Day 4–Upside Down Cherry Cheesecake

I love dessert!  And dessert combined with crock-pot cooking is absolutely wonderful.  This recipe started as a complete experiment, but it is fabulous.  Unlike traditional cheesecake that is baked in the oven, you don’t have to worry about this drying out.  The slow cooking and the fact that there is a lid on it the entire time it cooks keeps it nice and moist.  This recipe would be best if you put it on right after breakfast and let it cook for the recommended time, then chill it until serving time.  However, if you like a warm and creamy cheesecake, you can serve it as soon as it is done. I call this an Upside Down Cherry Cheesecake because the fruit is on the bottom, the cheesecake is in the middle, and the crust is on the top.  Here we go:

Part 1:

Spray crock-pot with no-stick spray.

Pour in 2 cans of cherry pie filling (if you don’t like cherries, use whatever fruit filling you like)

Part 2:

Mix up the cheesecake layer -

32 ounces of cream cheese, very soft

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

2 T corn starch

1 T vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

Beat cream cheese and sugar together until smooth.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Beat in corn starch and vanilla. Gently stir in sour cream.  Pour over cherries.

Part 3:

The Crust -

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup butter, melted

Sprinkle crumbs over cheesecake layer, drizzle with melted butter

Turn crock pot on low and cook for at least 4 hours.  It should puff slightly and the crust will brown slightly.  Turn crock pot off and let the cheesecake rest a while before serving (or chill it for several hours).

Here is a picture of two pieces together – one with the crust on top, and one that I flipped so the cherries are on top.  YUM!!!!! Tomorrow’s recipe is going to be a surprise.  I guarantee you it is simple and delicious.