This is Roger’s favorite. We would make it for his birthday and other special occasions . . . and who can blame him; this is an amazing recipe!
Crust
9 crushed graham crackers
¼ C sugar
¼ C melted butter
Filling
24 oz cream cheese
4 eggs
1 C sugar
½ tsp vanilla
Topping
1 C sour cream
2 Tbsp sugar
½ tsp vanilla
Crust: Preheat oven to 300°F. Mix crumbs and sugar. Lightly grease spring-form pan with Crisco and dust with the crumb mixture. Mix butter into remaining crumbs and press into pan. Bake for 8 minutes, then remove & cool.
Filling: When crust is out of oven, preheat it to 350°F. Soften cream cheese in a large bowl. Beat in sugar until creamy. Scrape sides. Add eggs one at a time, beat each in, scraping sides down often. Beat in vanilla. Pour mix into cooled crust. Bake for 20 minutes, then lower oven temp to 300°F and bake for another 20-30 minutes. Check for doneness – it should be just slightly wobbly in the center.
Topping: Pull cheesecake from oven and increase heat to 350°F. Mix sour cream, sugar, and vanilla, then pour and spread it evenly over cake. Bake for 10 minutes.
Turn off oven and slightly open door. Cool cake in oven for about 1 hour. Then, refrigerate (to prevent cracks). Remove rim of pan and serve with desired toppings.
Yields: 6-8 servings
Time to make: several hours
Source: Debbie Packard