Turtle Cheesecake

Original source: Tyler Florence

Ingredients

• crust
  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• filling
  • 2 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 16 oz. sour cream
  • seasonings
    • dash of lemon flavor or lemon zest
    • dash of vanilla extract
• toppings
  • caramel
  • chocolate
  • pecans

Equipment

• stand mixer
• 8 in. springform pan
• large roasting pan (I use the inner part of my large electric roaster)
• aluminum foil

Setup

1. Heat oven to 325°F
2. Boil a large pot of water (around 1 gallon)

Process

1. Spray springform pan with non-stick cooking spray. You can also put a layer of parchment on the bottom to make removal easier.
2. Combine crust ingredients, then press into bottom of springform pan and up the sides about 1 inch. Refrigerate while making filling.
3. Beat softened cream cheese in stand mixer on medium-low for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Room temperature probably isn’t soft enough; I usually have to heat my cream cheese a bit to make it work.
4. Add eggs 1 at a time and beat on medium-low to combine
5. Add sugar and beat until creamy.
6. Add sour cream, lemon flavor and vanilla and beat until combined. Do not over-beat!
7. Pour filling into crust lined pan. Wrap outside of pan with foil tightly to prevent water from leaking in.
8. Place springform pan in roasting pan, then fill roasting pan with boiling water until halfway up edges of springform pan (usually until it barely floats)
9. Bake for 45 minutes at 325°F. Filling will still be a bit wobbly; that’s fine.
10. Cool in pan for 30 minutes, then remove from pan and chill in refrigerator for 4 hours to set.
11. Top cheesecake with caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, and pecans.

Notes

• 2016-12-12 - Tried to make this for Monday night. Sadly my water bath leaked into the pan a bit so the bottom crust was soggy. But, overall the taste was spot-on!