Monica Champion’s Cheesecake

Cook Time: 1 hour + 5-7 minutes
Preheat Oven: 300

Ingredients:
Crust:
2 ¾ cup graham cracker crumbs (32  crackers)
1 TB sugar
1 stick of butter, melted
Mash all together and press in the bottom of a spring form pan, non-greased.
Filling:
3 packages of cream cheese, softened
5 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 ½ tsp. Vanilla
Beat all together and pour over crust in the spring form pan. Bake at 300° for 1 hour.
Topping:
1 ½ pints (3 cups) sour cream
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
Instructions:
Pour over the cheesecake in the oven and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes.
Important: Turn off oven and let cheesecake cool in the oven until you can pick it up with your hands. Approximately 1 hour. Place in fridge until completely chilled. Remove from pan and serve.

Other variations of toppings:
Orange Cream:
1 pkg. (3 oz.) orange gelatin
1 carton (8 oz.) whipped topping
1- ¼ sugar

Prepare gelatin according to pkg. instructions. Put in fridge until slightly thickened, about 80 minutes.  In a mixing bowl, beat whipped topping and sugar. Beat in gelatin (mixture will be thin). Chill for 30 minutes. Gently spoon over filling (pan will be full). Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Garnish with lemon slices, orange peel strips, etc.


Lime Coconut:
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
¼ cup cold water
¾ cup sugar
2 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
¼ cup lime juice
1 TB lime peel
Green food coloring
1- ½ cups whipped cream

Instructions:
 In a sauce pan, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let stand for 1 minute. Stir in sugar; cook over low heat until sugar and gelatin are dissolved. Remove from the heat. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in gelatin mixture. Add lime juice and peel; beat until blended. Turn pale green with food coloring. Fold in whipped cream. Pour over filling. Refrigerate for 5 hours or overnight. Garnish with whipped cream and toasted coconut if desired. (Half recipe for 1 cake)