Make Ahead

DAN'S CHEESECAKE (with a Banana Bread Crust!)

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May 29, 2015
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  • Makes a 9-inch springform pan plus an extra loaf of Banana Bread!
Author Notes

Years ago I was supplying a deli in Boston with my Banana Bread and Cheesecake. My best friend Dan Davis came to visit and quickly got into the habit of eating the cheesecake and banana bread together. He suggested the cheesecake would be delicious with banana bread as the crust. He was right! The chunks of chocolate are a natural conclusion to gilding the lily. [An additional benefit to making this recipe is that you will also have a loaf of banana bread when you have finished.]
Notice that there is no refined sugar or white flour in this recipe. ....It's healthy, too! —ChefJune

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Banana Bread
  • 1/2 cup warmed clover honey
  • 1/2 cup safflower oil
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I use Nielsen-Massey)
  • 2 extra large eggs, well beaten
  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup raw wheat germ
  • 2 tablespoons Rumfords Baking Powder (yes, TABLESPOONS)
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped, toasted walnuts
  • Cheesecake
  • 3 8-ounce packages organic cream cheese
  • scant 1 cup warmed clover honey
  • 5 extra large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons each grated lemon and orange rinds
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract (I use Nielsen-Massey)
  • pinch of fine sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 12 ounces top quality semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch chunks
Directions
  1. Banana Bread
  2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan, as well as one 8x4" bread pan.
  3. Cream honey and oil, and stir in bananas, vanilla and well beaten eggs.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients and nuts, and stir into the egg mixture only until just mixed.
  5. Wrap the bottom of the springform pan with heavy duty aluminum foil. Pour into the springform pan to a depth of about 3/8-inch. Pour the remainder into the bread pan. Bake at 325 degrees F. The cake bottom will take about 20 minutes, the loaf will require about 50 minutes.
  6. Cool both on a cake rack.
  1. Cheesecake
  2. Cream the honey and cream cheese until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  3. Add the flavorings and flour. Beat well. Add heavy cream. Beat again, briefly. Fold in the chocolate.
  4. Pour into the prepared springform pan atop the cooled banana bread crust. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 55 minutes, then check to see if the cake is finished. If it is firm around the outside and soft, (not runny) in the center, take it out of the oven, as it will continue to cook after baking. If you leave it in the oven too long, the top will crack, and be less beautiful (but no less delicious).
  5. Allow the cake to cool completely on a cake rack.
  6. A delightful topping for this cheesecake is creme fraiche, either plain, or with a bit of liqueur folded in.
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ChefJune
30+ years a chef, educator, writer, consultant, "winie," travel guide/coordinator

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