Mandarin Orange Cheesecake

The first recipe I want to post is a cheesecake recipe I make. I had gotten a lot of rave about it last year at a Thanksgiving party with some family friends. By the time I left, the only thing remaining to bring home was the washed dish the cheesecake was brought in!

I have a huge sweet tooth and am constantly baking something sweet. I usually take half of what I make to my work or either mom's house, otherwise, anything I make ends up being too much for just two pople.

Mandarin Orange Cheesecake

Crust
1 cup Graham Cracker crumbs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling
3 packages (8 oz.) of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. orange zest
1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
1 tsp. vanilla extract
10 oz. mandarin orange segments

Topping
1 1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. orange juice

Decoration
1 tsp. orange flavoring
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp. sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Grease a springform pan.

Crust: In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into the bottom of the pan and freeze.

Filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, and sugar on medium high speed for 3 minutes. Add eggs and beat together. Mix in sour cream, orange zest, orange juice concentrate, and vanilla. Fold in the orange segments. Pour over the crust. Bake 45 to 55 minutes. Cool on the counter for 10 minutes, do not turn the oven off.

Topping: In a medium bowl, add sour cream, sugar, and orange juice. Pour in center of cake and spread out to the edges. Bake for 5 minutes. Cool for two hours. Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours before decorating.

Decorating: In a well chilled bowl, whip cream on medium high until soft peaks form. Add sugar, and orange flavoring. Mix until firm peaks form. Pipe border around top of cake. Enjoy!