Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake

I love that my friends love cheesecake, that means lots of experimenting! I have started a "tradition" (I guess) of making my friends cheesecake for their birthdays. Melanie requested lemon raspberry cheesecake so here it is. The recipe is from myrecipe.com. The graham cracker crust was a little soggy and the cheesecake was very lemony. Everyone loved it! Melanie said that this cheesecake tasted almost like the version made by the Cheesecake Factory. Oh my gosh! I think that is the best compliment ever!!!

Ingredients

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
3 tablespoons sugar
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 pint fresh raspberries

Preparation

Combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, and 3 tablespoons sugar. Press into bottom of an 8-inch springform pan; set aside.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add 1 1/2 cups sugar and next 3 ingredients, beating until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with raspberries; pour remaining batter over raspberries. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until cheesecake is almost set. Turn oven off, and partially open door; leave cake in oven 1 hour. Remove from oven; run a knife around edge of pan, and release sides. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and chill 8 hours. Store in refrigerator.

Makes 10 servings