve with slightly sweetened whipped cream, flavored, if desired, with orange liqueur.