Happy National Pie Day! If you are a math geek, it’s Pi Day. 3.14 But for me, really, it’s all about the Pie!

Not to stir up controversy here, but is cheesecake a pie or a cake?

On the pie side: 

• If you don’t have a springform pan, cheesecake is usually made in a pie dish.
• It has a crust like a pie.
• It is usually covered with fruit, not frosting. (But whipped cream can apply to both categories!)
• It is not flour-based, like most cakes are.

On the cake side…it’s called cheese “cake”.

I rest my case.

I would never have gone looking for this recipe if it were not for the black bananas taunting me from my counter. And even though the original version is probably just fine, but I’m all about cutting out the sugar for my kiddos, so I made a few changes, and best…cheesecake…ever.

I made this weeks ago, and I’ve been enjoying it lately because it freezes really well. But it’s gone now. 😥 So here on one of the three most important pie days of the year (4th of July and Thanksgiving still rank pretty high), I’m left to fend for myself. I have to go out in search of pie.

Next year I’ll have to leave myself a reminder a week before National Pie Day to let my bananas sit on the counter and get ready to become this deliciousness. If you are luckier than me in the black banana department, try this recipe today and let me know how it goes.

Banana Pudding Cheesecake

Banana Pudding Cheesecake

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

2 hours 30 mins

Total time

2 hours 50 mins

 

The best cheesecake ever. No, really. And it's thrifty, too, using up black bananas, turning bad into cheesecakey goodness. Modified to reduce the sugar amounts. Feel free to adjust to your taste.

Author: Darla DeMorrow

Recipe type: Desert

Cuisine: American

Serves: 8-12

Ingredients

• CRUST:
• 1¼ cup vanilla wafer crumbs
• 5 Tbsp butter
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• CHEESECAKE FILLING:
• 24 oz of cream cheese, softened (three- 8 oz packages)
• ¾ cup sugar
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 1 small package dry sugar-free vanilla pudding mix (or 3.4 oz package of regular banana pudding mix)
• 3 eggs, room tempertature
• 1 cup ripe mashed bananas (2-3 bananas)
• ½ tsbp vanilla extract
• TOPPING, if desired:
• Additional 1-2 bananas, sliced
• vanilla wafers
• whipped cream

Instructions

1. CRUST:
2. Heat oven to 325 degrees
3. In a small bowl, combine crust ingredients and mix well with fork.
4. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9" spingform pan
5. Bake crust for 10 minutes, then remove from oven.
6. Wrap the outside of the springform pan with aluminum foil so water doesn't get inside
7. CHEESECAKE FILLING:
8. Reduce oven to 300 degrees.
9. In a large bowl, blend the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and pudding mix with an electric mixer at low speed just until mixed, scraping sides of the bowl as you go.
10. Add eggs one at a time, beating slowly and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.
11. Add the mashed banana and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until well combined. Mixture will be lumpy.
12. Pour the filling into the springform pan.
13. Place the springform pan inside another pan. Fill outside pan with enough warm water to go about half way up the sides of the springform pan, but not higher than the top edge of the aluminum.
14. Bake for 1 hour and 30-45 minutes.
15. Turn off heat and leave in oven with door closed for 20 minutes.
16. Crack oven door and leave in oven for another 20 minutes.
17. When set, remove from oven and chill.
18. Once chilled, serve with whipped cream and other toppings if desired.

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