Banana Cheesecake with Rum Glazed Walnut Topping
Oh, Bananas, how I love thee. You’re such a delicious treat and you’re always there when I need you.
You know it’s true; regardless of what time of year it is you’re bound to find bananas sitting pretty in the produce section. The ingredient for this week’s Food Blogger Challenge happens to be bananas so imagine all the yummies that are in store for us! I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. So what did I come up with for this challenge? How about a Banana Cheesecake with Rum Glazed Walnut Topping?
To make it even better I made mini banana cheesecakes too; I needed something to tide me over while the big one baked. I made these in a mini muffin tin
I love cheesecake but let’s face it – it can get boring. Yes it’s delicious like, all the time, but sometimes you just want to jazz it up a bit. Adding banana to the Cheesecake jazzes it up and gives you your daily dose of potassium in a scrumptious slice of bliss. As if banana cheesecake weren’t enough, the rum glazed walnut topping is just icing on the cake, figuratively speaking – kind of.
The banana flavor is very much alive in this cheesecake. The topping adds a much needed texture difference to an otherwise uniform dessert. This is one cheesecake you have to try if you’re a banana fan.
- Crust:
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- ? cup granulated sugar
- Filling:
- 2 8 oz. packages cream cheese
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 3 medium to large bananas, mashed
- Topping:
- 1 6 oz. bag shelled walnuts
- 1½ sticks of butter, melted
- 1 cup of brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons spiced rum
- Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or spray a mini muffin pan and a 9 inch pie dish.
- Mix the graham cracker crumbs with the butter, sugar and cinnamon.
- Press the crust mixture into the bottoms of the mini muffin cups (about ? an inch thick)
- Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the pie plate.
- Bake the crusts for 7 minutes.
- Filling:
- Mix together the cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice in a large bowl. Blend in the eggs, sour cream and bananas and beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.
- Pour the cream cheese mixture into the graham cracker crusts.
- Sprinkle the topping over the cheesecake, keeping it as even as possible.
- Bake the mini cheesecakes for 12 minutes (when a toothpick comes out clean.)
- Bake the 9″ cheesecake for 50 minutes (when a toothpick comes out clean.)
- Cool the mini cheesecakes on a wire rack for 20 minutes or until at least room temperature. Turn the pan over onto a cookie sheet and allow to sit for another 10 minute. Flip the cheesecakes back over and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Cool the 9″ cheesecake on a wire rack for an hour or until it’s at least room temperature.
- Chill in the refrigerator or at least an hour before serving.
- Topping:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Toast walnuts for 5 – 7 minutes (after 5 minutes watch them to prevent burning)
- Combine remaining ingredients in a food processor and pulse 3 – 5 times until walnuts are chopped.
- Top the cheesecake with the topping before baking.
