This charismatic cheesecake is a specialty at the world’s largest Benihana restaurant located in the Hilton hotel and
casino in Las Vegas. But don’t expect to find this amazing dessert on the menu at any of the other 69 Benihana
eateries, since it’s custom-made just for the Sin City location and probably unlike any cheesecake you’ve had. Check it out: The lightly orange-flavored, fluffed-up cream cheese sits on layer of soft white cake, the edge is frosted
and coated with crunchy hazelnut crumbs, and the top is covered with wedges of mandarin oranges in an orange-flavored gelatin. Every element of this top secret kitchen clone is made from scratch, and the finished product is well worth the work you put in. For the cake layer, we whip up just enough of a simple white cake batter to fit into the
bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. The cheese layer in our clone is created with a special custom combination of
gelatin, Dream Whip, and cream cheese so that no baking is required to firm it up. You could, of course, use a store-bought white frosting for the edge of the cake, but since you only need a small amount of frosting the clone recipe here makes it cheaper. The hazelnuts are candied with sugar and reduced to crumbs in a food processor (you can find a ½-cup bag of chopped hazelnuts in most supermarkets that is perfect for this). And two 15-ounce cans of mandarin orange wedges is just the right amount for garnishing the top. Just be sure to save ½-cup of the liquid from the cans of orange wedges to create the gel that holds the topping in place.

MAKES 12 SERVINGS.

INGREDIENTS

CAKE:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg

CREAM CHEESE LAYER:

• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 envelope Dream Whip
• 1/2 cup low-fat milk
• 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon orange extract
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
• 5 drops yellow food coloring
• 1 drop red food coloring

TOPPING:

• 2 15-ounce cans mandarin oranges (in light syrup)
• 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

NUT CRUST:

• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts (2.25 ounce bag)

ICING:

• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To make cake layer, combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
2. Cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a medium bowl.
3. Add dry ingredients to the butter and mix well.
4. Mix in milk, vanilla, and egg.
5. Pour into a well-greased 9-inch springform pan (or line it with parchment paper).
6. Slam pan down on the counter a few times to even out the batter.
7. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until the cake is light brown on top.

CREAM CHEESE LAYER:

1. Combine gelatin with 3/4 cup sugar in a medium bowl.
2. Add boiling water and stir until gelatin is dissolved. Set this aside.
3. Prepare Dream Whip by whipping together 1 envelope of Dream Whip and 1/2 cup milk with an electric mixer in another medium bowl.
4. Whip it good until the topping makes stiff peaks.
5. In another bowl, whip the cream cheese with vanilla, orange extract, lemon juice, and food coloring in a large bowl until smooth.
6. Slowly add the gelatin mixture while beating.
7. Add half (about 1 cup) of the Dream Whip to the cream cheese mixture and beat until smooth.
8. Pour this mixture over the cake layer in the springform pan.
9. Chill for 2 hours or until firm.

TOPPING:

1. Drain the liquid from the cans of mandarin oranges, saving 1/2 cup.
2. Heat the 1/2 cup liquid in the microwave on high for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until hot.
3. Dissolve 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin in the liquid.
4. Combine liquid with orange wedges and pour over the top of the firmed-up cheesecake that’s still in the springform pan.
5. Chill the cake for at least 2 more hours.

NUT CRUST:

1. Combine 1 tablespoon water with 2 tablespoons sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. When sugar is dissolved and liquid begins to boil, add the hazelnuts and stir until nuts are coated.
3. Stir often until the water has cooked off, then continue to stir until the sugar begins to caramelize and turn light brown. Be careful not to burn the nuts. The nuts are done when they are light brown and glazed with candied sugar Pour the nuts onto a plate and let them cool completely When the candied nuts are cool, chop them up in a food processor until they are the consistency of crumbs.

ICING:

1. Make the icing by combining shortening with powdered sugar, milk and vanilla.
2. When the mandarin orange gelatin has firmed up on top of the cake, remove the cake from the springform pan. Use a spatula to spread the icing around the edge of the cake. Press the hazelnut crumbs onto the icing around the edge of the cake (you’ve got more than enough hazelnut crumbs and much of it will fall off as you press it on the sides). Chill the cake for at least another hour before serving. To serve, cut cake into 12 slices.