Cheesyful Cake - Courtesy of Geronimo Stilton Of Course.....

My older son is a huge fan of the Geronimo Stilton series of books and has been reading them for a couple of years now.  For awhile, he has been asking me to make the Cheesyful Cheesecake that is in one of the books, The Quest for Paradise: The Return to the Kingdom of Fantasy so we made it together.  OK, truthfully, he and the little one helped me periodically.

This recipe was straightforward and the cheesecake was delicious.  Remember that dinner party we hosted between Christmas and New Year's?  Well, this was our dessert - and everyone loved it! 

What desserts do you like to make with your kids?  Or, as in my case, do they ask you to make them, say they will help, and only really show up for the final result?  :)

Cheesyful Cake
Makes 1 Cheesecake
Recipe Courtesy of Geronimo Stilton

For the crust
2 cups graham cracker crumbs, finely ground
4 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

For the cake
4 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla

For the topping
5 tablespoons sugar
2 cups sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
melted chocolate for design (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Crush the graham crackers in a food processor until very fine.  Add butter and sugar.  Mix well. 

Pour the mixture into a 9-inch springform pan and press it into the bottom of the pan.  Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes.  Remove pan from oven and set aside to let cool.

In a bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and eggs.  Pour the mixture into the pan until it is 3/4 full.  Bake at 350 degrees about 60 minutes, or until center is firm.  Remove cheesecake from the oven. 

Combine sugar, sour cream, and vanilla for topping.  After the cheesecake has cooled for 10 minutes, spread over the top.  Return to the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until topping is set.

Melt some chocolate in a double boiler.  (This step is optional.)

Squeeze or pour the melted chocolate over the cake to make a decoration. 

Put the cake into the refrigerator until the chocolate solidifies and the cake is set (about 2 hours.) Finally, remove cake from springform pan and enjoy!