Delicious cheesecake!

I have two things to say about this recipe.

One: I’m so sorry I cannot post a picture for this one. The cake was all gone before I knew it!

Two: This is NOT a healthy recipe. This has butter, fat, cream cheese, sugar, the likes. But it is SOOO worth it.

Cheesecake like this is so rich you won’t want another piece, anyways.

I made this cake for my boyfriend’s birthday; it was my first attempt at making one like this. I'm not a cheesecake fan, but even I liked it. According to my boyfriend and his family, it tasted like a cake you’d find in a gourmet restaurant. Yay.

I don’t want to disappoint you, so I will warn you. Although this recipe yields a big cake, it won’t last very long. Beware of greedy friends and family!

To make the crust:

1 ¼ cups graham crumbs

¼ cup white sugar

1/3 cup butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, mix graham crumbs with white sugar.

2. Melt the butter (stovetop or microwave), then add to the bowl. Mix very well.

3. Press into the bottom of a 9 inch pan (if you have a springform pan, it’s best to use that.) Refrigerate for 30 minutes. During that time, you can go ahead and start the cake batter.

To make the cake:

3 packages (8 oz each) of cream cheese, softened (I used Philadelphia)

1 can (14 oz) sweet condensed milk

¼ cup lemon juice

3 eggs

1. In a bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until it becomes light and fluffy.

2. Gradually, combine condensed milk while still beating the mixture.

3. Mix in lemon juice and vanilla extract, then add eggs. Beat the mixture until everything combines smoothly.

4. Pour cake batter into the crust. Bake for 80 minutes in preheated oven or until center is set (check with a toothpick or thin knife).

5. Once cooked, let cool for at least an hour before refrigerating. It is important to let the cake refrigerate overnight before serving.

Optional: Drizzle strawberry or chocolate sauce on top of the cake for decoration. For the occasion, I used strawberry sauce to make pretty swirls on top of the cake.

Whenever I make it again, I swear I will post a picture of it!