Daily Dish - Mmmm...cheesecake!

While the Easter egg hunt was not successful, one thing that did come out of it was the inspiration to try making cheesecake. This is the result of standing in the 99c only store, staring blankly at a box of Graham Cracker Crumbs, while wondering where the hell the Easter candy aisle has gone.

So, when it comes to things in the kitchen, I'm admittedly a pretty decent cook. That is unless you want me to bake you something. Others will testify that my baking skills are a little...um, off (just ask about how I made square cupcakes ok?) Regardless of my self-professed lack of baking skills however, I'm also willing to try making anything once. Looking at the recipe on the back of the Graham Cracker box, I figured it just can't be that hard! The only thing I didn't have on the supplies list is a spring form pan, but I made do with a 9" cake pan and managed to get it out without it collapsing all over the place. That in itself is quite the accomplishment for me.

A little help from the husband while "fluffing" the cream cheese, a few stolen nibbles off the side where the filling had outgrown the crust, a day of refrigeration, and I present to you my Berrylicious Cheesecake!

For those of you that are interested, here is the recipe:

NEW YORK CHEESECAKE 2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs 1/2 cup melted butter 2 tbsp sugar 4 packages of cream cheese (8oz/ea) 1 1/3 cups sugar 2 tbsp cornstarch 1 tbsp vanilla 3 eggs 1 cup sour cream

1) In a small bowl, toss together graham cracker crumbs, butter, and 2 tbsp sugar. Reserve 2 tablespoons of crumb mixture for garnish. Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom and 2 1/4 inches up the sides of a 9" springform pan. Chill in freezer while preparing filling.

2) In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer (medium speed) until fluffy. Add 1 1/3 cups sugar, cornstarch and vanilla. Beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined after each one. Stir in sour cream.

3) Pour filling into crust. Baked at 325 degrees for 1 1/4 hours, or until center is almost set. Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes. Loosen sides of pan. Continue cooling on wire rack for 45 minutes more.

4) Sprinkle top with reserved crumb garnish. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Garnish as desired.