Key Lime Cheesecake

Once I got my beautiful Kitchen Aid mixer for my birthday, I was on the hunt for the perfect recipe to try it out with. When I came across this one, I immediately wanted to try it since I love Key Lime pie almost as much as I love cheesecake--perfect! I loved using my mixer and this turned out delicious!

1 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
3 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese, softened (I used light)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 5 limes worth)
3 eggs
Whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350. Combine crumbs, butter and 1 tablespoon sugar in a bowl. Stir well to coat all crumbs. Keep it crumbly. When the crumb mixture is ready, press the crumbs into the bottom and halfway up the sides of an 8-inch springform pan. Place pan in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside. Don't turn off oven. In the mixer bowl, combine cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla. Use electric mixer and mix until smooth. Add lime juice and eggs and continue to beat until smooth and creamy. Pour filling into crust. Place the pie in the oven and bake 60-70 minutes. Pie is done when the top begins to brown slightly. Remove from oven and cool until room temperature. Put in the fridge to chill. Serve with whipped cream.