I Made It! Cheesecake

Many years ago, Mr Rocks told me that he wanted a cheesecake. Mr Rocks is VERY picky. He would NOT have been happy with an instant box variety.

I started looking, and asking around. Everyone warned me that it was so hard, it takes practice. I decided that I was going to do it. I read this tutorial on Allrecipes. I found this recipe that looked simple and I tried it. I have now made this many, many times. Through my experiences I have found many tricks that have made my cheesecake legendary (at least among my small circle!)

If you are watching your calories, DO NOT read the nutrition info on Allrecipes. It is a gazillion calories. Eat a small piece and run a half hour extra or do an extra lap.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup margarine
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt (not pictured- oops!)
2 cups sour cream

Rocks tip- get the cream cheese, sour cream and eggs out a few hours before you plan to cook. They should be room temperature when you start mixing.

The first thing you do is line your spring form pan with foil on the outside.

Then make the crust-

mix the graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon and 3 tablespoons sugar. Melt the margarine, and mix into the crumb mix. Press into the pan, making sure that you get it up onto the sides.

Rocks tips- put a baggie on your hand to help on this part. I like it because with the baggie, it doesn't stick to my hands and it makes it much easier!

Variation- Mr Rocks had me try vanilla wafers for the crust. He liked it, but I am a traditionalist.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Draw a bath for your cheesecake! Confused? I was! The big secret to making a cheesecake that doesn't crack is a water bath. You need to get a pan, making sure that it is big enough that your spring form pan can fit in it. Put a towel or dishrag (clean of course) in the bottom and put about an half inch of water in the pan. It will look like this-

To make the filling you want to beat the cream cheese and sugar, VERY WELL, until it is SMOOTH and creamy. Then add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well in between each egg. Then take the bowl off the mixer and STIR in the vanilla, and salt. Finally, fold in the sour cream, again making sure it is smooth and creamy and no bumps are visible. This is where it is important that the sour cream is room temp. If it isn't it will be bumpy. Trust me, it happened to me!

Once the filling is nice and smooth, pour it into the crust. Then put the pan into the bath- like this-

Bake in the oven for 1 hour. After the hour is up, turn off the oven and walk away. You may peek in the window, but do not open the oven. After a half hour, crack the oven door. Leave it in for at least another half hour, maybe even a whole hour. You must let it cool gradually, so it doesn't crack.

After cooling in the oven, move the cheesecake to the fridge. Leave it in there at least overnight. If you can resist the temptation, it tastes better if you let it sit in there for a few days.

When you finally get it out and cut your self a piece, eat it slow and enjoy every fat filled bite! It is totally worth it!