A celebration!

Happy Birthday to my lovely sister, who we will say is 25 again today :) Since my sister would probably carjack a nun for some cheesecake, in celebration of her birthday - that's today's recipe.

Cheesecake Tips:

1. Beat in all the ingredients on LOW speed. You do not want to incorporate air - it will make the cake crack when baking.

2. Do not overbeat the mixture. This will also cause cracking.

3. When checking during baking, you want the cheesecake to look "wet" and wobble a little bit if you shake the pan. Don't overbake!

Cheesecake for Courtney

Crust:

• 2 cups of Graham Cracker crumbs (place the crackers in the food processor and process until tiny crumbs)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar

Filling:

• 4 - 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, room temperature (use full fat! not a spot for shortcuts!)
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 5 large eggs, room temperature
• 3 tablespoons, all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then , grease (or use Pam Baking Spray) a 9" Springform pan and place the pan on a cookie sheet and set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, add the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter for the crust. Mix together with a spatula, until combined. Turn the mixture out into the bottom of the Springform pan and press firmly into the bottom of the pan. Cover and refrigerate.

In a large bowl, add the cream cheese, sugar and flour and beat on low speed until just combined. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl and incorporate all the ingredients! Next, add the lemon zest, whipping cream, and vanilla and beat on low until incorporated. Take the chilled crust from the refrigerator and pour the cream cheese mixture on top. Place the Springform pan on the cookie sheet and place it into the oven.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, and then lower the temperature to 250 degrees and bake for another 90 minutes until the cheesecake is mostly firm - but still wobbly. Remove from the oven and place on wire rack. After cooling, place in refrigerator for at least 8 hours (or overnight is best!). When you're ready to serve, slide a spatula around the edge of the pan to loosen the crust from the sides of the pan. :)