Bitsy's Kitchen
Margarita Cheesecake
1 1/2 lbs. (3 - 8 oz. pkgs) cream cheese
3 whole eggs
1 cup sugar
2 ounces lime juice
1 1/2 tsp. rum extract
Topping:
3 cups whipping cream
2 teaspoons of lemon and lime zest (optional)
Crust:
2 1/ 2 cups salted pretzels crushed
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 ounces butter, melted
For the crust:
Combine pretzels, sugar and butter in pan.....press to make crust and take it up the sides of a spring form pan.
For the cheese cake:
Mix cream cheese on low speed until softened then add remaining ingredients except eggs. Mix slightly....does not have to be creamy.....just to mix. Then add eggs...one at a time blending until mixed. Be careful not to over mix you want a light cheesecake. Can have lumps in it as the lumps will melt down during baking.
Put a water bath with very hot water beneath the cheesecake and bake for one hour at 300° F. At the end of the hour.. turn off oven and leave in oven for 8 hours. Do not open oven door. It will set and finish baking on it's own. The water bath will keep it from cracking and it will be moist and light. When cool, loosen sides of cake from pan, remove sides of pan. Whip the cream topping. Combine lemon and lime zest and fold into whipped cream. Place topping on top of cheesecake.