This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was chosen by Anne of AnneStrawberry. She picked Dorie Greenspan’s Tall and Creamy Cheesecake. I usually make cheesecakes often, so I almost skipped this one because I wasn’t really in the mood. After reading Dorie’s suggestions for variations, nothing grabbed me until I remembered my boyfriend had recently asked for a banana cream pie. That sparked the idea to combine both desserts into a Banana Cream Cheesecake.
What I changed from the original recipe:
- Crust: I used 2 cups of crushed Nilla Wafers mixed with 6 tablespoons of melted butter.
- Added two mashed bananas to the cheesecake batter for a gentle banana flavor.
- Included 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in the batter to help set it.
- Reduced the sugar to 3/4 cup.
- Used 1/2 cup heavy cream instead of the larger amount called for in the original.
The result was a cheesecake I truly enjoyed. The banana taste is subtle and complements the cream cheese without overwhelming it, and the vanilla wafers pair nicely with the filling. I’ll certainly make this version again. I also got to use a square springform pan for the first time, which made a nice change.
A quick tip for anyone worried about water getting into a springform pan during a bain-marie: wrap the springform pan in foil and then place it inside an oven bag before setting it in the water bath. This simple step prevents water from seeping into the pan.
For the original recipe and more details, see Anne’s blog or refer to pages 235–237 in Dorie Greenspan’s book Baking: From My Home to Yours.
Up Next… My very daring New Year’s Day Yule Log!