PHILADELPHIA DOUBLE-LEMON CHEESECAKE BARS

This is a Kraft Foods Recipe.

What You Need

52

 vanilla wafers, finely crushed (about 2 cups)

3

Tbsp.  butter or margarine, melted

4

 eggs, divided

4

pkg.  (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1-3/4

cups  sugar, divided

3

Tbsp.  flour

1

Tbsp.  zest and 1/3 cup juice from 2 lemons, divided

1/2

tsp.  vanilla

2

Tbsp.  cornstarch

1/2

cup  water

Fresh blueberries for garnish, optional

HEAT oven to 325ºF.

LINE 13x9-inch pan with parchment, with ends of parchment extending over sides. Mix wafer crumbs and butter until blended; press onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 10 min.

SEPARATE 1 egg; refrigerate yolk until ready to use. Beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, flour, lemon zest, 2 Tbsp. lemon juice and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add egg white and remaining 3 whole eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.

BAKE 40 min. or until center is almost set. Cool 1 hour. Refrigerate 4 hours.

MIX cornstarch and remaining sugar in medium saucepan; gradually stir in water and remaining lemon juice until blended. Bring just to boil on medium heat, stirring constantly; cook and stir until clear and thickened. Lightly beat reserved egg yolk in small bowl with fork until blended; stir in 2 Tbsp. of the hot cornstarch mixture. Return to remaining cornstarch mixture in saucepan; stir until blended. Cook 1 min. or until thickened, stirring constantly. Cool slightly.

SPOON lemon glaze over cheesecake. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Use parchment handles to remove cheesecake from pan before cutting to serve. Garnish each serving with blueberries, if desired.

CRAZY BANANA CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE ICING

1.5 cups very ripe bananas (3 fresh bananas or 4 thawed, previously frozen bananas)
2 tsp lemon juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
1.5 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
 3/4 cup soft butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1.5 cups buttermilk (OR milk soured with one tbsp vinegar or lemon juice)

To prepare: Pre-heat oven to 275º F, and grease and flour (or spray), a 9×13 cake pan.

Mash banana and mix with lemon juice and set aside.

In a med bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

If you’re making your own buttermilk, combine milk and vinegar (or lemon juice) in a small bowl, and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Stir in vanilla. Beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk.

Stir in bananas.

Pour into greased/floured (or sprayed) cake pan and bake at 275º F for 1 hour and 10 mins (or until knife comes out clean).

NOW, FOR THE CRAZY PART:

Immediately place in freezer for 45 minutes. (if not completely cool upon removal from freezer, let cool further before icing).

No need to cover the cake, but you’ll want to place it on a thick, folded towel to protect items underneath.

CREAM CHEESE ICING:

1/2 cup softened butter
8 oz cream cheese, room temp.
1 tsp vanilla
3.5 cups icing sugar (also known as powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar)

1. Cream butter and cream cheese.
2.  Beat in vanilla and icing sugar on low until combined, then high until smooth.

This makes a ton of icing.  You could probably halve the recipe, but I love cream cheese icing, so the thick layer that this produces makes me a very happy hooligan indeed.

Source: Happy Hooligans