Mangia Monday: Sour Cream Cheesecake

I guess we all grow up thinking our Mom's are the greatest cooks & bakers on the planet. I certainly did. My Mom comes from a long line of them, remarkably talented Southern women who can run a kitchen better than General Patton ran the Army. She took endless cooking classes, baking courses and compiled a plethora of church & junior league cookbooks over the years. So when I'm in need of a recipe that I know will wow a crowd, I look no further than my own Mother's recipe collection. 

For Valentine's Day I made my husband a menu from her repertoire, an oldie but goody, rich traditional fare: marinated beef tenderloin, twice baked potatoes, asparagus with garlic butter sauce, and my Mother's Sour Cream Topped Cheesecake. Over the years I've watched people fawn over her cheesecake, and it was one of the first baking lessons she ever taught me. In fact, Jeff said I love you after the first time I made him this cheesecake. Ha! Tell me there isn't power in delicious food ;)

This cake is thicker than a typical cheesecake and has a topping layer so that it's twice baked. Because of that extra layer of creamy goodness, it's so incredibly rich. My favorite thing about this particular cheesecake though, is that it stands alone. I've never once served it with cherries, strawberries, or any other topping. You certainly could if you like, but personally I want nothing to take away from the amazing blend of flavor from the cookie base to the sweet cream cheese. Perfection just as it is!

For the crust - 

1 1/2 cups cantucci biscuits (crumbled biscotti) 

1/4 cup sugar

1 stick butter, melted

For the cake -

3 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp good vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt

dash of cinnamon

For the topping - 

2 cups sour cream

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp good vanilla extract

1. Let the cream cheese soften in a large bowl and set out your eggs several hours before baking.

2. Process the biscotti cookies to a fine crumble resembling graham cracker crumbs. Melt the butter, then in a small bowl add to the cookie crumbs & 1/4 cup sugar. Press on the bottom & a little bit of the sides of a heavily buttered 9" springform pan. Chill.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With your mixer, begin beating the cream cheese, add in the sugar & salt. Whip until creamy & fluffy. The longer you beat, the better. Next add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg. Finally mix in the vanilla, then pour the batter on top of the crust.

4. Prepare a water bath for your cheesecake. Then bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until firm. Remove from the oven and let the cheesecake rest on a cooling rack for 15 minutes.

5. Reset the oven to 450 degrees. Sprinkle the cheesecake with a dash of cinnamon.

6. While the cake is resting,  make the topping by combining the sour cream, 1/4 cup sugar & 2 tsp vanilla. Then spread on top of the cheesecake and return to the oven for 10 minutes at 450 degrees. Cool on a wire rack until the cheesecake is at room temperature and chill in the fridge overnight. Enjoy!

Baking Tips:

When making a dairy based dessert especially (ie: custard, souffle, cheesecake) it's important to treat it like a chemistry experiment. Afterall, if you're going to invest the money & time in making a dessert such as this, you want to get it right the first time. So here are a few tips my Mom passed on to me:

*For the crust we always use cantucci biscuits, aka almond biscotti, for a richer flavor. You can also use  ground Lorna Doone shortbread cookies or the traditional American  graham cracker crumbs.  

*Avoid cheap generic brands and instead use quality ingredients like Madagascar vanilla extract, organic eggs, and at the very least, name brand dairy products.

*There's a science to mixing warm & cold ingredients when baking. To prevent the bubbles & puffiness so many bakers have experienced when making a cheesecake, make sure your ingredients are all the same temperature. When you set out your cream cheese to soften, set out your eggs as well. While the cake is baking, go ahead and set out your sour cream.

*Water baths are imperative when baking a cheesecake. It prevents the dreaded cracking & browning of the cake top, but more importantly gives it that melt-in-your-mouth texture & taste of perfection.  

I hope you bookmark our family's treasured cheesecake recipe and make it the next time you want to serve a marvelous dessert that's sure to leave a good impression! So what are your favorite family recipes?
And which dessert is your go-to for special, fancy occasions?

Mangia Mangia y'all!