Mother's Day Dessert: Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

 

I've decided I'm going to make this for Mother's Day this year. We're going to have a BBQ and well, it's not exactly the dessert you'd have at a BBQ but this is my Mother-in-laws favorite dessert and I know my mom will love it so I'm going to give it a go! I'll be sure to post all about it and all the other great food we have! 

 

Ingredients (Recipe adapted from All Recipes)

• 1/2 (18 ounce) package vanilla sandwich cookies
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
• 1/8 cup butter, melted
• 1 pounds cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 vanilla beans, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
• 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), and lightly butter a 6 inch spring-form pan.
2. Place the sandwich cookies into a plastic bag, and crush with a rolling pin. Pour the crumbs into a bowl, and mix with the scraped seeds of 1 vanilla bean. Drizzle the crumbs with melted butter and stir to combine. Press the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the spring-form pan, and set aside.
3. Place the softened cream cheese and sugar into the work bowl of an electric mixer, and beat for about 3 minutes on Medium speed, until the mixture is smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, incorporating each egg before adding the next one. Add the scraped seeds of 2 vanilla beans, the vanilla extract, sour cream, and heavy cream, and beat on Medium-High speed for about 1 minute, until the mixture is blended and smooth.
4. Pour the mixture into the cookie crumb crust, leaving about 2 inches of space from the top of the pan for the cake to expand as it bakes.
5. Place a baking dish onto the bottom rack of the preheated oven, and fill it halfway with boiling water. Place the cheesecake onto the middle rack, above the pan of boiling water, and bake until a small knife inserted into the middle of the cheesecake comes out clean, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
6. Turn the oven off and let the cheesecake cool down inside the oven for 1 hour. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.

I think I might try this crust and add this topping to it:

Topping:

2 cups sour cream 

1/4 cup sugar 

1 vanilla bean 

For topping: in a small bowl, combine sour cream and sugar. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add to the bowl, stirring well.

I think I might also make a Vanilla Bean Butter Cream Icing, you know add a little more decadence to this cake!

1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened (helpful hint: one stick of butter is 1/2 cup)
1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise

1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar (5 ounces)
Pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Tablespoons heavy cream

1. In a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Using a paring knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean into butter and beat mixture at medium-high speed to combine, about 15 seconds.

2. Add confectioners’ sugar and salt; beat at medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened, about 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl and beat at medium speed until mixture is fully incorporated, about 30 seconds; scrape bowl, add vanilla and heavy cream, and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 20 seconds, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl once or twice.

(Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker)

I shared this recipe at:
Show & Tell Wednesdays 
Whatever Goes Wednesdays
Recipes I Can't Wait to Try
What's Cooking Wednesday
Wandering Wednesdays
Whatcha Makin' Wednesdays
Swing Into Spring

Joy of Desserts
Mangia Mondays
Made by you Mondays
Make a Food-e-Friend Mondays
A Marvelous Mess Monday