Orange Cheesecake

I know it's January and we're all supposed to be doing our after-holidays dieting, right?  My son has a wonderful orange tree and he brought me a big plastic garbage bag full of them.  My first inclination, after making a big pitcher of fresh orange juice, was to make something healthy and low-calorie.  Then I said to myself, "life is too short, make some dessert!" My granddaughter loves cheesecake so I surprised her with this one evening.  We all enjoyed a slice (ok, maybe two!) then I passed the remainder out to neighbors and family.  In my mind, that's a perfect diet technique! I get to experience the joy of baking but the sinful calories are at someone else's home!

As I shared recently, I used some of my citrus bounty to make infused sugar. A cup of this sugar was perfect in this cheesecake, providing an intense burst of orange flavor in the cheesecake. I love the combination of oranges and chocolate so made a chocolate cookie crust.  Graham crackers, gingersnaps or vanilla wafers can be substituted, depending on your taste buds.

The orange topping gave each slice an additional punch of orange flavor. I used fresh orange juice and the color was more yellow, than orange.  Frozen juice would probably provide a deeper color.  My husband thought it was a lemon cheesecake until he took a bite! Orange food color could be added if that is a concern, I don't think it's necessary.

It's January 17 and I've not made a dessert since this cake 2 weeks ago.  That's another effective diet tip!

Orange Cheesecake

Crust
24 Oreos
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon grated orange peel

Topping
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Securely wrap 2 squares of aluminum foil up and around the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.  (The crust is very buttery and the aluminum foil will prevent butter from seeping out of the pan onto your oven floor.  It will also be extra insurance against water seeping into the crust when it's baking in its water bath).

Crush Oreos into fine crumbs using either a food processor or placing the Oreos in a Ziploc bag and crushing into crumbs, using a rolling pin or heavy cup. In a medium bowl, combine the crust ingredients and mix well.  Press in bottom and 2 inches up sides of an ungreased 9-inch springform pan. Bake in preheated pan for 8 minutes.  Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool before filling.

Reduce oven to 325 degrees.

To make the filling, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy.  Gradually add the sugar and beat well.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until blended.  Add orange peel and blend well (I left out the orange peel and used 1 cup of orange-infused sugar).  Pour into the crust-lined pan.

Place the crust-lined springform pan in a larger baking pan and add 1 inch of  boiling water to the baking pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until center is almost set.  Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled.

In a small saucepan, combine all topping ingredients; mix well.  Cook over medium heat until bubbly and thickened, stirring constantly.  Cool 5 minutes; spoon over cheesecake.  Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

Infused Sugar

I love making and using infused sugar. The wonderful uses of infused sugar are endless. It adds a depth of flavor to baked goods, whether that be a poundcake, scones, or cookies. A teaspoon in a cup of tea or coffee adds a little hint of flavor to the drink. It can be used to garnish the rim of a cocktail. They are easy to do and make wonderful gifts for your favorite baker.

For years I have kept a canister of vanilla sugar on my counter.  I make homemade vanilla extract.  I dry the used vanilla beans and put in my sugar canister.  Anytime I am making a recipe that calls for vanilla and sugar I almost always go to my canister.  When it starts getting low, I just add more sugar.

There are many kinds of infused sugars to be made; lavender, citrus, herbal (salt can also be infused!)  Recently I was given a lot of lemons and oranges.  Some of them went into lemon and orange infused sugar. Oh, they smell so good! I plan to use some in a few baked goods this weekend.

Below is the basic recipe to create citrus sugars; zest amounts can be adjusted depending on the size of your produce. I always seem to go by "more is better", but adjust to your taste buds.

Orange sugar: 2 cups of sugar + the zest of one orange

Lemon sugar: 2 cups of sugar + the zest of 2 lemons

Lime sugar: 2 cups of sugar + the zest of 3 limes

Use a zester to zest the outer part of the skin, being careful not to get into the white pith area. Toss into a food processor bowl with 1 cup of the sugar, pulse a few times until you have uniform pieces of zest in the sugar. Add the rest of the sugar and pulse until combined.

Lay the sugar mixture out on a baking sheet for a few hours until it has dried out.

Store in a jar (I use my favorite mason jars).

I was knee-deep in oranges the other night, orange infused sugar is drying on the cookie sheet.