Today is National Dessert Day and I’m celebrating with cheesecake!

I love cheesecake. It is certainly one of my top three favorite desserts. And I don’t indulge in it nearly as much as I want. I believe cheesecake is very underrated.

I used to date a lovely fellow who worked at a restaurant famous for cheesecake and you know what, he never brought me cheesecake when I went to visit him. Now, I actually never asked for it but you know it was a test, ha! As I have matured, I’ve learned to ask for what I want or just get it my damned self!

So when I decided to post content for this year’s National Dessert Day, I said to myself, “Self, you should make a homemade cheesecake.” I also said to myself, “Self, you should use alcohol in it.” So I did. And there you have it ladies and gentlemen. Life lessons in the form of cheesecake.

If you feel like you never got the cheesecake you deserved, I’m here to tell you it is so easy to whip up your own. Never let a man deny you cheesecake. Ok, I’m getting a bit militant here. Sorry. Where was I? Oh, I’m going to walk you through the steps I used to make this RumChata Cheesecake. Let’s get to it.

Prepare your crust. I used store-bought crumbs which were actually on sale and less expensive than a box of graham crackers. By all means, crumble your own but I am all about convenience, ease, and efficiency so I just measured the crumbs out, mixed with a little butter and a little sugar, according to the pkg directions.

Use a flat bottomed measuring cup to smooth out the crust in your spring-form pan – mine is a 9″ pan.

Start mixing. If you’re using a stand mixer, it’s especially important to pause every once in a while to scrape down the side of your bowl. You do not want thick globs of cream cheese not being incorporated well.

Pour the batter into your pan and revel in the creamy goodness. I’m a rebel so I licked the bowl. RumChata heaven.

So is my pour perfect? No. Were my crumbs evenly up the sides of my pan? Also no, but this is homemade and I am not a perfectionist when it comes to food. If it’s made with love and a bit of know-how, it’s going to be fine. I did try to bang out some of the air bubbles but the top will be covered so it wasn’t a big deal.

Bake with a water bath. This is the method I use. I have found that even if I use foil on the bottom of a spring-form pan and place it on a pan with water, somehow it leaks into whatever I make. So I do not even go there. Water bath on the bottom tray. No foil needed. No soggy crust.

Done-zo! The cooking method I use (coming up later in the recipe) means no cracking and no browning of the top of your cheesecake. So much creamy goodness…

Just look at that caramel. Lovely, sugary, store-brand caramel topping. She (as in me) does not make her own caramel sauce when Kroger’s is under $2, k!

She (as in the cheesecake) is so purty! But I’m not done.

Oh yeah. Money shot. The fluff girl (also me) was in the back, sprinkling the top with mini chocolate chips and then finishing off with another drizzle of caramel. Whew. I’m spent.

This wasn’t even a labor of love because it was so easy. Coming to terms with the weight I’m going to gain eating this aside, I’m so glad I whipped this up. Just for me! Oh, and for your viewing pleasure. Fluff girl, out.

RumChata Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 c graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1/3 c melted butter
• 2 – 8 oz. pkgs cream cheese, room temp
• 1 1/2 c sweetened condensed milk
• 2 eggs, room temp
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 c RumChata
• 1/4 c mini chocolate chips
• caramel topping

Directions:

Place a baking pan or roasting pan on the bottom rack of the oven. Pour about an inch or two of hot water in the pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Prepare the crust. Mix the crumbs, sugar, and butter together in a large bowl (cuz it’s messy in a small bowl). Press onto bottom and sides of 9″ sping-form pan. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to an hour or until firm.

In your mixer or another bowl, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the condensed milk and beat until incorporated and smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time. Don’t forget to scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl! Then add the vanilla, mix well. Finally, add the RumChata and mix on medium-low for about a minute.

Pour/scrape mixture into pan. Bake about 1 hour or until cheesecake is set with a little wiggle in the middle. Turn the oven off and leave cheesecake in oven for about an hour. Cheesecake will fall slightly (but should still have a flat top).

Remove from oven and while warm, run a knife along the sides of the pan/crust to loosen. Let cool completely (about an hour) or refrigerate overnight.

Pour caramel topping over the top to cover. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and drizzle with more caramel, making sure to let it drip down the sides.

Cut into it. Serve it up. Eat it. Get fat. Be happy. Live your life on National Dessert Day with a RumChata Cheesecake!