My first cheesecake

The hubs joined me as a ripe, young twenty-six year old over the weekend.The guy is pretty silly when it comes to his birthday. He doesn't want presents, instead he wants to eat crabs, play golf, watch baseball and hang out with family and friends. Unfortunately, this year he had baseball games all weekend so he had to miss out on playing golf. No worries, we have an IOU round planned for later this summer.

When it comes to birthday cake the hubs has only one request- it be nothing but plain cheesecake. The guy loves cheesecake. Anytime he has the room for dessert at a restaurant, he's going to order cheesecake. It's just a simple fact of life for him.

Of course, there is one tiny problem when it comes to ordering cheesecake at home. I don't eat cream cheese and therefore I don't make cheesecake. It's nothing against the cheesecake itself, instead it's the massive amounts of cream cheese that make me want to gag. I'm not a cream cheese person, my bad.

Thankfully, I got over my intense hatred for cream cheese long enough to buy a few packages and make the hubs a cheesecake for his birthday. The guy puts up with a lot of my annoyances, so it really isn't that bad that I make him a cheesecake now and then.

Armed with my Better Homes and Gardens New Baking Book (aka, my baking bible), I set off to make the Cheesecake Supreme. The description reads, "This is it- the rich, creamy, and traditional choice for the cheesecake purist." Yeah, that sounded perfect for the hubs.

- 1 3/4 cups finely crushed graham crackers (24 squares- which is much less than the two boxes I bought!)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel (optional- I skipped this)
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 cup milk

For crust, combine crushed crackers, walnuts, and cinnamon. Stir in butter. If desired reserve 1/4 cup of the crumb mixture for topping (I didn't do this either). Press remaining mixture onto bottom and about 2 inches up sides of an ungreased 8- or 9-inch springform pan. Set crust aside.

For filling, in a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla, and, if desired, lemon peel with an electric mixer until combined. Add eggs and egg yolk all at once, beating on low speed until just combined. Stir in milk.

Pour filling into crust-lined pan. If desired, sprinkle with reserved crumbs. Place in a shallow baking pan in oven. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes for the 8-inch pan, 35 to 40 minutes for the 9-inch pan (mine took 40 minutes), or until center appears nearly set when gently shaken.

Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Loosen crust from sides of pan and cool for 30 minutes more. Remove sides of pan; cool 1 hour. Cover and chill at least 4 hours. Yell at hubs that he can't eat the cake until it has cooled for 4 hours. Threaten to put an alarm on refrigerator.

Okay, maybe those last two steps aren't needed for everyone, but I used them. Anyone want to share their go to recipe for cheesecake or just a really good recipe? I don't have to make them, but I can certainly pass them along to my hubs. Or any recipes that I can use my new springform pan???