Ingredients
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2 cups graham cracker crumbs (or favourite cookie crumbs)
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6 tablespoons butter or 6 tablespoons margarine, melted
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2 (21 ounce) cans cherry pie filling, divided
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4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese (at room temperature)
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1 1/3 cups white sugar
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3 tablespoons flour
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2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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4 large eggs (plus)
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2 egg yolks
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1 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place rack in lower third of oven.
- Grease a 9" springform pan.
- Combine graham cracker crumbs with melted butter.
- Mix well.
- Press all the crumb mixture onto bottom of springform pan and half way up the sides of the pan-- evenly-- Bake in 350 oven for 8- 10 minutes.
- Remove crust from oven and allow to cool.
- Drain 1 can of cheeries and set aside.
- Increase heat to 500 degrees.
- Beat cream cheese on medium speed for 5 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
- Reduce speed and gradually add sugar.
- Next add flour and vanilla mix well.
- Reduce speed again for eggs and egg yolks, beating in one at a time until well combined.
- Add sour cream, then beat batter for 1 minute more.
- Spread drained cheeries over bottom of graham cracker crust.
- Pour cake batter over the cherries.
- Bake cake for 10- 15 minutes.
- Lower heat to 200 degrees and bake cake for 1 1/2 hours longer, or until cake sets and center jiggles slightly when shaken.
- (If cake is browning too quickly for your liking cover loosely with foil).
- Turn off the oven, leave cake in oven for 20 minutes longer-- do not open oven door-- Cool cheesecake on rack for 30 minutes.
- Run knife around edge of cake to loosen.
- Refrigerate, at least 4 hours or better yet overnight.
- Remove side from pan, and put cake on platter, serve with the remaining can of cheeries pour over top of cake and enjoy.