Crust

• 2 ¼ cup Vanilla Wafer Crumbs
• 10 tablespoons Salted Butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons Sugar

Cheesecake Filling

• 24 ounces Cream Cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup Sugar
• 3 tablespoons All Purpose Flour
• ¼ cup Sour Cream, room temperature
• 4 teaspoons Banana Extract
• 1 cup Pureed Banana
• 3 large Eggs, room temperature

Bavarian Cream

• 1 teaspoon Powdered Gelatin
• 2 tablespoons Milk
• 2 Egg Yolks
• ½ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• 2 tablespoons Sugar
• ¾ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• ¼ teaspoon Banana Extract
• ⅔ cup Heavy Whipping Cream, cold
• 5 tablespoons Powdered Sugar

Whipped Cream

• ½ cup Heavy Whipping Cream, cold
• ¼ cup Powdered Sugar
• ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• Fresh sliced Bananas

 

Crust

1. Preheat oven to 325F; line the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides
2. Combine the crust ingredients in a small bowl; press the mixture into the bottom up the sides of the pan
3. Bake the crust for 10 minutes; set aside to cool
4. Cover the outsides of the pan with aluminum foil so the water from the water bath can’t get inside; set pan aside

Cheesecake

1. Reduce oven temperature to 300F
2. In large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and flour on low speed until completely combined and smooth; using low will reduce the amount of air in batter which causes cracks; scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly
3. Add the sour cream and banana extract; mix on low speed until well combined; add the pureed bananas; mix on low speed until combined
4. Add the eggs one at a time; mix slowly to combine after each addition; scrape sides of bowl as needed so everything is combined
5. Pour the cheesecake batter into the crust
6. Place the springform pan inside another larger pan; fill the outside pan with enough warm water to go halfway up the springform pan; the water should not go above the top edge of the aluminum foil
7. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes; the center should be set but still jiggly
8. Turn off the oven and leave the door closed for 30 minutes; the cheesecake will continue to cook
9. Crack the door of the oven for 30 minutes to allow the cheesecake to continue to cool slowly; this helps prevent cracking

Bavarian Cream

1. While the cheesecake finishes cooling, make the bavarian cream; in a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin onto the milk; set aside
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks together; set aside
3. Add the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract and banana extract to a large saucepan; heat over medium heat until warm
4. Remove the cream mixture from heat and slowly pour the hot cream into the eggs to temper them
5. Add the egg and cream mixture back into the saucepan and return to the heat; continue cooking over medium heat until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon about 160F
6. Add the gelatin mixture to the hot cream; stir until smooth
7. Pour the custard into another bowl; set that bowl inside another bowl over ice; allow to cool to room temperature
8. While the custard cools, add the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar to a large mixing bowl; whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form
9. When the custard is ready, gently fold the whipped cream into the custard; make sure it is room temperature so the whipped cream doesn’t melt
10. Remove the water bath wrapping from the cheesecake; spread the bavarian cream evenly over the top of the cheesecake; refrigerate cheesecake until completely cool and firm 5-6 hours

Whipped Topping

1. When the cheesecake is cool and firm remove it from the springform pan
2. Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract for the whipped cream topping to a large mixing bowl; whisk on high speed until stiff peeks form
3. Pipe whipped cream on edges of cheesecake then top cake with sliced bananas