Cheesecake!!

So on a whim tonight I decided I wanted cheesecake. I do not own a spring form pan but I do have two round cake pans that worked out nicely. I was craving chocolate, apples and cream cheese so I made two plain cheesecakes and topped one with ganache and one with cinnamon apples.


Crust:
Graham crackers, about 2 1/2-3 cups ground
1 stick of salted butter
1 cup sugar

Mix well and press into two round cake pans, lined with foil. makes for an easier clean up. Refrigerate until batter is ready.

Filling:
2 pounds or 4-8oz packages of cream cheese room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla

Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add one egg at a time until completely incorporated. Pour batter into prepared round cake pans. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. They are done when they feel dense in the center to your palm.**If you are using a 9 inch spring form pan this recipe will make one cheesecake and you need to bake for 60 minutes.**

Cinnamon apple topping:

Since I made everything from scratch I kind of skimped on the apples and made them in the microwave. Terrible I know but such a time saver.

3 apples peeled and sliced thinly
2-3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Mix well in microwave safe dish. microwave for 3 minutes stopping every minute to stir. the last 30 seconds add the brown sugar and continue microwaving. Watch it because the sugar will bubble over and make a mess. After one cheesecake has cooled add the apple topping and enjoy! It would have been great if I had some whipped cream to give it that apple pie feeling.


Chocolate ganache topping:

1/4-1/2 cup of whole milk
1-1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
boiling water
a glass or metal boil to set on top of boiling water(essentially a double boiler
whisk

Set water to a rapid boil, and add chips to boil above water. As it begins to melt start to whisk out the chunks until smooth. Add a little bit of milk at a time and incorporate it until it is the consistency you want. Pour on to cooled cheesecake and refrigerate again.


These recipes were not nearly as time consuming as I thought they would be. And you can't beat made from scratch! So much better than a box or that no bake crap, bleh. Make sure to pin this and an other recipes on pinterest for safe keeping! Like my face book page too! All the fancy pants buttons are at the top of the page. Thanks so much for reading!!!