Strawberry Lemon Cheesecake

So yesterday I mentioned some cheesecake, and here it is. Now you know me, I started with a recipe, but things got a little switched around along the way and I ended up making it my own.  Adapted from this recipe, mine is a little bit smaller with a little bit different topping, but i'm pretty sure it contains the same amount of delicious.  This was the easiest cheesecake I've ever made, and the quickest...so without further ado, here is the recipe, just in case anyone wants to give it a try.

For the Crust: Combine 6 tbsp of melter butter with one sleeve of crushed graham crackers and press the mixture into the bottom of an 8 inch spring form pan.  Bake for 5 minutes at 375 and then set aside.

For the Filling: Using an electric mixer, beat one and a half pounds of softened cream cheese until smooth, beat in the following one at a time: 2 eggs, 3/4 cup of sugar, 1 tbsp of vanilla, and about 1 tbsp lemon zest, beat all together until smooth and fluffy, and then gently fold in one pint of fresh strawberries, cleaned and chopped into small pieces.  Pour onto crust and bake at 375 until the middle is just barely set (30-40 minutes).  Remove from oven, run a knife around the edge of the pan and cover and let cool.  When it is no longer hot to the touch, move it into the fridge and chill at least 3 hours, overnight if possible.  

For the Topping: Clean and quarter another pint of strawberries and put them in a saucepan.  Add about 1/4 cup of maple syrup, 2 tbsp sugar, and a splash of water (add a bit of corn starch if you have any, I didn't so my topping was a bit thin, but still good).  Reduce the sauce over low heat until desired thickness is reached, cool and pour over the cheesecake.  Let set for another few hours if possible, serve chilled.  Yummmm.

So there you have it, for today a photo and a recipe.  I know only like 6 people read this, but please let me know what you think if you try any of the recipes I post here, I love to get feedback.  

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