Brownie Bottom Cheesecake

Brownie Bottom Cheesecake

Well this post definitely isn’t about healthy food. With Cooper’s birthday coming up I’ve been thinking a lot about cake and the associations they create. Growing up I always chose the same cake for my birthday: cheesecake.

My parents make a mean cheesecake. They’ve become quite skilled at this dish since they make at least twenty different kinds every year for the running camp they put on. (They coach the cross-country team at my old high school.) For over four years I attended this camp and on the last day after completing the Mega Woman Run (longest run of the season) I’d binge eat cheesecake with my sweaty, exhausted comrades.  We’d laugh, talk, and eat to our hearts’ content. Calories meant nothing.

When I got married I wanted cheesecake at my reception, so in the months leading up to my marriage my father made enough cheesecakes to fill their deep freeze. He researched techniques on freezing and bought special bakery boxes so that when the cakes were sliced and served to guests they would have thought they were fresh baked. After our Spring Break honeymoon, Noel and I came back to a fridge full of cheesecake that kept us going as we got back to the drudgery of school.

Monday, I whipped up cheesecake for some dinner guests and I thought back on all these memories. To me, cheesecake is a symbol of hard work and love. It is something that is NEVER made from a box and a reminder that it’s okay to indulge once in awhile.  I wish I could serve you up a slice today and make your day a little more special, but at the least I can share a recipe.

I put a border of raspberries and chocolate chips on this one.

Brownie Bottom Cheesecake

Brownie Bottom:
1 stick butter
4 squares chocolate
1 ½ C sugar
2 eggs
¼ C mik
1 tsp vanilla
1 C flour
½ tsp salt
Cheesecake:
3 8oz packages cream cheese
¾ C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
½ C sour cream
1. Heat oven to 325 degrees
2. Melt butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring slowly. Once fully melted remove from heat and allow to cool then add the sugar and eggs. Blend in milk and vanilla.
3. Stir in the rest of the brownie ingredients, spread into the bottom of a greased and floured spring form pan and bake for approximately 25 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time. Blend in sour cream.
5. Pour over brownie bottom and bake an additional 55-60 minutes or until center is almost set.
6. Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Let stand at room temperature 30 min. before serving. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

 

2 thoughts on “Brownie Bottom Cheesecake

  1. Those good running days… 🙂 I had forgotten about the cheesecake I have in the freezer, maybe I’ll have to pull it out. Thanks for the reminder! And I’ll have to try out your recipe sometime. Looks delish!

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