Banana Pudding Cheesecake

For the crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch cake or springform pan. Wrap the outsides with aluminum foil. Set aside.

Place vanilla wafers into a plastic bag. Finely crush with a rolling pin. In a medium bowl, combine wafter crumbs and melted butter.

Press vanilla wafer mixture evenly into pan. Bake for 8–10 minutes. Cool completely.

For the cheesecake:
In a small saucepan, mash bananas with a fork until smooth. Stir in brown sugar and lemon juice. Cook for 3–5 minutes until sugar is melted and bananas are cooked. Remove from heat.

Stir in vanilla extract. Cool completely.

In a large bowl, stir cream cheese until light and fluffy. Cream in sugar until fully combined. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Stir in banana mixture until just combined.

Evenly pour filling into prepared crust. Place cake pan into a roasting pan. Fill pan around halfway full with hot water.

Bake at 350ºF for 45–60 minutes or until the center is firm. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

For the topping:
In a large chilled bowl, whip cream with a chilled whisk. Whisk until thickened. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip until soft peaks form.

Garnish cheesecake with whipped cream, sliced banana, and vanilla wafers if desired. Store in the refrigerator.