At the time I was looking for a cheesecake with white chocolate in it. I adore white chocolate and in a cheesecake is even better. I think what initially got me on my cheesecake kick was my friend Beth. She is the cheesecake queen. For my birthday one year she made me a strawberry swirled cheesecake with a shortbread crust. Yes, it was that good I remembered exactly what it was. I think after she left I sat down and ate half of it. Since, then I've been trying to find different types of cheesecakes. I'm not a big fan of the water bath. Every time I've tried to do it something wrong has happened. So, an alternative is put a 9x13 pan of hot water that's half way filled on the bottom rack of the oven. It keeps the moisture in the oven to help it cook evenly. Always use room temperature ingredients and don't over mix your eggs. Maybe Beth will have pity on me and share all her secrets here on the blog. I actually think she might have something I can link to her blog that she posted a while ago if she gives me permission to do so. If you want further info on this recipe click on the link below and the Betty Crocker website has other ideas with what you can do.
Heavenly Cheesecake
Prep Time 40 Minutes
Total Time 9:55 Hrs:Mins
Makes 16 servings
1 cup vanilla wafer, chocolate wafer, graham cracker or gingersnap cookie crumbs
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 bag (12 ounces) white baking chips, (2 cups), melted
1/2
cup half-and-half
Cut-up fresh strawberries, if desired
Fresh mint leaf, if desired
Heat oven to 325°F. Mix cookie crumbs and butter in small bowl. Press evenly in bottom of springform pan, 10x3 or 9x3 inches. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
Beat cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla, melted baking chips and half-and-half until blended. Pour over crust; smooth top.
Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until center is set; cool 15 minutes. Run metal spatula around side of cheesecake to loosen. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours, but no longer than 48 hours. Remove side of pan. Top cheesecake with strawberries. Garnish with mint leaves. Store covered in refrigerator.
Makes 16 servings
OOH!! You had me at cheesecake!! I've been wanting to try this one! Thanks for the compliments! I love making cheesecakes, but I've had quite a few failures as well! It takes practice. I don't like water baths either. The post I did was November 2008, but I would change the cooking method. I really like the new one where you cook at 350 for 10 minutes and then 210 for 1 hour 10 mins. Yeah for cheesecakes!!!
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