Deliciously Easy Baked Cheesecake (Made Without Sour Cream)

 

   A simple yet oh so delicious baked cheesecake you can make from the comfort of your home and in a quick amount of time! And the best part is, no Sour Cream required! I found the recipe over at Real Mom Nutrition and I am so happy I did, because it is so good! To make this, first you have to make the crust. Of course, you can always buy a pre-made crust but homemade is always better in my opinion. Here are the following ingredients needed:

• 9 Sheets of Graham Crackers
• 1/4 Cup of Granulated Sugar
• 5 TBS of butter (you will be melting)
• 2 8oz Blocks of Cream Cheese
• 2 Large Eggs
• 3/4 Cup of Granulated Sugar
• 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
• 1 tsp of Lemon Juice
• Optional to Make Wild Berry Flavors: Mix in Blackberries and Raspberries or any other fruit you desire. This makes it even yummier! 
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Preheat the oven to 350ºF

Put Graham Crackers in a food processor or smash them up in a ziploc bag, making sure they are finely ground up. Melt butter in a bowl and add 1/4 cup of granulated sugar to it, then pour in the fine cracker crumbs, mixing well. Dump the crumb mix into a 9" greased springform pan, smooshing down the crust across it and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. While that is cooking, you can start on the filling. Begin by adding the blocks of cream cheese to a mixing bowl and beat til fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, continue beating after each. Add in the 3/4 cups of sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. Scrape sides of the bowl, continue mixing all together for 5 minutes til all is soft and fluffy. Add in any optional fruits if you like, and blend it well. When crust is done, add in the mixed filling, spreading all across the crust. Bake in the oven for approximately 30-35 minutes. The sides will be firm but the center a little jiggly. Do the cheesecake wobble test to make sure it is finished, by tapping the side of the pan with a wooden spoon. The cake should jiggle all together as one. Check out this video, if you need an example. Once cake is done baking. Allow it to cool on a wire rack. Once it has cooled, refrigerate it for a few hours or even overnight. You can then remove the springform pan sides and slice up for serving!