My Aunt received this recipe when she was living in Germany years ago. It is awesome! Hard to mess up, easy to change the flavor. I can't eat store bought cheesecake anymore, because this recipe has me spoiled. It is very important that the cream cheese be allowed to soften to room temperature so that the cheesecake will be creamy. The recipe listed is for a plain cheesecake, you can make any flavor though, by using different extracts, or adding berries, chips, etc, or by topping with pie filling, etc. I usually have a little bit of the crust left over. I have found that the top doesn't crack in a 13x9 glass baking dish, but it does crack when baked in a springform pan. If you aren't going to be topping it with something, you could throw a dish of water in the oven while the cheesecake is baking to help prevent the cracking. I never do.