Banana Cream Cheesecake

By á-3503

Banana cheesecake has a vanilla wafer crust, cheesecake layer, Bavarian cream layer and topped with fresh whipped cream and fresh bananas.

Ingredients

• CRUST:
• 2 cups Nilla Wafers, crushed
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• CHEESECAKE FILLING:
• 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon banana flavoring
• BAVARIAN CREAM:
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon banana flavoring
• Garnish: 1 fresh banana

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Fill pan that is larger than the springform pan with 1/2 inch of water and place it into the center of the oven.

Spray the inside of the springform pan with cooking spray and wrap aluminum foil around the outside of the pan so that water cannot get into the pan when it's submerged into the water bath in the oven.

Use a food processor to crush the Nilla Wafers to a fine crumb. Mix the melted butter with cookie crumbs and press into the bottom of the springform pan. Place the pan into your freezer while you make the cheesecake filling.

Make the filling by combining the softened cream cheese with the sugar using an electric mixer on high speed. When the mixture is smooth, add the sour cream, vanilla and banana flavoring and beat well. Take the 3 eggs, put them in a small bowl and slightly beat them. Mix into the cream cheese mixture. Do not over beat, just until well mixed. Use a spatula to pour all of the filling into the springform pan. Smooth the top, then gently place the pan into the water bath and bake for 70 minutes or until the cheesecake filling does not jiggle in the middle.

Cool the cheesecake until room temp, cover and chill while you make the Bavarian cream.

Make the Bavarian cream by heating the milk and cream in a medium saucepan over med low heat until boiling. Remove from the heat. Use an electric mixer on high speed to beat the egg yolks with the sugar in a medium bowl until mixture is pale yellow, about a minute. Add hot milk a little bit at a time to the eggs while beating. Pour the mixture back into the pan and heat over medium low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon (approximately 5-8 minutes). BE SURE THE MIXTURE DOES NOT BOIL OR THE EGGS WILL CURDLE! Pour back into the medium bowl. Dissolve the gelatin in cold water; let it sit for 1 minute, then mix it into the Bavarian cream with an electric mixer on high speed, along with the vanilla and banana flavoring. Chill the Bavarian cream until thickened (1-2 hours) then spread it over the top of the cheesecake. Re-cover and chill the cheesecake overnight.

Garnish with whip cream and a banana slice.