I love the way someone can decide that a certain date is International Spaghetti Day, or International Doughnut Day or my favourite of all – International Beer Day.
Somehow these make their way into calendars of food and drink days all over the internet. I have decided to create a day. I hereby announce that every year from now on, Angela Lansbury’s birthday, 16th October will be Jessica Fletcher Cheesecake Day. Who is IN?!
This is Angela Lansbury’s own recipe for cheesecake and I’ve added metric measurements and alternatives for non-USA based cooks. I know that it is hard to believe, but we can’t get graham crackers here.
If you join me this month in making this glorious cheesecake send me pix and if you are a social media type, let’s create a hashtag too – #jessicafletchercheesecakeday – we will set the internet on fire – hahaha!
Although Angela didn’t suggest this in her recipe, I popped some defrosted frozen blueberries on top of mine, mostly to disguise a cracked top, they worked really well with the almond flavouring. YUM!
It was Angela herself who christened this “Jessica’s” cheesecake and we all know who she meant by that! I am on my 3rd watch-through of all the Murder, She Wrote episodes as I’m writing a little guide to each one for the Murder, She Cooked book. I have my eyes PEELED for any sight of a cheesecake made by Jessica but so far no sign. I’ve seen evidence of her baking banana bread, cookies, muffins, apple pie and bread. So far, no cheesecake but do let me know if you’ve seen one in J.B.’s kitchen!
Angela Lansbury’s “Jessica’s Cheesecake”
1½ cups/125g graham cracker crumbs/crushed digestive biscuits
¾ cup/170g sugar plus 2 tablespoons
4 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
11oz/310g cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs, well beaten
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups/480g sour cream
2 teaspoons almond extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/165 degrees C/gas mark 3.
Combine the crumbs, 2 tablespoons of sugar and the butter or margarine. Press into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate or, just on the bottom of a springform cake tin. Bake for exactly 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Blend the cream cheese and half the beaten eggs thoroughly with an electric mixer. When blended, add the remaining eggs and mix thoroughly. Gradually add the vanilla and ½/110g cup of the sugar. Pour into the baked crust. Bake for 20 minutes. Mix the remaining ¼ cup/60g sugar with the sour cream and almond extract. Spread over the cheesecake. Turn off the oven. Place the pie in the hot oven for exactly 4 minutes. Remove, chill, and serve.
Makes 6-8 servings.
Finally, here’s something Murder, She Wrote related that made me chuckle. As I am introducing Mr R to the wonders of Twin Peaks this is two pleasures in one!
Not only do we have graham crackers in the US, you can get a graham cracker crust that’s already made. Perfect for lazy cooks like me!
I just discovered this site! You are awesome! And so much fun. I love Jessica/Angela, too. I am recommending your site to all my “MSW” friends. Thank you!
Oh Rachel, how wonderful!! Hopefully I could persuade you to test cook something for the forthcoming Murder, She Cooked book? I’ll soon be overhauling the “recipes available to test” list so keep your eyes peeled! Jx
Oh Rachel! That’s amazing. As soon as the government here lets me leave my flat, I am moving to the USA!!
If you bake the cheesecake in a bain marie (water bath), the top is far less likely to crack. The steam it creates envelops the cheesecake in uniform, moist heat so the top doesn’t dry out and crack. I’ve linked a site that describes making a bain marie. It’s very simple.
Hi Ericka! Thanks for this bit of info, I am definitely going to try that next time! Jx