Successful Cheesecake

Easy and Delicious.

CRUST
1-1/4 cups crushed vanilla wafers
3/4 cup finely chopped almonds or other nuts
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
FILLING
4 packages ( 8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1-1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
TOPPING
2 cups ( 16 ounces) sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds or other nuts OR fresh or canned fruit

Before you begin baking, be sure all the ingredients are at room temperature. In a bowl, combine wafers, nuts and sugar; add the butter and mix well. Press into the bottom of an un-greased 10-inch spring form pan; refrigerate pan. In a large mixing bowl, blend cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Always combine the cream cheese and eggs thoroughly before adding any liquid extracts or liquids. If you use regular whipping beaters, set the mixer at low or medium-low speed so only a minimum amount of air is whipped into the batter. Stop the mixer several times while making the batter and scrape down the beaters and sides of the bowl. Pour filling into crust and set the pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes or until center is almost set. Cover with aluminum foil part way through baking if the top browns too quickly. The finished cheesecake will have a dull, not shiny, finish. The center should be soft, but it should not wobble. Remove from the oven; let stand for 5 minutes. Combine sour cream, sugar and vanilla; spread over filling. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Do not set cheesecake in cold or drafty places to cool. A turned-off oven with the door slightly ajar is ideal. Chill cooled cake overnight. Run a knife around the sides of the cooled cake to loosen it from the pan. Release the spring and remove the pan sides. Leave the cake on the pan bottom for serving. Shallow cracks often occur despite all efforts to prevent them. Cover them with nuts or fruit.

JACQUELINE'S COOKBOOK