What? No Chocolate in the Cheesecake?

To me, chocolate says love.  Lots of love.  I love chocolate.  Give me chocolate and I know you love me.  But, it has come to my attention that not everyone is a fan.


My son, we'll call him Buddy Boy Sweet Tooth, is a sensitive soul.  Don't get me wrong, he can hit that baseball with the best of the almost 7-yr olds, but he worries about people.  He likes it when people are happy and thought of...which is why this dessert is showing up on the blog.  


Not wanting to be outdone by his sister's recipe tin, Buddy Boy Sweet Tooth took possession of my Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese recipe tin and looked high and low for a recipe that did not contain chocolate.  Why? you ask.  A good friend of mine here in Nebraska is not a big fan of chocolate, not that she doesn't necessarily like the taste of it, but chocolate doesn't seem to like her very well.  The meeting usually results in a headache and it bothered Buddy Boy that we hadn't made a dessert for the blog that didn't contain chocolate for her.  Of course, it helps that he's a fruit lover and it's full of fruit (he's a great kid, isn't he?!)...  So here is Buddy Boy Sweet Tooth's first official appearance on the Sweet Tooth blog, as guest baker, sharing with you a fruity cheesecake, as well as some big, fancy foody words he learned - look for them!  I hope this recipe gets you baking in the kitchen with one of your little bakers and you have as much fun as I did!




PHILLY BLUEBERRY STRAWBERRY SWIRL CHEESECAKE

Buddy Boy Sweet Tooth with ingredients,
Cream Cheese Recipe Tin and recipe inspirations.
(he couldn't decide between the 2, so we combined them)

RECIPE:

- 1 C graham cracker crumbs (or 1 sleeve of graham crackers that your little sweet tooth baker can crush himself!  See #2)
- 1 C + 3 Tbsp sugar, divided
- 3 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted
- 4 pkgs (8oz) cream cheese, softened 
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 C plain yogurt
- 4 eggs
- 1 C fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed)
- 1 C strawberry jam


1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, macerate your blueberries.  (There's one of those big words Buddy Boy learned...it just means, add sugar - we added 2 rounded tablespoons - and let sit until the natural sugars come out and make a syrup.  It's fun to say though!)
3. Mix crumbs, 3 Tbsp of sugar and melted butter.  (For added fun, have your little baker crush a sleeve of graham crackers in a zipper baggie with a wooden rolling pin or large spoon.  There's some real fun to be had in smashing graham crackers to smithereens!)

Smash, smash, smash!

4. Press crumb mixture onto the bottom of a foil or parchment paper lined 13X9 inch baking pan.  Bake 10 minutes.

Pat, pat, pat!

5. Beat cream cheese, remaining 1 C sugar and the vanilla in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.  

Mix, mix, mix!

6. Add yogurt; mix well.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low speed after each egg just until blended.  Pour over crust.

7. Get the blueberries that have been hanging out and macerating while you've been crusting and creaming.  Get out your little food processor (or blender) and puree those juicy little berries.  

8. Mix a tablespoon of water with your strawberry jam and warm in a microwave (about 30 seconds).  This will make your jam easier to drop.


9. Drop spoonfuls of the pureed blueberries and strawberry jam over the batter.

Drop, drop, drop!

10. Cut through the batter several times with knife for marble effect.

Swirl, swirl, swirl!

11. Bake 45 min or until center is almost set; cool. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight (yeah, right, like anyone could wait that long!).  Garnish as desired with fresh strawberries or blueberries.  I've found that a fork works just as well as anything!

Be careful how often you swirl or your marble effect will disappear.
I added several more blobs and showed Buddy Boy how to make hearts.
Awww.

***************

Now, go on.  Call your friend...you know, the one who doesn't get along with the chocolate, and show them how much you love them with this dessert.  There's a lot of fruity love to go around in that pan!

Our friend, getting ready to enjoy some non-chocolate love!

-Mama Sweet Tooth & Guest Baker, Buddy Boy Sweet Tooth