Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Lemon Curd Topping

       When canning and cooking at home goes hand in hand in a new recipe creation, and the result turns out beyond outrageously tasty - it's nirvana to me!  This is why I created my website; to use my homemade, home-canned items (in this case, my Lemon Curd) and  quality ingredients, that take my recipe creations to a whole new level.  This time, by combining lemon curd with a great tasting homemade cheesecake infused with one of the best vanilla pastes which enhances the depth and richness of this cheesecake, truly a winner for any occasion.   ~Enjoy! Diane        

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Lemon Curd Topping

Crust Ingredients: 
1 cup finely crushed Graham Crackers (about 14 square crackers)
3 Tablespoons Butter, melted
3 Tablespoons Sugar

Vanilla Bean Batter Ingredients: 
4 packages (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup Sugar 
1 cup Sour Cream
1 Tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste 
4 Eggs

Topping: 
Homemade Lemon Curd (follow directions on making, click here) 
Other Great Toppings:  Dulce de Leche, Raspberry Jam and the like...  


Directions:
Preheat oven to 325ºF.

​CRUST: 

1. In a food processor; Pulse graham crackers into crumbs, add melted butter and 3 Tbsp. sugar; press onto the bottom of a 9-inch spring-form pan.
2. Bake 10 minutes, remove from oven and increase oven to 345ºF.  

BATTER: 

1. Beat softened cream cheese and sugar with mixer until well blended.
2. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla. 
3. Add in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low speed after each addition, just until blended.
4. Pour batter over crust.
5. Bake at 345ºF for 60-75 minutes, or until center is almost set. 
6. Remove cake from oven. Run a knife around the rim of the pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim.
7. Refrigerate cheesecake for at least 4 hours before spooning on cooled lemon curd and smoothing out over the top of the cheesecake.   
8. Cover & Refrigerate any leftovers. (don't worry - there won't be any!)   

Recipe Note:  **Rodelle Vanilla Bean Paste and other great baking essentials can be found on their website at www.rodellekitchen.com   

Kitchen Tip: crack your 4 eggs into a cup first - then drop into batter one yolk at a time - this keeps any shells out of your batter and also doesn't spoil your batter if an egg is "bad"... 

creaming the cheese & sugar together

adding in the Rodelle Vanilla Paste

graham cracker crust baked

vanilla cheesecake ready for baking

cheesecake set to cool

Vanilla Paste by Rodelle

Homemade, Home-canned Lemon Curd