Sweet Somethings: Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

Monday was the bf's 26th birthday so I had to make him his favorite dessert - cheesecake.

I swear, there wasn't actually anything orange in the cake. My camera is strange some times.

People think cheesecake is intimidating, but I assure you it's a piece of cake. Pun intended.

For the crust:

1 1/2 cup of crushed craham crackers
1/2 cup of sugar
4 tbsp melted butter

For the Cheesecake:

3 sticks of cream cheese
1 cup of sugar
4 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup of cocoa powder or hot chocolate mix

SUPER EASY!

1. Mix together all the ingredients for the crust and press into the bottom and one inch up the sides of an 8" or 9" springform pan.
2. Cream together the sugar and cream cheese. (Don't skip this step or your cheesecake will be lumpy!)
3. Add in the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla and mix it real good.
   
4. Pour half to 3/4 of the batter into your pan.
5. Mix in your chocolatey goodness to the remaining batter and then pour that on top.
   
6. Swirl with a knife to get a ribbon-esque look.
7. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees until the edges are firm but the middle is slightly jiggly still.
   

I got lazy and topped it with cherry pie filling, but you could also sprinkle your favorite chopped fruit (like raspberries... mmmmm) with sugar and let it sit for a couple minutes so it gets all juicy and top it with that.
And voila! In less than an hour you have a gigantic piece of deliciousness to enjoy :)