If at first you don't succeed

I attempted making a baked Cheesecake for the first time.

My first attempt was a failure, a big failure:

When I released the spring form pan, it collapsed and turned into a big pile of cake and crust and I wanted to cry. I was in charge of dessert for Sunday dinner and wanted it to be just right.

Instead of giving up I stayed up all night trying and trying again. Here are my second and third attempts and the recipes following.

Ta Da!

Ta Da Ta Da!

Have you ever made a baked cheesecake? It was pretty easy and so worth it. The Oreo one comes from my friend Jill, she made it one time and I think I made a fool of myself at how much I loved it so she brought me one for my birthday. Best birthday treat I had. She is a fabulous cook. The plain cheesecake which we topped with strawberries is adapted from My Kitchen Cafe which she adapted from Tyler Florence. I changed up the crust and was glad I did. I added brown sugar instead of white and doubled it and then added 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon.! I absolutely adored this one. My sister is in town and she said it was one of her top three favorite desserts ever. The Oreo cheesecake is so rich and chocolaty and the other has a hint of lemon and is more of a refreshing taste and it also has twice as much crust as the Oreo one. Both delish.

P.S. If you make a baked cheesecake -spray the spring form pan well with cooking spray and let it refrigerate OVERNIGHT!!! I wouldn't release the spring after 30 minutes like the recipe says. I would suggest keeping it all tight in the pan until it has been refrigerated long enough to set and firm up. The next morning I ran a sharp knife around the pan and the cake came out nicely. I learned the hard way and ended up in the kitchen well past midnight and again the next morning trying to do it the right way. Live and learn, right?