Break Up Cheesecake

One thing I really love- cheesecake. One thing I really hate- recipe hoarders. I am one who is a sharer by nature. If I find something I love, I want everyone to know about it, so I don’t understand those who like to keep the good things to themselves. Like, if you have a great recipe, unless you actually sell the product or enter it into contests, I can understand. But if you are keeping all to yourself just to be an ass, that irritates me. My husband was always going on and on about this cheesecake this lady would bring into work. Even though she never sold the cheesecakes or entered it into any blue ribbon fair contests, she would not come off the recipe. While it saddens me when couples break up, I was a little delighted when this particular lady ended her relationship, because then her former flame finally passed the recipe on to us. And, in my giving nature, I will now share it with you. I call it the Break Up Cheesecake. I find it fitting for those of you who are Anti-Valentine’s Day. Whip up one of these babies and have a celebration all of your own!

Ingredients:

1 sleeve chocolate graham crackers

6 tbsp butter, melted

2 tbsp sugar

2 1/2 lbs (5 packages) cream cheese, softened to room temp.

1/8 tsp sakt’1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp real vanilla extract

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup sour cream

6 eggs

2 egg yolks

Directions:

Line a nine inch spring form pan with foil.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Finely crush the sleeve of graham crackers.

Mix the sugar and 5 1/2 tbsp of the butter with a fork until crumbly. Reserve remaining butter for brushing over the spring form pan.

Press the crumbs in the bottom of the prepared pan, bake for 13 minutes, then remove to rack to cool while you prepare the filling.

Brush sides of the spring form pan with the remaining melted butter generously after the crust has cooled.

Turn the oven up to 500 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese for 2 minutes (to get out most of the big lumps) with the salt.Add the sugar in thirds, beating after each addition. Scrape down the sides. About 1 minute for each addition.

Add the sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix well.

Add the eggs two at a time, beating well after each addition, including the two extra egg yolks.

Pour into cooled crust and place on a lipped baking sheet in the case of a spillover.

Bake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 200 degrees.

DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR!

Bake for 90 minutes.

Remove from oven, cool for 5 minutes on wire rack.

Run knife around the outer edge of the cake.

Allow to cool for 3 hours at room temperature.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Best served 30 minutes out of the refrigerator.

*Feel free to top with your favorite fruit pie filling!