The perfect "spring" recipe!

When I recently found out I was pregnant with my second child, something in my head clicked, and I thought... “of course I am!”  Why would I have that thought, you ask? Well... because I had been recently craving something very specific... CHEESECAKE.  I know most women (and men, for that matter) tend to want cheesecake no matter what, but I tend to only crave it, like, HAVE TO HAVE IT, when I’m pregnant.

Usually any type of cheesecake will do, but on that day (and ever since then, actually) I’ve been hankering for a very specific type of cheesecake.  This particular dessert is called Autumn Cheesecake, and I first heard about it (actually... EXPERIENCED IT is probably a better way to put it) when I worked in a medical office and my co-worker brought one in for everyone to try.  Once we tried it, we all demanded the recipe. You can’t just experience this once... you need to be able to recreate it again and again!

I know it’s not technically the right season for an Autumn anything, but the combination of yummy cinnamon, sweet apples and crunchy pecans is perfect for any time of the year.  And, of course, the rich cream cheese. Mmmm.

As I type this, I can smell the crust baking and the apple-cinnamon aromas filling the air.  I even put off sewing more diapers to make this, so you really need to check this recipe out!

AUTUMN CHEESECAKE

1 Cup graham cracker crumbs

3 Tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoons cinnamon

¼ Cup margarine, melted

Combined crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and margarine; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees, 10 minutes.

2 8 oz. Pkgs cream cheese, softened

½ Cup sugar

2 Eggs

½ teaspoon vanilla

Combine cream cheese and sugar, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in vanilla; pour over crust.

4 Cups thin peeled apple slices

1/3 Cup sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup chopped pecans

Toss apples with combined sugar and cinnamon. Spoon apple mixture over cream cheese layer; sprinkle with pecans.  Bake at 350 degrees 1 hour and 10 minutes.  Loosen cake from rim of pain; cool before removing rim of pan.  Chill.

You can also add ½ cup of chopped pecans to the crust mixture as a yummy variation.

The nice thing about this recipe is that other than a few apples that need to be peeled and sliced, the recipe is a simple one, and the result is oh so worth it!

I only have half an hour to go before my dessert is done and out of the oven... I guess I’ll kill some time before then by finishing up some diapers that need some snaps.  Enjoy!

Annie (dick&jane Cloth Diapers)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/dickandjanediapers