Star-Spangled Berry Lemon Cheesecake

Like most of America, I celebrated Memorial Day at a family cookout. When I was deciding what to bring, I knew I wanted something light, seeing that summer has come early this year, and something festive! I can never go wrong with a cheesecake, so I went with lemon cheesecake which is nice and fresh and topped it with fresh berries and homemade whipped cream. I use condensed milk in all my cheesecake recipes because it always comes out nice and creamy. I remember my mom making a flag cake for the forth of July, and it always looked so fun! That wouldn't work on my sphere canvas, so i did some research and found this star design on the Taste of Home website and assembled it with the fresh berries. The lemon flavor matched perfectly with the sweet cream and fresh berries.

In the spirit of Memorial Day, I'd like to honor my Avo (grandfather in Portuguese). In November of 2007, at 87, he passed away after a long battle with colon cancer. He is deeply missed by all of us and will forever live in our memories. He was such a kind man that was extremely proud of his grandchildren. My Avo never learned English. And although I'm not fluent in Portuguese, we never had a problem communicating. You'd be amazed how far a smile or a laugh can go.

My Avo and my brother Wes, Christmas 2005

Star-Spangled Berry Lemon Cheesecake
 recipe by Sabrina W. for eat.drink.and be merry.
yields 10 to 12 servings
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
3 large eggs
zest from 2 lemons
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup blueberries
1 cup raspberries
4 strawberries

Heat oven to 300°F. Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter in medium bowl; press firmly onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.

Beat cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer until fluffy. Add sweetened condensed milk at low speed; mix until smooth. Add eggs, lemon zestl and 2 teaspoons vanilla; mix just until blended. Pour filling into pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until center is set. Cool and then chill in the fridge.

In a large bowl, add whipping cream, sugar, and last teaspoon of vanilla. Whip with an electric mixer until peaks form. Fill pastry bag with a small tip with whip cream, and draw a big star on the top of your cooled cheesecake, making sure to leave a 1/2 inch of the cake to fit a border. Fill in the star with cream, and top with berries. Pipe a small border and cover with berries as well, and the fill in the spaces with the rest of the cream. Enjoy!

Happy Memorial Day Everyone!

Linked with Sweets for a Saturday