A Sinfully Delicious Cheesecake

Early on in my courtship, I learned my mother-in-law Mary Iversen made the best cheese cake. Her scrumptious cheesecake is creamy with just the right amount of sweetness.

According to my mother-in-law this recipe came from a restaurant in Des Moines, Iowa. The story goes, one day her good friend dined at this restaurant and had the cheesecake for dessert. She was so enamored with the cheesecake, she decided she just had to have the recipe.  She asked for the recipe and they told her it was the family's secret recipe and they could not share it. So Mary's friend began frequenting the restaurant and each time she would order the cheesecake, she would comment she made a cheesecake which was very similar to theirs. She would tell them she used 3/4 of a pound of cream cheese in her cheesecake and they told her they used one pound of cream cheese. She did this until eventually she was able to figure out all the ingredients and their exact measurements. She finally had the recipe and was kind enough to share it with my mother-in-law.

A couple days ago my children, grandchildren and I got together with Mary's nephew and his family. I volunteered to bring dessert  and could not think of a better or more appropriate one than Mary's cheesecake. It was a definite hit and we raised our glasses to Mary and her cheesecake! I raise my glass to determination and the successful pursuit of this wonderful recipe.

                                                                    Cheese Cake
                                                                    Adapted from 
                                                           Reading Writing Recipes 
                                                                Literacy Volunteers 
                                                              of Greater Syracuse  

                               

Crust:
8 ounces of crushed graham crackers
1 stick of margarine
1 cup sugar

Batter:
1 pound cream cheese
5 ounces sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping:
2 pints sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla 

Blend the crust ingredients well and press into a 9" spring form cake pan.

For the batter, cream cheese and sugar together well. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat for 10 minutes in the mixer. Pour into the pan, place on a sheet of foil into a 375 degree oven  and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Let cool.

Combine the topping  ingredients and spread on the cooled cake. Refrigerate before serving.

"This has been a family favorite for years. Full of calories and cholesterol, but delicious."

 Mary Iversen

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