Cakes For You

If you like rum raisin ice cream, you’ll enjoy the flavor of rum raisin in this unique cheesecake.

Crust

1 cup old fashioned or quick cooking oats, uncooked
¼ cup chopped nuts
3 tablespoons margarine, melted
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

Filling

2 8-oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup flour
2 eggs
½ cup sour cream
3 tablespoons rum
2 tablespoons margarine
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup raisins
¼ cup chopped nuts
2 tablespoons old fashioned or quick cooking oats, uncooked

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine oats, nuts, margarine and brown sugar; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Combine cream cheese, granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons flour, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in sour cream and rum; mix well. Pour over crust.

Cut margarine into combined remaining flour and brown sugar until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in raisins, nuts and oats. Sprinkle over cream cheese mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan.

Ingredients
Nonstick spray coating
8 sheets frozen phyllo dough (about 18x14-inch rectangles), thawed
1/4 cup finely crushed gingersnap cookies
2/3 cup sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1-1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
1/4 cup lemon juice
Few drops yellow food coloring (optional)
1 1.3-ounce envelope whipped dessert topping mix
1/2 cup fat-free milk
Fresh raspberries, kiwifruit slices, and lemon peels

Directions
1. Lightly coat a 10-1/2- or 11-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom with cooking spray. Trim phyllo to 14-inch squares. Keep phyllo covered with a sheet of plastic wrap to prevent drying out. Place 1 phyllo sheet in prepared pan; allow ends to hang over edge. Lightly coat with nonstick spray. Sprinkle with gingersnap crumbs. Add another sheet of phyllo, staggering corners. Repeat with remaining phyllo, cooking spray, and crumbs, ending with phyllo and cooking spray. Trim phyllo to 2 inches beyond rim of pan. Fold edges toward center, forming a shallow edge. Lightly press center of phyllo in pan to remove bubbles. Line with a double thickness of foil. Place on a baking sheet. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 10 minutes. Remove foil; bake for 5 to 7 minutes more or until golden. Cool.
2. For filing, in a heavy small saucepan combine sugar and gelatin; stir in water. Cook and stir over low heat until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat; stir in lemon peel, lemon juice, and, if desired, food coloring. Pour into a bowl. Cover; refrigerate for 1 hour or until mixture has the consistency of corn syrup, stirring occasionally.
3. Prepare topping mix according to package directions, except use the 1/2 cup milk. Fold partially set gelatin into topping. Cover; refrigerate for 1 hour or until mixture mounds when spooned. Spoon into cooled crust. Cover; chill for 2 to 6 hours or until firm. Top with raspberries, kiwifruit slices, and lemon peel twists. Makes 10 servings.

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces (1/2 pound)
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped or 1-1/3 cups semisweet chocolate pieces
4 eggs
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon teaspoon salt

Directions
1. Lightly butter eight 8-ounce ramekins or 1-cup souffle dishes; line bottoms with parchment or wax paper. Place the prepared ramekins on a shallow baking pan or on a large cookie sheet. Set aside.
2. In a heavy-bottomed, medium saucepan, melt butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; cool slightly. (Or, in a mixing bowl, combine the butter and chocolate. Place mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water and melt butter and chocolate, stirring occasionally. Remove bowl from the simmering water pot; set aside to cool slightly.)
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and egg yolks with an electric mixer on high speed for 5 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored. Mix a large dollop of the beaten eggs into the butter-chocolate mixture. Gently fold until combined. Add butter-chocolate mixture to remaining beaten egg mixture and fold. After a few folds, sprinkle in sugar, flour, vanilla, and salt. Continue to fold until the mixture is combined.
4. Quickly divide the batter evenly among prepared ramekins. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 9 to 10 minutes or till cakes feel firm to the touch on top edges, but still soft in the center when pressed with a fingertip. Remove from oven; set ramekins on a wire rack. Let cakes cool completely in ramekins.
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. When cakes are cool, use a small metal spatula to loosen edge of cakes from side of ramekin and unmold onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. The centers of the cakes are supposed to be soft. (If not using immediately, wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to use.)
6. When ready to serve, place cakes on a microwaveable serving plate. Heat in a microwave oven on 100 percent power for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until warm. (Center of cake will slightly pop up.) Serve with whipped cream and garnish with a splash of Raspberry Sauce and/or fresh raspberries, if you like.
Raspberry Sauce: In a blender container or food processor bowl, cover and blend or process one 10-ounce package frozen and thawed red raspberries in syrup until pureed. Use a fine sieve to sieve berry mixture. Cover and refrigerate the sauce till ready to use. Makes 2/3 cup.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons bourbon or 2 tablespoons orange juice plus 1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup golden raisins or dark raisins
Nonstick cooking spray
1 slightly beaten egg white
1 slightly beaten egg
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
1 5-ounce can (2/3 cup) evaporated milk
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons butter or margarine, melted

Directions
In a small saucepan heat bourbon or orange juice and vanilla just until hot (do not boil). Add raisins; set aside to cool.
Lightly coat eight 6-ounce souffl¿ dishes or custard cups or one 1-quart casserole with nonstick cooking spray. Place souffl¿ dishes or custard cups in a shallow baking pan for ease of handling; set aside.
In a large bowl combine egg white, egg, pumpkin, evaporated milk, the 1/2 cup brown sugar, and the pumpkin pie spice. Stir in raisins and any liquid that is left in the saucepan. Spoon pumpkin mixture into prepared dish(es). In a small bowl stir together rolled oats and the 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Stir in melted butter. Sprinkle over pumpkin mixture.
Bake in a 375 degree F. oven about 30 minutes for souffl¿ dishes or custard cups, 40 to 45 minutes for large dish, or until a knife inserted near the center(s) comes out clean. Transfer to wire rack; cool for 1 hour before serving.