I had a love – love relationship with cheesecake. I love it so much that I found an ice cream that is cheesecake and chocolate flavoured ice cream with spots of chocolate sauce within the ice cream! LOVE IT!

This recipe was originally from my Mom but I had used the basic recipe as a jumping point to create my own versions of it. I have added white chocolate to the cream cheese mixture, used Oreo baking crumbs for the crust and topped it with either fresh raspberries or raspberry pie filling depending on the time of year. Delicious! I added pumpkin pie puree to the cream cheese mixture in the fall and created a decadent dessert for Thanksgiving. Yummy!

Throughout the years, I developed better techniques for baking the cheesecakes. In the beginning, the cheesecake would come out of the oven with deep cracks in the top. It really didn’t bother me in the beginning because I always topped it with some type of pie filling. Cherry at first but then, my favourite, mixed berries! The BEST! I then learned to bake my cheesecakes in a water bath to prevent the cracking. Boy, I have to tell you that my first attempt at the water bath was a disaster! My springform pans were NOT waterproof! So I then learned to seal my pans with foil BEFORE placing them in the larger pan filled with water. Much better results! lol

Anyway, I used this recipe as inspiration to create my own masterpieces. The basic recipe stayed the same, I just changed what I wanted by adding or changing flavours to suit the mood and seasons.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs
• 3 Tbsp. of sugar
• 3 Tbsp. of butter, melted
• 3 8 oz blocks of cream cheese
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp. of vanilla (I usually added more)
• 1 21 oz can of cherry pie filling – this is where you can really play!

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 325° F
2. Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press combination into the bottom of a 9″ springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes and then remove from oven to cool slightly while you prepare filling.
3. Raise oven temperature to 450° F
4. With a handmixer, beat cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla. Continue mixing until well combined ~5 min.
5. Pour cream cheese mixture onto crust. Wrap your springform pan with foil so water does not leak into your pan. Place your sealed pan into a larger pan filled with water.
6. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes then reduce heat to 250° F. Bake for an additional 25 – 30 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and water bath and let cool in pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
8. Use a knife to cut around edges before removing from pan. Top as desired!

I hope you have fun playing with my cheesecake recipe! Top it with a can of your favourite pie filling or use fresh berries. Maybe make a simple syrup with your favourite fruits and/or berries! Yummy!

I look forward to you telling me about your version of my cheesecake! Happy baking everyone!