Banana cream cheesecake

Banana cream cheesecake, shredded coconut, originally uploaded by milkandvanilla.

I came across this recipe when I was browsing Recipezaar as a means to kill time during this summer. The outcome was absolutely amazing. It has become our all time favourite. I've made it for his parents, for my supervisor's BBQ, and for his lab's group meeting. And single time the look on people's faces after they had a bite of the cheesecake just made me fall in love with baking a little bit more.

The original recipe is enough to make a 22cm (8.5in) cake. But I've halved the recipe to make a small 7in cake as a trial and it was still delicious. The small cheesecake's easily set, while for the big one, overnight chilling is absolutely necessary if you want a even texture across the whole cake.

BANANA CREAM CHEESECAKE

Banana cream cheesecake, desiccated coconut, originally uploaded by milkandvanilla.

CRUST

20 vanilla cream-filled sandwich style cookies (I use a package of oatmeal cookies, 200g)
1/4 cup margarine, melted

FILLING

24 ounces cream cheese, softened (I usually just use 2 x 250g)
2/3 cup granulated sugar (tighly packed brown sugar)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 eggs
3/4 cup mashed bananas (about 2 large ones)
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
shredded coconut, for topping (optional)

1. Finely chop the cookies. Add margarine and blend until they are well combines.
2. Press the mixture into the bottom of a springform pan and smooth it out. Refrigerate the crust while you make the filling.
3. Beat cream cheese with electric mixer until creamy. Beat in sugar and cornstarch followed by the eggs (one at a time). Beat in bananas, whipping cream, and vanilla.
4. Pour mixture into crust. Place pan on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350F/185C oven for 15 minutes.
5. Reduce oven temperature to 200F/95C and bake an additional 75 minutes, or until center is almost set. Add coconut on the top and return to cheesecake to the oven for another 20 minutes.
6. Allow to cool completely before removing rim of pan. Before removing the pan, run warm water over a knife and slide a knife around the edge of the cake to separate the cake from the pan cleanly.
7. Refrigerate cheesecake, uncovered, at least 6 hours. Overnight is highly recommended.