Ingredients:

  • 2 cups Vanilla Wafer crumbs
  • ½ cup Unsalted Butter, melted
  • ¼ cup Granulated Sugar (for crust)
  • 3 large ripe (but firm) Bananas, sliced ¼-inch thick
  • 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter (for bananas)
  • ¼ cup Packed Light Brown Sugar (for bananas)
  • 1 tsp Lemon Juice (for bananas)
  • 3 (8 oz) blocks Full-Fat Cream Cheese, softened
  • 1 ½ cups Granulated Sugar (for filling)
  • 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract (for filling)
  • Zest of ½ Lemon
  • 4 Large Eggs, room temperature
  • ½ cup Sour Cream or Full-Fat Greek Yogurt, room temperature
  • 2 Large Egg Yolks (for custard)
  • ⅓ cup Granulated Sugar (for custard)
  • 2 Tbsp Cornstarch
  • 1 ½ cups Whole Milk
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract (for custard)
  • 1 very ripe Banana, mashed (for custard)
  • 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream (for topping)
  • 2 Tbsp Powdered Sugar (for topping)
  • ¼ tsp Vanilla Extract (for topping)
  • ½ cup Vanilla Wafer crumbs (for garnish)
  • 2 firm Bananas, sliced (for garnish)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease and line the bottom of the 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Wrap the outside bottom and sides securely in several layers of heavy-duty foil for the water bath seal.
  2. Make the crust: Combine wafer crumbs, melted butter, and ¼ cup sugar. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly.
  3. Caramelize Bananas: Sauté banana slices in 2 Tbsp butter and brown sugar until lightly browned (about 4 minutes). Stir in lemon juice and set aside to cool completely.
  4. Make Custard Swirl: Whisk egg yolks, ⅓ cup sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan. Slowly whisk in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens significantly. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and mashed banana. Cool until just warm.
  5. Prepare Cheesecake Batter: Beat cream cheese until completely smooth. Gradually beat in 1 ½ cups sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing just until combined. Gently fold in sour cream/yogurt.
  6. Assemble Layers: Pour half of the cheesecake batter over the crust. Layer the cooled caramelized banana slices evenly over the batter. Dollop spoonfuls of the cooled custard swirl mixture over the bananas. Pour remaining batter over top and gently swirl the surface if desired.
  7. Create Water Bath: Place the foil-wrapped springform pan inside a large roasting pan. Carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
  8. Bake for 60–75 minutes. The edges should be set, but the centre 2 inches should still have a slight wobble.
  9. Cool Slowly: Turn the oven off. Prop the oven door open slightly and let the cheesecake cool inside the oven for 1 hour.
  10. Chill: Remove from the water bath, remove foil, and cool completely on a wire rack. Once room temperature, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
  11. Finish and Serve: Before serving, whip heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Release the springform, top with whipped cream, fresh banana slices, and reserved wafer crumbs.