Jacob almost always requests a cheesecake for his birthday. With so many birthdays in one month's time, I happily agree to a change. I was even happier to find this recipe from Creative Cook's Kitchen. It is also very simple--no baking in with water all around it or anything like that.
The Ultimate Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust:
1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
2 T sugar
1/4 C margarine or butter, melted
Filling:
5 packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/3 C sugar
3 T all purpose flour
3 large eggs
1/2 c sour cream
2 t finely grated lemon peel
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
Jacob wanted blueberry pie filling on top of his cheesecake, so I omitted the topping it suggested, which was a meringue like topping with apricot and raspberry jam ying yanged over it.
Directions
1. In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add melted butter. Stir to combine.
2. Press crumb mixture into 9 in. springform pan. Chill 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 325. In large bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat cream cheese for 2 minutes; add sugar.
4. Gradually add flour; mix until combined. On low speed, beat in eggs, one at a time, until just blended.
5. Add sour cream, lemon peel, and vanilla. Beat until just blended. Pour into crust. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.
6. Turn off oven; let cheesecake sit for 1 hour with oven door ajar. Place cake on wire rack to cool completely.
It cracked. But I also covered it with blueberry pie filling, so it didn't matter. It tasted like cheesecake should. And was awful for my hernia. We ended up not even being able to eat all of it.