Creamy Apricot Cheesecake Tart with Fresh Apricots

Welcome back to Mimi's Organic Eats. Today we're making my apricot cheesecake tart. This is such a fun summer dessert especially when apricots are in season and I just got a bunch of them from my farm box this week so let me show you guys how to make it. So first we're going to preheat our oven to 350 degrees. So now we're going to make our graham cracker crust and we're going to need a food processor for this and this recipe is the same graham cracker crust that I made at my bakery for over a decade. It is so delicious. So I'm using Annie's graham crackers because I think these are the best organic ones out there and we're going to need about one and a half sleeves. So my little trick for you guys whenever making graham cracker crust is you're going to add in about half of your graham crackers then you're going to add the butter then we're going to add the sugar right on top and then more graham crackers. If we kind of like coat that butter in the middle it's going to blend up super easily and it's not just going to stick to the sides. This is a trick that we did when we were making graham cracker crust at my bakery every single day because we made so many of them so trust me this really works. So next we're going to add in one stick of butter and you just want to make sure that it's pretty soft. Then we're going to add our cane sugar right on top of the butter then the rest of our graham crackers. Now we're going to pulse until everything is combined and then you're going to process on high until you have a uniform mixture and yes it definitely helps to shake the food processor. Spread it out evenly and then I like to form the crust to the sides of the pan first and then just press the remaining crust into the bottom. So it's important to use a tart pan for this recipe and not a pie pan because they're a little bit different and here's why. So a tart pan has a removable bottom making it really easy to remove this tart from the pan so you can get nice clean slices but that's not the only difference. A tart pan is a little bit more shallow than a pie pan as you guys can see it's not as tall where a pie pan is a little bit deeper. So the graham cracker crust will fit fine in the pie pan if that's all you guys have but the filling may not be enough for a pie pan. So if you guys are making this in a pie pan then you might want to double the filling to make sure that you have a nice and full pie. So now we're going to bake this at 350 degrees for five minutes. So while the crust is cooling I like to pit and slice all of our apricots that way they're ready to just go right on top of the filling as soon as it's done. And now if you guys want to use a different fruit besides apricot you can totally do that. You can really use whatever kind of fresh fruit you guys have on hand. I've made this with blueberries, with strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, really any summer fruit this would be delicious you guys. So feel free to mix it up depending on what you guys have. So once we have our apricot slice we're just going to set them aside while we mix up the filling. So I'm going to use my stand mixer today but if you guys want to use a hand mixer that's totally okay too. I just think the stand mixer is so much faster. So first we're going to add in eight ounces of cream cheese. Today I'm using Sierra Nevada which is one of my all-time favorites. Next we're going to add in 35 grams of sifted sugar. So next we're going to add in the zest and juice of half a lemon. If you guys don't have a lemon you can use lemon juice from a bottle you'll just need one tablespoon. Now we're going to mix this on low until everything is combined then we're going to speed the mixer up to high and whip until it's light and fluffy. Now we're going to transfer the cream cheese mixture into a large mixing bowl. So go ahead and take your paddle attachment for the whisk attachment and then we're going to set this bowl aside. So there's no need to wash the bowl we're just going to make our whipped cream mixture right in the same bowl. We're going to add half a cup of heavy whipping cream and then of course some vanilla extract. Now we're going to mix on low to avoid splattering. Gradually increase the speed until you're at full speed as the mixture starts to thicken and then continue to whisk until you have stiff peaks. Now we're going to add the whipped cream into the bowl with the cream cheese mixture and fold to combine it completely. Now we're going to transfer the filling into the tart crust and spread it out evenly. So now all we have to do is top this with our apricots. Now I'm going to do like a spiral design but you guys can just plop the apricots right on top too that also works. And if you guys are using different fruits you could do any kind of different pattern that you like. I have a really similar recipe for this in my book Effortless Eggless Baking where I do a rainbow spiral basically around the whole top so use all kinds of different fruits and it looks really cool. And now we have a gorgeous apricot cheesecake tart and so this is ready to serve now but I actually prefer to chill it for a few hours that way you get nice clean cuts and it lets the filling set just a little bit more. If you guys have leftovers be sure to store in an airtight container in the fridge. If you guys enjoyed this video be sure to drop a like and leave a comment below and if you want more easy summer recipes just like this be sure to hit that subscribe button and join me next time in the kitchen.