Sourcream Cheesecake

This is the dessert Lincoln requested for his 4th birthday dinner.

I think people tend to be intimidated by cheesecake but really it's so easy. Yes, cheesecake can be a bit fussy but I think if you relax, it'll come out just fine. A few tricks I've learned are to have all ingredients at room temperature (a must for all baking), mix well but do not over mix, place 2 ramekins of water in the oven while baking, and cake should jiggle when you take it out, it will set as it cools.


Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter

Filling:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
5 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Topping:

1 1/2 cups sour cream
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Crust:

stir together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter. Pat this mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch spring form pan.
Filling:

Beat together the cream cheese and granulated sugar. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, and then beat in the vanilla. Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 1 hour. Remove the cake from the oven. Cool for 10 minutes. Do not turn oven off.
Topping:

In a bowl, mix the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla until well blended. Spread this mixture over the warm cake and return to the oven for 4 minutes.

Let the cake cool to room temperature in the pan, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. At serving time, use a table knife to loosen the cake from the pan. Remove the sides of the pan and place the cake on a platter, leaving it on pan bottom.