happy anniversary cheesecake

This past weekend was my in-laws' 31st wedding anniversary. The whole family celebrated in Atlanta at Top Chef contestant, Kevin Gillespie's restaurant called Woodfire Grill. Our meal was excellent but the last course, dessert, was so-so. Good thing I came prepared and had baked a cheesecake for the occasion. My mother-in-law's favorite cake is cheesecake, hence all the cheesecake recipes I have on my blog.



anniversary cheesecake
ingredients

• 1/4 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup ginger snaps
• 1/2 cup vanilla wafers
• 3 tbsp butter, melted
• (3) 8 ounce packages cream cheese
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup corn starch 
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• 2 large eggs 
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream 
• 1/2 cup half and half
• (1) 6 oz cup plain fat free yogurt

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Process ginger snaps, pecans, and vanilla wafers in a food processor until the mixture is in fine crumbs. Mix crumbs with butter.  Press mixture into a 9-inch springfoam pan to create crust.
3. Place an 8 ounce package of the cream cheese, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally. Beat in the remaining 2 packages of cream cheese.
4. Increase the mixer speed to high and beat in the remaining 1-1/4 cups of sugar, then beat in the vanilla and lemon extract. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, beating the batter well after adding each one. Blend in the heavy cream and half-and-half. At this point, mix the filling only until completely blended. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
5. Gently spoon the cheese filling on top of the prepared crust. Place the spring-form pan in a large shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Bake the cheesecake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the center barely jiggles when you shake the pan, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
6. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 1 hour. Then cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it's completely cold, at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove the sides of the spring-form pan. Slide the cake off of the bottom of the pan onto a serving plate. Or if you wish, simply leave the cake on the removable bottom of the pan and place it on a serving plate. If any cake is left over, cover it with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.