Chocolate Swirled Cheesecake

Did you know that July 30th was National Cheesecake Day?! I had no idea until I saw something that a friend had posted on FB. Well on Friday I only had to work 4 hours, and because I hadn't been able to cook/bake very much during the week I was craving making something. So before work I started making a cheesecake. Now, my only other experience making a cheesecake was one of those brownie cheesecakes, and it was pretty good, but this was MUCH better. Anyway, I started making this before work, mixing everything together, but by the time I was ready to bake it I realized I didn't have the full hour required to bake it. So, I covered it and stuck it in the fridge. Then when I got home from work I brought it out of the fridge so it would be room temperature when baking it, and then we decided to go to a movie, so I stuck it back in the fridge. Anyway, this cheesecake FINALLY got baked on Saturday, which was in fact July 30th. And I finally ate a piece of it on National Cheesecake Day. So, I felt pretty festive and supportive of the holiday and all.

And well, this cheesecake was WELL worth the wait. It turned out to be absolutely delicious. Especially when topped with fresh strawberries. Yum. I will definitely be keeping this as the base recipe for any cheesecake I ever make again (unless you can prove me wrong by providing me with better homemade cheesecake)

3 1/2 (8 oz) packages cheesecake
1 1/3 cup sugar
4 eggs

1 cup sour cream
1 TBS lemon juice
1 TBS vanilla
1/3 cup flour
1 cup milk chocolate chips

15 graham crackers (the whole bar is one cracker)

1 stick/1/2 cup butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 9 inch spring-form pan with cooking spray.
3. Melt butter in the microwave until liquid.
4. Mix graham crackers in food processor until crumb like.
5. In a medium sized bowl slowly add butter to graham cracker crumbs while stirring.
6. Press buttery crumbs into the bottom of the spring-form pan and create an even layer.
7. With kitchen aid, or hand mixer on low, combine cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
8. Mix in eggs one at a time.
9. Add sour cream, vanilla, flour and lemon juice and mix until smooth.
10. Pour filling into the spring-form pan on top of prepared crust.
11. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave, 30 seconds at a time stirring in between until smooth.
12. Pour chocolate on top of cheesecake in stripes and dollops.
13. Take a knife and run it through the chocolate from each direction to swirl it over the top of the cheesecake.
14. Bake in oven for 1 hour.
15. Turn oven off, open door and leave cheesecake in for 1 hour.
16. Remove cheesecake from oven and run a knife along the edge of the entire pan.
17. Cover cheesecake and put it in the fridge for 6 hours before eating.

18. Enjoy cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries and chocolate syrup.

Yum!

What is your favorite kind of cheesecake?