Lovely little creations- White chocolate cheesecake

{eye candy for cheesecake lovers}

This dangerously decadent dessert was made specially for my friend Alaina's birthday. The birthday girl, who is incidentally a cheesecake fanatic opted to nix traditional birthday fare in favor of this delicious alternative. Although the end result was absolutely great, I'd have to say this baby was a labor of love. After two oven fire scares and a crack that almost ruined the entire aesthetic of the cheesecake, I was this close to throwing in the towel, dumping the damn thing into the garbage disposal, and sending derek to the nearest bakery for a consolation cake. Luckily I stuck it out, and thanks to several prayers and crossed fingers, successfully pulled it off without burning my house down (okay I'm exaggerating).

Now that I've scared everyone from ever making a cheesecake, truthfully it is not that hard. I've made other cheesecakes without a hitch, but with this particular cake I failed to securely wrap the bottom of the spring form pan with foil. It is a MUST when using an Oreo crust. Because Oreos already contain a very high fat content, the oils from the cream will melt during the baking process and leak through the pan causing it to drip onto the oven's underside (which is a big no-no). So take it from me and wrap the bottom of that pan a hundred times before you bake anything. Now, with that being said. Here's the recipe :

crust

• 2.5 cups chocolate wafer cookies (I used oreos), broken into pieces
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

filling

• 8 oz good-quality white chocolate, finely chopped

• 4- 8 ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1.5 cups sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Directions

Crust:

* Preheat oven to 325 degrees, finely grind 2.5 cups of chocolate wafers in a food processor

* Mix crumbs with 1/2 cup melted butter until moist.

* Press into the bottom of a 9 in springform pan, and 1 inch up the sides.

* Bake for 10 minutes or until firm but not burnt

Filling:

* melt chocolate in a double boiler. cool until luke warm and stir to prevent hardening, set aside

* cream sugar, cream cheese,salt, and flour until light and fluffy

* with the mixer on low-med speed, incorporate one egg at a time

* slowly mix in sour cream vanilla until combined

* stir in melted chocolate

* pour filling into cooled crust

* bake in center rack for 1 hour at 325 . (check cheesecake at 50 minutes because ovens can vary)

* turn off oven at end of cooking time and cool cheesecake inside of oven with the door slightly open for 30 minutes (this will help prevent the cheesecake from cracking)

* remove cheesecake from oven and refrigerate overnight

Topping:

You can choose to serve it plain, but I like mine topped with whipped cream and chocolate covered strawberries.

* combine 1 cup of heavy whipping cream and 1/4 cup powdered sugar

* beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks are formed (decorate as desired)

* strawberries can be dipped in special mold chocolate such as the wilton brand (which adds a special touch)

HAPPY BAKING =) and Happy Birthday Alaina!

xoxo,

Melissa