Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake

If I could choose one dessert to eat for the rest of my life, it would be either cheesecake or ice cream. I honestly think that could be one of the most difficult decisions of my life. But, since cheesecake is up there, I thought that I'd share with you my favorite cheesecake recipe. I love eating cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory, that's my first choice for birthdays and special events- my husband even took me there to eat the day he proposed to me because that's how much I really enjoy it. I love ALL of the cheesecakes there, but mostly the chocolate or caramel flavors (favorite main dishes are the Chicken Madeira and Grilled Chicken Tostada Salad).

This cheesecake is quite a bit of a change from your typical cheesecake, it's actually very light and fluffy. I do enjoy the decadent cheesecakes with rich flavor, but this toss-up is so refreshing! I got this recipe from Dining With The Prophets (currently only $4.99!!), a cookbook with recipes from The Lion House Pantry, a cute little restaurant in the heart of Salt Lake City on page 24. It's listed as "Spencer W. Kimball's Raspberry Cheesecake". And it's so yummy!


The recipe doesn't call for a cooked crust, but I think I might try it sometime. A very simple one can be found here. It is nice not having to use the oven, and the crust turns out very crumbly, it really fits in with the rest of the dessert. This recipe is actually quite simple, but it takes about 3 hours to cool in the fridge. I put it in the fridge for a few hours, and then about 1 hour before serving, I put it in the freezer up until we were ready to eat it. This is a very light cheesecake and doesn't hold like a regular cheesecake you might usually make.

Ingredients:

Filling
1 package lemon gelatin powder (I use Jell-O brand, either 3 or 3.4 oz. works
1 cup hot water
1 cup evaporated milk
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Crust
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 sleeves graham crackers, crushed (you can buy a pre-made pie crust and skip these)

Topping
1 cup whipping cream, whipped and sweetened (I use one small carton, you can never go wrong with whipped cream)
2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

   

Directions:

1. Melt butter and crush graham crackers, blend together and press 2/3 of the crumbs into bottom of large pie tin
2. Dissolve the gelatin powder in hot water, let it cool 
3. While gelatin mix is cooling, whip evaporated milk until it thickens
4. Mix gelatin mix and whipped milk until blended, set aside
5. Beat softened cream cheese with sugar
6. Gently blend cream cheese mixture with gelatin and milk 
7. Fold in lemon juice
8. Pour cheesecake mix into pie tin and sprinkle with remaining crumbs
9. Chill at least 3 hours 
10. Serve with whipped cream and raspberries

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