Look for recipes that use fewer eggs in proportion to the cream cheese (or Neufch�tel or ricotta or whatever "cheese" ingredient you're using) and very little or no flour. Eggs and flour are thickening and binding agents that will give a firmer texture. Also, try adding (or increasing the amount of) sour cream to the cheesecake mixture. I usually also add a tablespoon or two of fresh lemon juice. If the mixture is predominately cream cheese (and very little liquid), the cheesecake will be very firm when chilled. Even more important than the specific recipe that you use, DO NOT OVERBAKE! The cheesecake will continue baking after you take it out of the oven, and it will become firmer when it's refrigerated. If you want a soft, creamy cheesecake, the center of the cheesecake should be jiggly when you take it out of the oven. Even the best recipe will be ruined if overbaked. I've tried a lot of different cheesecake recipes over the years, and have gotten great results with nearly all of them. (Of course, I don't select recipes at random. Usually I try recipes that have been recommended to me or that come from serious cooks.) Unlike regular cake recipes which need to be followed precisely, cheesecake recipes are very forgiving. You have some leeway to adjust the quantities of the ingredients, as long as you don't make drastic changes. One last tip -- I always use Neufchatel instead of cream cheese these days because it has 1/3 less fat than cream cheese. It often has fewer additives than cream cheese, which almost always have stabilizers added. I'm very fussy about ingredients, but I can't tell the difference in cheesecake. Don't use whipped cream cheese, though, because the quantities wouldn't be comparable. Here is a link that might be useful: How long to bake cheesecake

Wonder if was a double portion of the below recipe that my Mom used to make many years ago. In fact, when my brother would come home for a visit or Mom would go visit him, he always requested that she make one of these. Perhaps the restaurant you ate this at doubled or tripled the recipe and just did not put the pie filling on top of it. Worth a try anyway. Cherry Cheese Pie 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (Eagle Brand is what Mom always used) 1/3 cup lemon juice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 8- or 9-inch baked pie shell or graham cracker crumb crust 1 21-ounce can cherry pie filling, chilled In large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla. Pour into crust; chill 4 hours or until set. Top with desired amount of cherry pie filling before serving. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

We liked Lou's cheesecake, too! I love NY cheesecake, too, this was a little different. Marilyn had two recipes that were also very good. EAST COAST CHEESECAKE (danain) 1 2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs 1/4 cup sugar 1/3 cup butter, melted 5 (8 oz. pkgs.) cream cheese, room temperature 13/4 cup sugar 3 tablespoons flour 5 large eggs, room temperature 2 large egg yolks, room temperature 1/3 cup sour cream, room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla Coat the inside of a spring form pan with shortening. Combine crumbs, ¼ cup sugar and butter in and press on sides and bottom of pan; refrigerate. Preheat oven to 500°. Beat together cream cheese, 1¾ cups sugar and flour with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time beating on low speed until incorporated, scraping bowl between additions. Mix in sour cream and vanilla. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Pan will be completely full. Make a water bath: Wrap foil around the outside of filled pan. Place pan in a larger baking dish and pour hot water in the baking dish to come half way up the sides of the spring form pan. Bake in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes at 500° then reduce heat to 200° and continue to bake without opening oven door for 1 hour. Check cake. It should be very brown on top. Continue to bake until slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken, about another 35 minutes. Remove from oven and run a knife around top edge of cake to loosen. Cool cake completely in spring form pan on a rack at room temperature, about 3 hours. Refrigerate cake covered loosely with wax paper for at least 6 hours. Remove side of pan and bring to room temperature before serving. Will keep for approximately 2 weeks refrigerated. notes - For 1/2 recipe bake in a 7" spring form pan for 10 minutes at 500° then about 50 minutes at 200°. HOLLYWOOD TWO-TONE CHEESECAKE (danain) CRUST: 11/4 cup graham cracker crumbs 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup butter, melted PART 1: 1 pound cream cheese; softened 1/2 cup sugar 3 eggs; room temperature 3/4 teaspoon vanilla PART 2: 2 cups sour cream; room temperature 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla Combine crust ingredients thoroughly. Grease 9-inch round pan with shortening (or use a spring form pan). Cover sides of pan with 1 cup having it come up 1-inch from the top of pan. Press remaining in bottom. Refrigerate while preparing part 1. Combine part 1 ingredients with electric mixer until smooth (beat 2 to 3 minutes). Spread into pan. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, place on rack; stand at room temperature 15 minutes. Raise oven temperature to 475°. About 2 minutes before 15 minutes standing time is up, prepare second part of filling. With a spoon mix part 2 ingredients until well blended. Pour over 1st part, starting from side to center, spread evenly and gently. Bake at 475° about 10 minutes. Let stand at room temperature on rack for 5 to 6 hours before releasing from pan. Loosen crumbs on sides of pan allowing them to drop on edge of cake. Remove cake carefully or serve from pan. Do not cut until the following day. Cover with waxed paper and store in coldest part of refrigerator for 12 hours or longer. Keeps 3 to 4 days. Cake is about 1¼-inch high. Tip: When baking cake, place a pan of hot water under cake on lower rack. This will prevent cake from cracking.

I, for one, admire your quest to learn And try new recipes! Have you tried this one from Paula Deen? Several folks here discredit her, But I have found a number of her dishes To be very good! Pretty much simple, "down home" fare. CORN PUDDING CASSEROLE (Paula Deen) By Southern Lady on November 25, 2012 Prep Time: 8 mins Total Time: 58 mins Servings: 9-12 About This Recipe "Five Star, 1457 ratings on Food Network. NO EGGS, SIMPLE, AND DELISH!! Can't get any easier! Served at Thanksgiving and was a hit with the many cooks and guests. This is a pudding, not a souffle. Butter and cheese. . . . .doesn't the scream Paula Deen?" Ingredients 1 (15 1/4 ounce) cans whole kernel corn, drained 1 (14 3/4 ounce) cans cream-style corn 1 (8 ounce) packages corn muffin mix ( recommended -- Jiffy) 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup butter, melted 1 -1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese . Directions 1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 2.In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter. 3.Pour into a greased 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. 4.Remove from oven and top with Cheddar. Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. 5.Let stand for at least 5 minutes and then serve warm. Rusty