Kate’s Brilliant No Fail Cheesecake

For the crust:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Finely grind graham crackers. I use my blender/food processor.
3. Add melted butter into the crumbs and mix until combined.
4. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9″ springform pan.
5. Bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes.
6. Remove pan and maintain oven temperature.

You can substitute a purchased graham cracker crust. I’ve also had great luck subbing a gluten free shortbread for the original crust.

For the filling:
1. In a large bowl using a mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
2. Mix in flour.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined.
4. Add sour cream/heavy cream, vanilla and liqueur. Mix until combined. If you’ve opted to make the cheesecake unflavored remember you’ll need to add additional heavy cream (see ingredient list).
5. Pour filling into the pan, and smooth the top.
6. Bake 10 minutes.
7. Reduce oven temperature to 250 F. Bake for an additional 40-45 minutes or until center is set. The center is set when you jiggle the pan and there is no wiggle in the cheesecake. Don’t let it cook until brown shows, because that’s overdone.
8. Cool cake in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
9. Run a butter knife around the cake edges to loosen it.
10. Cool on the rack, in pan until it’s room temperature. Then cool in the refrigerator 6-8 hours.

For the chocolate glaze:

This step is optional, but makes for an amazing cheesecake.
1. In a heavy saucepan, heat 1/4 cup heavy cream until just before simmering. Then keep heat at medium-low to prevent scorching.
2. Add the chocolate chips and stir until completely melted and smooth. Be sure not to scorch. I usually turn the heat off and stir for 2-3 additional minutes to make sure the chocolate is very smooth.
3. Top the cake with the glaze and cool until set.