Sue's Winning Cheesecake - Light and Fluffy

Do you remember when I was asked by

The Sara Lee Company to create a recipe

using their Pound Cake?

Sue from I Need Mom described

her light (not calorie light, but texture light)

cheesecake with a Sara Lee Poundcake crust and

it reminded me of a cheesecake my mom and I

made out of a failed cake I had created when

I was first learning to cook with a flat cake layer

and a cheesecake on top, so for sentimental

reasons, Sue won and I promised to make

her cheesecake and feature it on my blog.

Well, if you have been following my life, it has

been pretty crazy with wedding plans, missionary

calls and a Pioneer Trek all going on within the

same week of June 

(definitely not pouring - a deluge!!)

So I had gone off to the store right away

and purchased the goodies for making this.

It's a good thing that cream cheese and

frozen pound cake last a long time.

Yes, you guessed it, we finally made it

for Sunday dinner.

Of course I had to tweak it and top it with 

CHOCOLATE

or it wouldn't be from 

Purple Chocolat Home.

Oh yes, and some fresh strawberries too.

Before I give you an inkling of the recipe 

I have to tell you that hubby said it was 

on the par with Cheesecake Factory

which he LOVES!  He said, "No one makes
cheesecake like this!"

I really loved the look of the Sara Lee crust.

It looks like petals.  

You begin by slicing the cake into thin layers

and lining the springform pan with the

slices of cake. Press them together.

The creamy filling is then spooned in, and this is creamy,

it uses 4 C. of sour cream in the filling.  That is 

what gives it the fabulous moistness.

It calls for a 10 inch springform pan and I only

had a 9 inch so I had some left over.  I used the

ends of my Sara Lee Pound cake and crumbled

them in the bottom of a small pan and poured

the remainder on the crust so hubby and I

were able to take a sneak taste test.  We

loved the way the crust tasted and thought

it was a great cheesecake.

Of course it disappeared quickly on

Sunday. 

I am in love with Sue's recipe

and it will be a family favorite from

now on.  She said that everywhere

she took it, people just loved it and

I believe it.

I really liked the flavor and texture of

the Sara Lee Pound Cake as a crust.

 Cheesecake:

1 loaf Sarah Lee frozen pound cake, thawed and cut into 1/8 inch slices

3 packages (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1 3/4 cups sugar

4 eggs

 4 cups (32 oz.) sour cream (yes, that isn't a typo!  It really is 4 C.!)

2 teaspoons vanilla

 Topping:

1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream

 Cherry pie filling (or whatever you like)

I substituted with a chocolate layer

Melt 1 1/2 C. semi sweet chips

with

2 T. vegetable oil

Stir together until the chips are all melted.

Spread on the cooled cheesecake.

     Arrange cake slices in two overlapping layers on the bottom and up the sides of a 10 inch spring form pan, press them together to close all gaps. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low just until combined. Add sour cream and vanilla; beat just until combined. Pour over cake slices. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan. Just before serving, spread chocolate or sour cream over cheese cake; top with fresh strawberries or cherry pie filling. 12-14 servings.

To serve the cheesecake topped with chocolate,

heat the knife up a little bit by dipping in hot

water or holding over the flame of a stove

for a few seconds.  Wipe and slice.  The

heat of the knife will help make a clean cut

through the chocolate.