Today Magical Monday. You wanna know why? Because I have the day off. I put in a request for a mental health day. It's not like I'm stressed or anything, I just kind of wanted a day to just relax and do my own thing. Jacob is working and I 'conveniently' made an appointment for Henry to get a bath and a hair cut. So I'm HOME ALONE!!!
I have lots of plans today, but I'm going to be honest with myself that probably only 20% of the things I want/should do will get done and I'm okay with that. On that list is....
Laundry(in progress)Blog this cheesecake(done!)- Start prepping the bathroom with primer (more on that later this week)
- Fall asleep on the couch while watching Young & The Restless on my DVR
- Bake something else
- Make Jacob dinner
- Mop the floors (we both know this probably won't make the cut)
- Dust (ha! this either)
- Clean up my office (I'll probably rearrange piles)
Cheesecake. I'm making this for a co-worker's dinner party in a couple weeks so I wanted to do a test run so I don't ruin her party. My aunt is known for her yummy recipes so I knew that wouldn't be an issue. I just really wanted to make sure my technique was okay and the final product looked presentable. Well, it passed the test and is Jacob approved.
I plan on freezing the majority of this pie for a future family visit, but I'll take a couple slices to work for a little test taste.
I know sometimes cheesecake can be a scary thing to make with the crazy spring-form pan, but this is an easy one. And if it happens to crack a little bit, the topping will make it look flawless. So, go on, make it!
New York Style Cheesecake
source: my Aunt Vicki
Crust:
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 TBSP sugar
7 TBSP butter, melted
Filling:
19 ounces cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2 tsp lemon zest (usually 1 lemon)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
Topping:
8 ounces sour cream
3 TBSP sugar
Garnish with fresh berries, if desired
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in small bowl. Pour into 9 inch spring-form pan. Press up sides of pan and along the bottom to form crust. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
Adjust oven temperature to 300 degrees.
Beat cream cheese and sugar until nice and fluffy (couple minutes). Add lemon zest and vanilla extract. Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix all until smooth, scrapping the bowl from time to time.
Pour filling into prepared crust. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until center is somewhat firm and not overly jiggly.
Remove from oven and spread mixture of sour cream and sugar on top of cheesecake. Lightly spread with a spatula to evenly over. Turn OFF oven, place cheesecake back in oven for 5 minutes.
Cool on counter for 30-40 minutes and then chill overnight before serving.
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Want more cheesecake? How about Pumpkin Cheesecake?