Darryl’s Classic Cheesecake

~ Mary ~

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Those of you who know me know my old southern “boyfriend” Darryl and his fabulous ribs and cheesecake recipes – the only two things that lasted from that relationship 20 years ago!

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This cheesecake is by far the most decadent I’ve ever made – 12 of these cakes graced Kevin & Roses wedding and more recently the other Kevin’s 40th b-day party!

The reason behind the decadence this time was none other than Niki – a 25 year old sweetheart, from Belgium, that has NEVER EATEN cheesecake in her life.  A syndrome that needed fixing immediately!

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I gladly obliged remedying the situation!

You are welcome to serve this with a fresh fruit something or other, but please do me a favor and eat your first bite plain!

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Other cakes you might enjoy:

Strawberry Butter, Mango Mousse, Tiramisu, Heaven & Hell

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Darryl’s Classic Cheesecake

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Crust

Combine in Cuisinart:

1 Package Graham Crackers  (115 – 140 grams)

1 Cup Pecans (115 – 140 grams)

Whiz around until like a fine grain sand then add

1/2 Cup Melted Butter (115 – 140 grams)

Mix to combine and line the base, and walls of a 9″ spring form pan.  If it’s not sticking enough for you – add more melted butter.  If you don’t have enough to cover the edges of your pan, mix in more graham crackers.

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Cake

In mixer beat until smooth an creamy

3 lbs Cream Cheese (1 kg plus 360 grams)

Then Add:

2 Cups Sugar (400 grams)

3 Eggs

2 tsp Vanilla (10 milliliters)

Blend until smooth.

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Bang the bowl on the counter top a couple of times to get the air bubbles to move to the top.

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Cover and let batter sit in fridge OVER NIGHT to remove air.

Pour into crust. Bake at 200°F – 225°F (93°C – 107°C)  NO HOTTER or it will turn out grainy! for 3-4 hours.
In comments below: Cjones and I both baked ours for four hours in a regular oven, then turned it off and left the cake in the oven until it cooled.  Worked perfectly for both of us!

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It’s finished when a knife or toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

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Optional to add a pan of water in the oven.

A convection oven takes considerably less time to bake.

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Let cool completely then  top with a Sour Cream and Honey mixture.  This is entirely optional – Mine was pretty runny because I never wrote that part of the recipe down – I never thought it added a whole lot to the cake.  In comments below: Add the sour cream mixture (sour cream with a little honey or sugar) during the last 40 minutes of baking so it can cling to the cake, once it’s been cooled and refrigerated the topping will stiffen considerably.  This worked perfectly and it turned out great, for me, when I tried it!