Jo and Sue: Sour Cream Raisin Pie Cheesecake

So, I entered the Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cheesecake of the Year Contest with this crazy little invention.

I didn't win.

That's cool.

I should of... I mean, this is soooo pretty and tastes AMAZING...but...you know, whatever.

I'm not bitter.

(Visit HERE to see the 5 finalists - they totally deserved the wins by the way, they look delicious - especially the Maple Butter Tart Cheesecake *drool*)

Anyways, now that the finalists have been announced I am allowed to share our recipe.

This is definitely a new favorite dessert. I took our Sour Cream Raisin Pie (Click HERE for that recipe) and adapted it to this extravagant new dessert.

Definitely perfect for the holiday season but it also works for any time. A little spice, a little creaminess, a little whipped topping...... you should probably give this a try.

Just sayin'

Sour Cream Raisin Pie Cheesecake

Ingredients

Pie Crust

1/3 of our NEVER FAIL PIE CRUST recipe (or pie dough for 1 deep dish pie)

Cheesecake

3 - 8 oz pkg Philadelphia Cram Cheese, room temp

1 vanilla bean

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp flour

1/4 cup buttermilk

3 eggs

Raisin Pie

2 cups raisins

2 cups sugar

2 cups sour cream

2 Tbsp flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 eggs

Topping

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 10 inch springform pan with cooking spray.

Press the pie dough into the bottom and slightly up the sides of the springform pan.

Prepare cheesecake - In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth, scraping sides of bowl as necessary.

Cut the vanilla bean in half, lengthwise, and, using the edge of the butter knife, scrape the seeds out of the pod and add the seeds to the cream cheese. Discard the bean pod or reserve for another use.

Beat the brown sugar into the cream cheese. Sprinkle with the 2 Tbsp of flour and the buttermilk. Beat until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well combined.

Pour mixture onto crust in pan.

Bake at 350 until cheesecake is set, approx 40 - 55 minutes.

Remove from oven and let sit on wire rack. (Don't worry if it has a few little cracks - you cover them with the raisin topping!)

Prepare Raisin Pie topping - In a medium saucepan, stir together the raisins, sugar, sour cream, flour, spices, and eggs.

Place over medium/high heat and cook and stir until mixture thickens - about 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool about 15 minutes, stirring every so often.

After it has cooled a little, pour the raisin mixture over the cheesecake and let cool completely. When it has reached room temp you can place in fridge for an hour or two to chill.

Prepare topping - In a mixing bowl, whip the whipping cream with the cinnamon until stiff peaks form. Spread over the completely cooled cheesecake/raisin mixture.