Michelle's Famous Cheesecake

This one is actually from my friend Michelle:

Ingredients

Crust

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp rice flour

1 1/2 tsp xanthan or guar gum

1/2 stick unsalted butter or margarine (room temp)

1 egg

1/4 cup white sugar

Filling

2 1/2 lbs cream cheese (softened)

1 3/4 cup white sugar

2 1/2 tbsp white rice flour

1 tsp xanthan gum

5 eggs

2 egg yolks (6 eggs total works instead)

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (in an emergency substitute with sour cream)

• Preheat oven to 400 F and lightly grease a 10" springform pan (9x13" works as well)
• Combine cocoa powder, flour, xanthan gum, sugar, 1 egg, and butter (it looks too dry, but trust me, it works)
• Place in the bottom of the pan, and spread evenly to the edges.
• Bake 15 minutes and allow to cool
• Increase oven temperature to 475 F
• In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, flour, xanthan gum, eggs and yolks and mix thoroughly
• Add cream and mix only enough to blend
• Place a pan of water (preferably metal) on the bottom rack (If you don't have a bottom rack, fill cupcake pans with water and set the cake on top of them)
• Pour filling over crust and bake for 10 minutes at 475 F
• Reduce temperature to 200 F and continue to bake for 1 hour
• Turn oven off and leave cake in there for another hour
• Chill overnight.

Serve cold topped with your favorite fruit, chocolate, whipped cream, or plain!

Do not open the oven while the cake is baking. Cheese cake requires lots of steam (hence the pan of water) and opening the oven will let it all out and it will crack. (Still perfectly yummy though, just not as pretty)